Coleg Cambria

Coleg Cambria was established in August 2013 as a result of the merger of Deeside College and Yale College. It serves three local authority areas in North East Wales: Flintshire, Wrexham and Denbighshire from its five sites. The college has an annual turnover of over £60m, over 12,000 students and works in partnership with over 1,100 employees.

What process was being used for the management of expenses before Webexpenses?

Our previous system was a manual paper claim completed by the claimant and submitted to their line manager for approval. Delays were likely here if forms required sending via internal site-to-site transport.Approved claim forms were then sent to the payroll department who would review a batch of claims for compliance with the policy. Rejected claims would then be sent back to the claimant with a note via internal mail.Approved claims would be manually entered into an excel summary sheet which formed part of the monthly submission to payroll. Our payroll bureau would then upload data onto the monthly payroll run and payment received along with their salaries – a very long-winded process!

What ultimately made you start to look for an expense solution?

The previous system was dated and severely flawed.Compliance with policy reliant on budget holders checking each and every line of every claim and payroll sample testing, resulting in both duplication and a large number of claims being approved without a thorough check against the policy. A number of expense claims being approved for payment without the correct evidence via receipts being seen or attached.A Number of forms were regularly rejected and returned where essential data items were missing e.g. payroll number, cost centre, receipts, signature etc.Payment made through monthly payroll with strict deadlines to adhere to payroll bureau demands often resulted in claims on average being paid up to two months after the event.The key drivers were compliance and efficiency; conforming with the college’s paperless agenda, reducing the period of reimbursement and removing issues of delays in the approval process. On average the finance team processed in excess of 300 monthly paper-based claims.

Why did Coleg Cambria select Webexpenses over any other solution?

Webexpenses offered a cloud-based solution with mobile capability which could accommodate the needs of all of our staff.Added value was demonstrated through:

• Improved compliance with college policy through reminders and compliance warning flags
• Improved reporting and management of information
• Reduction in risk of fraudulent claims.

How did you find working with the Webexpenses sales team?

The sales team were very professional, knowledgeable and weren’t too pushy allowing us to make an informed decision on the solution we were looking for.

How was the implementation of Webexpenses and our support?

The support from day one up to, and including full implementation has been second to none. Within the implementation process, it included regularly scheduled progress calls and an excellent tracking system which linked the college with the implementation team, allowing us to respond to data requests, flag any queries and monitor progress against actions and key stages of the implementation process. The helpdesk facility is also a great tool and has been used by both administrators and end users. Response rates are exceptional.

How did different users at Coleg Cambria take to using Webexpenses?

All the users have been glowing in their feedback following the implementation of Webexpenses. From a finance perspective, the only criticism I would have is that we have seen a marked increase in the number of employees now submitting monthly claims!

How do you find our ongoing communication to you about Webexpenses?

Ongoing communication is regular and relevant keeping us informed with on-going developments and product updates.

How much time has been saved for your finance team when managing expenses through Webexpenses?

We now undertake fortnightly payment runs, which take no longer than a couple of hours each to process. Previously, the process would take 2-3 days from receipt of claims to include compliance checks through to processing for payment via the monthly payroll.

Which key benefits have Webexpenses brought to Coleg Cambria?

• Improved efficiencies for users, accounts, management and auditors

•  Tighter adherence to expense policy by having comprehensive rules and claim item policy reminder.

• Reduced costs by minimising the time spent by the business on managing and processing.

• Increased staff satisfaction with expenses being approved, processed and paid more quickly

Which key features have you found most useful of Webexpenses?

The mobile app has been extremely useful. The College’s work based assessors are away from the site most days and spend time at employer premises. This provides easy access to the majority of the main features of the system and allows them to take a photograph and upload of any receipts received, whilst undertaking their duties. It has avoided the need to catch up on backlog activity when they are back at the office.