JamesCopeland,VicePresidentofFinance,OutsidePlantandPoweratMarconiCommunications,stillremembersa1993magazinearticledescribingthebenefitsofautomatingkeybusinesstasks.“Ittalkedaboutusingjustonepersonpereachbilliondollarsofsalestoprocesspaperlessexpensereports,”herecalls.“Wewereahalfbilliondollarcompanybackthen,butwereusingfivepeopletoprocessthesereportsmanually.”Withthearticleasinspiration,Copelandembarkedonaquesttoautomatehiscompany’sexpensereportingprocess.HisundertakingledhimtoExtensityanditsrobustoff-the-shelfsolutionforstreamliningtheentireexpensereportingprocess,fromreportcreationthroughapprovalandreimbursement.InthetwoandahalfyearssincedeployingExtensityExpenseReports,TMMarconihasdramaticallyreducedprocessingcosts,eliminatedredundantdataentry,andshortenedtheemployeereimbursementcycle—eveninthefaceofsignificantcompanygrowth.MarconiTakestheExpenseOutofExpenseReportingAtMarconiCommunicationsthebenefitsofstreamliningexpensereportingandautomaticallyenforcingcorporatepoliciesgostraighttothebottomline.“Ittakesmeonlyafewminutestoreviewandapprovemultipleexpensereports.Andthatincludesopeningthem,reviewingdetailsandapprovingorrejectingexceptions.”JamesCopeland,VPofFinance,MarconiCommunicationsWORKWONDERSMARCONICOMMUNICATIONSCASESTUDYAsinglesolutionforaglobalcorporationHeadquarteredinPittsburgh,PA,MarconiCommunicationsisabusinessofMarconiplc,aLondon-based,globalcommunicationsandITcompany.Becauseitsfieldsalesforceislargeandhighlymobile,expensereportingatMarconiwasacomplicatedandinefficientprocess.“Withtheoldpaper-basedsystem,thesalesforcehadtomailtheirexpensereportstosalesmanagersindifferentpartsoftheworld.”saysCopeland.“Thenthesalesmanagershadthismountainofpaperworktogothrough,review,sign,andmailtoAccountsPayable.”WhenCopelandbeganlookingforwaystoautomateexpensereportingatMarconi,hefoundthatitwasn’tgoingtobeeasy.Copelandhadverydefinitecriteriainmindforhisidealsolution:IthadtobeonethatallMarconiemployeescoulduse,nomatterwheretheywereworking,andithadtobecompatiblewithallofthehardwareplatformsusedacrosstheirglobalnetwork.CopelandchoseExtensityExpenseReportsbecauseitisplatform-independent,andthuscompatiblewitheveryplatformMarconihadorplannedtohave—Windows,NT,UNIX,Macintosh,andevenPDAs.Whatismore,ExtensityExpenseReportsisalsointegratedwithMarconi’sSAPsystem,sotheturnaroundforreimbursementsismuchfaster.SaysCopeland,“IfyousubmitanexpensereportbyThursday,youcanhaveyourmoneyinthebankbythefollowingMonday.”Reducedout-of-policyspendingThereareotherdifferencesaswell.ExtensityExpenseReportsenforcesallofMarconi’scorporatepoliciesinreal-timeatthepointofdataentry.“Youcan’tduckanyout-of-policyexpenses,”saysCopeland.“Forexample,ifyourentacarfromanagencythatisn’toneofourpreferredvendors,thesystempromptsyouforanexplanation.Andyoucan’tsubmityourexpensereportuntilyourmanagerapprovestheexception.”Withexceptionsclearlyrevealed,managementapprovalsarestreamlinedaswell,typicallytakinglessthanaminuteperreport.“Ittakesmeonlyafewminutestoreviewandapprovemultipleexpensereports—andthatincludesopeningthem,reviewingdetailsandapprovingorrejectingexceptions,”saysCopeland.“Itgetsdowntotime,costandquality—doingmorewithless,”explainsCopeland.“We’veremovedalltheproblemsassociatedwithpaperreporting—missingorbadaccountnumbers,redundantdataentry,unexplainedexceptions,poorservicetoremoteusers,andslowpayments.Withthepaperworkloadofftheirbacks,ourstaffismuchhappierbecausetheyarefreetofocusontheirjobs—andthatkindofresultflowsrighttothebottomline.”ExpandingthevisionofworkforceoptimizationLookingahead,CopelandisinterestedinadditionaldeploymentmethodsforExtensity’sapplications.Withalargetechnicalsupportforceinthefield,MarconiisinterestedinExpenseReportsMobileEdition,whichwillallowemployeestocreateandsubmitexpensereportsusingaPDA.“Wearelookingforanalternativesolutiontolaptopsinthefield,”saysCopeland.“ExpenseReportsMobileEditionisanidealsolutionforusbecauseitwillturnouremployees’mobiledevicesintohighlyfunctionalworksta-tions.Thiswillfurtherincreaseourabilitytodeploythetechnologytoourmobileemployees.”WorldwideHeadquarters2200PowellStreet,Suite300Emeryville,CA94608800-880-8789www.extensity.comExtensityisaregisteredtrademarkandExtensityExpenseReportsisatrademarkofExtensity,Inc.Allothertrademarksandcopyrightsarepropertyoftheirrespectiveholders.©2000Extensity,Inc.MAR112000“Withthepaperworkloadofftheirbacks,ourstaffismuchhappierbecausetheyarefreetofocusontheirjobs—andthatkindofresultflowsrighttothebottomline.”Extensity,Inc.isaglobalproviderofworkforceoptimizationsolutions.Bystreamliningcostlyandinefficientemployeeprocessesincludingtravelandexpensemanagement,projecttimecapture,andprocurement,Extensitytransformsthewaycompaniesdobusiness.EuropeanHeadquarters3000HillswoodDriveHillswoodBusinessParkChertsey,KT160RSUnitedKingdom+44(0)1932796006
