Bechtle

Bechtle automates 99% of its invoices with Basware e-invoicing

Industry:

Software & Telecomms

Regions:

Europe

Solutions:

AP Automation, E-Invoice Receiving

Discover why Bechtle chose Basware to future-proof their e-invoicing to remove stress within their company, just like they do for their customers

Bechtle is one of Europe’s biggest IT system integrators. They make hardware and software work for their customers, but they generate tens of thousands of invoices a year. They chose Basware to future-proof their e-invoicing to remove stress within their company, just like they do for their customers.

Bechtle relationship with Basware started in the BeNe market. Acting as a ‘one stop shop’ for everything in and around the workplace. Bechtle provides hardware and software, but also everything behind and around it.

Their customers in the BeNe region vary in size from SMEs to Enterprise level organizations and also local councils, public bodies, hospitals, and universities.

The Dutch division has 4 subsidiaries with Belgium acting as a single entity. Historically they had operated independently but had decided to consolidate their sending operations under a single Shared Service Centre.

Key takeaways

8 Weeks

to complete Implementation

99%

e-invoice sending rate

4 Weeks

to achieve ROI

Bechtle's Challenges

Due to impending new regulations set by the Dutch government, Bechtle had six months to go fully digital with their invoicing sending if they wanted to continue to work with the public sector.

Annually Bechtle is involved in 100s of public tenders; therefore, the commercial impact of not digitizing was significant. Being unable to offer e-invoicing would mean they would not even be considered as a supplier.

However, a PDF invoice is not an electronic one, and the upload process involved significant friction for Bechtle. It needed to reduce the number of EDI portals in use and zero in on a primary invoice portal. Finally, Bechtle needed a solution that could be implemented with ease across the 5 subsidiaries that operated with 2 different ERP systems.

How Bechtle were able to to complete their implementation with the help of basware in just 8 weeks

A comprehensive list of providers was drawn up to compare the possibilities and costs of each. Basware scored highly in terms of network reliability and was identified as the natural choice for Bechtle’s requirements.

The implementation started with weekly video conference call with Basware consultants and stakeholders at the subsidiaries. A clear roadmap was established, comprising the critical pathway of the implementation, a clear overview of what decisions had to be taken and the resources required.

Once the contract was signed Bechtle had just eights weeks to implement the new solution. Basware focused on ensuring that the ERP integrations were staggered so the 4 subsidiaries affected by the new Dutch regulations were ready first and remaining subsidiary based in Belgium operating on a separate ERP followed after.

While Basware was perhaps not the cheapest option, it was certainly the best one. In many instances, companies choose the least expensive solution, but this often leads to problems and additional costs further down the line. With Basware that was not the case. Following our initial discussions, Basware drew up a plan and a quote, and this was never deviated from.

Edo Hemmes, Services Team Integration, Manager, Bechtle

Results

The Basware Network was implemented a week in advance of the deadline with all subsidiaries happy with their integration, having seen a positive impact on their sending capabilities.

Invoices previously processed manually on paper have been digitized saving significant time and effort for the businesses. The efficiency gain has allowed the finance teams to focus on more value add work and generate increased visibility. Invoices that have been sent now have a status report, which has completely eliminated disputes

Throughout the project, Basware were always available, and had an excellent solution-focus, especially in terms of communication and knowledgeEdo Hemmes, Services Team Integration Manager, Bechtle

By working together the subsidiaries were able to gain economies in scale and saw a dramatic decrease in their sending costs. In fact, Bechtle calculated that one subsidiary was able to see a return on investment in just 4 weeks.

Bechtle, has also achieved successful compliance with the public sector tendering processes. Overall Bechtle has had an extremely positive experience onboarding Basware and has future-proofed its sending operations.