With 3,300 employees, each with their own way of handling cash, the situation was prone to errors. At first, HVO-Querido tried to solve this with a spreadsheet they developed themselves. When this proved too labor-intensive and error-prone, the organization turned to Elari. The control options for both the financial administration department and team leaders were the reason for a unanimous “go”. Within a week, employees had got used to Elari.
3,300 employees, 70 cash funds, 50 locations
With so many cash funds and locations, the risk of errors was high. The financial administration department picked up on this early. On top of that, manually transferring the cash books created unnecessary extra work. Reason enough to make an immediate decision: we’re going to get started on this.
Spreadsheets and AccountView
HVO-Querido started with internal options, such as a custom-developed spreadsheet for AccountView. But this turned out to be too labor-intensive. When the organization couldn’t figure it out on its own, it turned to the consulting firm AAG, looking for a user-friendly system to securely manage its cash and bank ledgers. Elari was their first recommendation.
A working group of financial administration staff, an administrator and three site staff members reviewed the program. The group gave the green light, because it was immediately clear that the system would provide better management capabilities not only for financial administration but also for the team leaders.
A clear procedure
Approval was followed by implementation, based on a clear schedule. It was transparent what information HVO-Querido needed to provide to make the process run as smoothly as possible, and what the organization could expect in return. Thanks in part to that good communication, the implementation went smoothly.
As is often the case when introducing a new system, employees were initially somewhat hesitant. But as soon as they started working in the program, they were quickly on board. Even team managers who were a bit more conservative about new programs became enthusiastic.
Cash or card?
HVO-Querido has now been working with Elari for years, with a fixed way of working. Small expenses for clients are paid in cash, because many clients aren’t comfortable using digital payment methods. Business-related expenses are paid with Elari Cards payment cards, unless it’s a very large expense. Those are handled through procurement.
The way expenses are recorded has also changed. The financial administration department’s role has shifted from data entry to review. Site staff record cash expenditures in the digital cash book, and the financial administration department reviews them. For digital expenditures, a file from the ABN AMRO environment is imported into Elari. The transactions are automatically posted to the correct card ledger and then forwarded to site staff, who itemize the expenses.
Goal achieved?
The goal was more control over cash and less risk. HVO-Querido now has continuous insight into its cash funds and cash on hand. This means the organization can intervene at any moment, instead of realizing after the fact that the damage has already been done. And because less cash is used, the way of working is safer. Elari provides the risk management HVO-Querido was looking for.
