IT requirements were under control. The problem was that the system that was supposed to manage them was no longer sufficient.

With the growing number of requirements and demands for visibility and automation, it became clear that the existing solution could not cover the real traffic.

AAA AUTO handles a wide range of requests every day – from incidents and service requests to change requests and internal development requests.

The company did not consider whether to have a system. They already had one. However, it gradually became clear that it no longer corresponded to how the team actually worked – either in terms of functionality or further operation and licensing.

“We were using another ticketing tool, but it was no longer sufficient and didn’t do what we needed it to do.” (says Jan Dušek, internal development, AAA AUTO)

Where the problem showed up most

This was most evident when dealing with requests during the day – at times when multiple requests came in at once and were dealt with by multiple people across teams.

AAA AUTO was already using a ticketing tool, but it gradually ceased to meet their needs. In addition to limitations in functionality, they also encountered licensing limitations that complicated further development and work with the tool.

As the number of requests increased, it became difficult to keep the system up-to-date and complete. Some information was not included at all or was not easily traceable, resulting in the need to work with multiple sources at the same time.

When it was necessary to quickly find out the status of a specific request or to return to its history, the system was unable to provide an unambiguous answer without further searching.

In addition, there was a lack of continuity between the requirements. Things that were related were dealt with separately and without context, which made it difficult to navigate and work with them.

What the customer needed to change

The customer needed a system that corresponds to real traffic – it can handle different types of requests, it can structure them and keep track of them even when a large number of them arrive at once.

It was not just one type of ticket, but a combination of requests from different areas – incidents, service requests, changes and development requests. Each of them has a different flow and different priority.

• what is being addressed
• what condition it’s in
• who is responsible for this

And at the same time reduce the manual transfer of information that was slowing down the process.

How the SmartFP Helpdesk helped

After the deployment of the SmartFP Helpdesk, the work with requests was unified into one system.

Each request now has a ticket, to which is assigned a status, a category and a specific solver. All communication takes place directly with him, so there is no need to trace anything outside the system.

In addition, an important part of the processes has been automated – requests are directly classified, assigned and moved on after they are entered.

“A lot of things are already automated. The user enters something and it’s entered into the system.” (says Lucie Tvrdíková, L2 Support, AAA AUTO)

What saves the most time in practice

In AAA AUTO, the features that have proven to be the most successful in practice are those that eliminate manual work and simplify the transfer of requests between teams.

One of the key areas is the link to development. Requests that come in via email are now automatically filed as tickets and directly written into DevOps (TFS), where they are picked up by development.

Previously, these requests had to be transcribed manually, which delayed the whole process.

“Today, a request from an email is directly filed as a ticket and written to DevOps. Before, we had to manually rewrite it.” (says Lucie Tvrdíková, L2 Support, AAA AUTO)

The requirements timeline also plays an important role, allowing you to track the entire progress of the solution.

It gives the team an overview of who has worked on the request, where it has moved to and what its current status is. They also use it for work reporting and reporting.

“We have an overview of who has worked with the ticket and where it has moved. We also use it for work reporting.” (says Jan Dušek, Internal Development, AAA AUTO)

Working with follow-up and merged requests has also proved to be successful in practice.

Requirements that are related can be linked or merged to form a single unit and are easier to work with. This gives the team a better overview of the context and eliminates the need to deal with each part separately.

An overview that was missing before

One of the important shifts is the work with data.

It used to be difficult to know how many requests were being dealt with, how long they were taking or where delays were occurring.

Today, the company has the data in one place and can continue to work with it – for example, in reporting or evaluation.

“We can download data from the database and do reporting, which we couldn’t do before.” (says Jan Dušek, internal development, AAA AUTO)

Result

Today, AAA AUTO uses SmartFP Helpdesk as a central point for managing requests.

As a result, it has better control over processes, faster processing of requests and less dependence on manual communication.

But the biggest difference is not in the registration itself. It’s that people no longer have to piece together information from different sources and figure out if everything is done.

In a sentence.

Finally, we asked how they would describe the SmartFP Helpdesk in one sentence:

“Quick resolution of the ticket.” (says Lucie Tvrdíková, L2 Support, AAA AUTO)

Článek AAA AUTO has accelerated the resolution of IT requirements thanks to SmartFP Helpdesk se nejdříve objevil na SmartFP.

The notebook was usually easily traced by the company. But gradually other things were packed around it – a monitor, docking station, phone, accessories, sometimes even licenses or other small things. And these often remained scattered in various records, notes or just in people’s memories.

“The biggest problem was not with the main facility. We mostly tracked that down. Worse were all the smaller things around it, which the staff added gradually and then you couldn’t be sure if you’d forgotten something.” (says customer representative)

(The customer wishes to remain anonymous, therefore his name is not mentioned.)

Where the problem showed up most

The problem was most apparent when the employee exited. The company needed to quickly find out what the employee had to return and what he had already returned. Instead of a quick check, however, it often came down to searching through records, looking at older records and checking with colleagues. It wasn’t a dramatic problem every day, but an annoyance that came back regularly and took up time unnecessarily.

In addition, the customer was dealing with operational assets that needed to be monitored for revision and inspection dates. A typical example was fire extinguishers and other equipment where it is important to know about an upcoming deadline ahead of time, not when it is due.

“We used to have some things in our records and some things on the side. It was similar for revisions. If the system doesn’t keep an eye on it, it’s easy for something to just stay on a spreadsheet or one person’s calendar.” (says the customer representative)

What the customer needed to change

The customer needed two things in particular. First, he wanted to quickly see what assets were assigned to each employee. Second, he wanted to get control of the deadlines associated with the assets so he didn’t have to rely on manual monitoring.

So it was not a question of making a new list of assets. It was about making the records help in specific situations that actually occur in the company. So that when an employee leaves, no one has to look for what they have to return and so that it is clear when an audit or other inspection is coming up for the assets selected.

How the SmartFP platform has helped

In SmartFP, we deployed the Asset Management module for the customer so that the records are linked to daily practice. For each item, you can see who it is assigned to, where it is located, what its history is, and what dates or documents relate to it.

As a result, today, the customer does not sort assets backwards from multiple sources when an employee exits, but from a single report. Likewise, the system also has alerts for upcoming reviews and inspections so important dates are not lost outside of the master records.

“We used to rely a lot on someone remembering and tracking everything down when an employee exited. Today, we have an overview right away and know what has to be returned. That’s the biggest difference for us.” (says customer representative)

What has changed in practice

After deploying the solution, the customer gained more certainty. Not in the sense that everything will suddenly magically solve itself, but in the sense that important information is no longer scattered in several places. When returning assets, it is easier to verify what the employee is carrying. With operational items, it’s easier to keep an eye on what’s coming up and what needs to be addressed in a timely manner.

That was the biggest benefit for the customer. Not more “records”, but a system that reduces blind spots and helps in situations that are unnecessarily unpleasant in traffic.

Result

Today, the customer uses SmartFP as a place to keep track of both assigned employee assets and selected operational assets and associated deadlines. As a result, he has simpler employee outputs, less reliance on manual tracking, and better control over items that used to be easily misplaced.

At the customer’s request, we publish this case study anonymously.

Článek The biggest asset management problem? Not knowing who’s carrying what se nejdříve objevil na SmartFP.

The solution was to implement SmartFP as a guided onboarding process, from a personal pre-boarding questionnaire to document generation and e-signature to familiarisation with the guidelines and e-learning.

(The customer wishes to remain anonymous, therefore his name is not mentioned.)

What did the introduction of SmartFP bring?

• Less manual work and mistakes thanks to questionnaire and pre-fill data
• Proof signatures and familiarisation without circulars and paper sheets
• Overview of onboarding status (who is in what step and what is missing)
• Traceability of changes via history/timeline in the employee’s card
• Connectivity to other systems via REST API (payroll/accounting is handled by the customer in their tools)

About the customer (wished to remain anonymous)

An organization with hundreds of employees that hires continuously and needs to keep onboarding simple, repeatable and auditable. It runs payroll and accounting in its own system, and wanted to handle onboarding separately, but in a way that the data flowed seamlessly.

“The goal was simple: less manual work and more overview. And most importantly, nothing would fit.” (says the company director)

What onboarding has struggled with

Prior to the introduction of SmartFP, onboarding most often encountered:

• manual transcription of data from questionnaires into employee records
• documents in different versions and multiple locations
• more complex forms that only accountants can fill in correctly (tax/payroll documents)
• lack of evidence of familiarity with the guidelines (who read, who confirmed, when)
• last-minute signatures and urgencies instead of controlled action

“Onboarding worked for us, but it was a mix of emails, spreadsheets and people’s memories. In an onslaught, it just falls apart.” (says the company director)

Why SmartFP was chosen

The customer chose SmartFP because they needed a process that:

• gives HR a simple step-by-step procedure,
• automates the routine part (transcription, document generation),
• handles signatures and consents,
• will allow you to get to know and learn in one place,
• and can connect to other systems.

How it works in practice

In-person pre-employment questionnaire
HR puts candidate on file, sends questionnaire, candidate fills out information online. HR checks and confirms the data, and SmartFP transfers it to the employee’s card with one click.
The result: fewer errors and no manual rewriting.

Paperwork-free documents and signatures
Documents are generated from templates to PDF, the more complex parts are helped by a pre-fill wizard and then everything is sent for e-signature via the usual services.
The result: fewer corrections and faster onboarding completion.

Familiarity with guidelines + e-learning
Notification, demonstrable compliance and review for HR. Onboarding courses and tests may be included.
The result: a clear overview of compliance in one place.

SmartFP can also be connected to other systems via REST API; payroll and accounting are handled by the customer in their own tools.

Implementation: quick deployment, standard IT setup only

The deployment took the form of a pilot. The only necessary step was to align the delivery of automated emails with the customer’s internal security policy (whitelist). After this setup, notifications and signature prompts were stably through.

“It was a routine IT formality. Once the sender was enabled, everything started working reliably.”
(says the company director)

Impact on daily work

• onboarding has a clear structure and is repeatable
• HR keeps track of the status of steps (questionnaire, signatures, introductions, courses)
• less manual intervention and fewer errors thanks to pre-filling and templates
• demonstrability of consents, signatures and acquaintance
• possibility of continuous data transfer to other systems

“The biggest change is in the calm. It’s no longer based on who remembers what, the system watches the steps and we just manage the exceptions.” (says the company director)

Next steps

The customer plans to expand onboarding further with additional follow-up steps after onboarding (e.g. contracts, attendance, etc.).

Článek SmartFP simplified onboarding and gave HR processes a clear order se nejdříve objevil na SmartFP.

(The customer wishes to remain anonymous, therefore his name is not mentioned.)

“It was total chaos. We didn’t keep track of costs, employees made mistakes when filling out orders and everything was sent in emails or physically. When we needed to find a receipt, it took forever,” says the customer representative.

Baseline: what did the customer solve and why?

Prior to the introduction of SmartFP, customers had long used paper travel orders, which meant manual data entry, long approval processes and lack of transparency. Orders were passed between departments, which often led to delays. When a document was lost or missing, the whole process was unnecessarily prolonged.

“Documents were easily lost or missing data had to be filled in, which slowed down the process,” says the customer representative.

Scope and description of the project

The customer decided to implement the SmartFP platform with the Travel Orders module so that the entire business travel process would be online, from application, through approval to billing. The goal was to unify the travel records, eliminate manual transcription and simplify tracking of supporting documents including receipts and attachments.

The project included:

• deployment and configuration of the Travel Orders module in the customer environment

• setting up approval workflow and responsibilities

• creation of a clear path archive for tracking and control

• integration to the customer’s existing payroll software

Before the customer decided to switch to SmartFP, he made an appointment to try a demo of the system. This opportunity allowed the company to get a feel for the system, see how everything works in practice and, most importantly, be confident that it really simplifies processes. The demo was a key step in showing the firm how quick and efficient having travel orders online would be .

“We weren’t quite sure if everything would work the way we imagined, but the demo convinced us that it was a step in the right direction,” adds the company representative.

The SAAS problem and its solution

The customer originally planned to run the system as SaaS (Software as a Service), where they would rent the platform. However, when integrating with their existing payroll software, we ran into a problem: their on-premise payroll software did not allow for external access, which meant that SmartFP could not run on a SaaS platform. So SmartFP had to be installed on-premise, directly on the same server as the payroll software. We successfully resolved this issue and the integration went smoothly.

We are flexible in terms of software placement, supporting both SaaS and on-premise deployments, depending on our customers’ needs.

Which features do customers value most?

The customer appreciates above all that he has everything in one place, clearly and without manual transcription, including accessibility from a mobile device.

“Now we have everything in one place and accessible from our mobile phones, even on the beach, which has made the whole process much easier and faster,” says the customer representative.

The most valued benefits and features include:

• Saving time, fast approval
• Completion from a mobile device
• Synchronisation with decrees and current exchange rates
• Ability to make a request on behalf of someone else
• Automatic linking to billing and other…
• Easy filtering of archived commands

“Approving travel orders now takes just minutes instead of weeks, which has made the whole process faster. By linking to legal decrees and currency rates from the CNB, we can be sure that costs are always in line with regulations. In addition, we have the ability to enter applications on behalf of others, which saves time and makes administration easier,” He adds.

Collaboration: implementation and communication

The whole collaboration started with an initial alignment of expectations and clarification of requirements with the sales representative and project manager.

“At the beginning, we went through the solution options and clarified exactly what we needed. This helped us choose a setup that made sense for us,” says the customer representative.

The project manager then led the implementation and continuously addressed additional questions and specific settings according to the customer’s internal processes.

“We needed to align the system with our procedures and had a number of questions about this. Thanks to ongoing consultation, we moved step by step without unnecessary hitches,” He adds.

The customer appreciated especially that during the implementation the details were also solved, which in practice decide whether the system really fits into everyday operation.

“It was important for us that we could clarify things on an ongoing basis and fine-tune the settings in a clear and understandable way,” summarises the customer representative.

Project result: customer benefits

If we were to sum it up in one sentence: The move to online travel orders has brought speed, efficiency and clarity. The whole process is now automated, fast and error-free, which has greatly improved the customer’s administration in the company.

“With the transition to the online system, everything is automatic. We have an instant overview of the status of travel orders and approval processes, which was not so clear before. Now we can focus on more important tasks and don’t have to deal with administrative details,” concludes the customer representative.

Conclusion: travel orders in SmartFP

If you too want to speed up and simplify the management of travel orders in your company, SmartFP is the ideal solution. Make an appointment and find out how online travel orders will save you time, improve clarity and eliminate administrative errors.

Moving to an online travel order management system is an easy and efficient step that will simplify the daily work of your employees and bring clarity to all processes.

Článek Paper vs. online travel orders: the benefits of going digital with SmartFP se nejdříve objevil na SmartFP.

Contracts, orders, customer requirements and work reports – all this is available to the IT company VGD Technologies in one system thanks to SmartFP. This has enabled it to automate many activities and significantly speed up others, for example thanks to integrated electronic signing.

VGD Technologies handles user support and IT systems administration for its clients. Some documents such as contracts and orders were originally stored in folders on the server, while others were stored in paper form. It was confusing and it was happening that the company was invoicing clients for the wrong amounts.

This was the main impetus to resolve the situation. “We needed to get our documents in order. Plus, we’re still growing and I didn’t want us to spend more and more time on paperwork,” says Martin Brabenec, partner at VGD Technologies.

They considered several options and finally decided to approach us. The SmartFP platform is also used by one of VGD Technologies’ clients, so they knew it allowed for customization.

SmartFP benefits VGD Technologies in three ways

• 45% increase in billed hours due to better record keeping and linking to orders and contracts.
• Approving contracts and orders takes just a few minutes thanks to electronic signatures.
• Data is in one place, easy to find and agendas are linked

The first module was deployed in a month

At VGD Technologies, we deployed the system within a month of our first call together. Initially, the IT company planned to use only order and contract records, but later decided to supplement SmartFP with other modules, such as a helpdesk.

“Compared to other suppliers, Gappex is specific in that it was able to adapt the system to our processes. For example, our previous helpdesk didn’t allow us to do that,” says Martin Brabenec.

According to him, the most challenging part of the whole implementation was defining the processes we used to set up SmartFP. “The system can be tailored as much as possible, but the client needs to determine how to behave in each situation,” explains Lukáš Pavlík, SmartFP project manager.

If the company has established processes, it is sufficient to describe them. But that didn’t quite work at VGD Technologies. Their agendas weren’t originally linked, so it wasn’t enough to copy existing processes. In the IT company, they first had to determine what processes they wanted to have once everything was in one system.

Orders are approved and electronically signed in minutes

Previously, VGD Technologies worked with paper orders. Based on the client’s request, they printed out a table with the items ordered and then started getting signatures from supervisors and the client.

After the deployment of the Order Register module , the entire process was digitized. The employee clicks the order in the system and enters the necessary parameters, e.g.:

• whether it is billed monthly or quarterly,
• in what currency
• and to which client’s accounting centre it will be invoiced.

Once the order is saved, SmartFP automatically sends it to the appropriate VGD Technologies manager for approval. The order is signed electronically thanks to the connection of SmartFP with the Signi service.

SmartFP automatically sends the approved and signed order to the client, who signs it in the same way. “We now process a new order within minutes and electronic signing is easy even for less technically savvy clients. This makes the switch to electronic orders a big step forward,” says Martin Brabenec.

Orders are linked to the Client Records module. It functions as a basic CRM (customer relationship management tool). It lists, for example, the contact persons from the client and their emails to which orders are sent for signature. A great advantage is that the client’s accounting centres can also be entered in the module.

Once the employee prepares the order, he automatically generates an acceptance report from it or manually modifies the items. It then sends the log via SmartFP to the client for review and electronic signature.

Each order is also linked to the corresponding contract ( Contract Register module), which keeps them in order. “We always discuss the possibility of implementing additional modules with our clients. We look into the future and think about what processes are related to the current situation. We are then able to suggest which other module may be useful to the company, as in this case the Record of Contracts linked to the Record of Orders,” describes Lukáš Pavlík.

End of manual transcription of client requests

Previously, VGD Technologies used separate helpdesk software. However, the license was expiring and they decided not to renew it anymore. Instead, they switched to the helpdesk in SmartFP.

Clients send them requests to a designated email address. SmartFP reads the messages and creates the requests in the system so that the employee does not have to rewrite them. Tasks from some clients are automatically assigned to a pre-set solver. Other requests in SmartFP are manually assigned to solvers.

Some clients also have access to the helpdesk and enter their requests directly there. Within the request, the technician can communicate directly with the client, but also has the possibility to write an internal message that only his colleagues will see.

Overview of hours worked

An important module is the Labour Statements. In SmartFP, employees simply record how much time they have spent on a specific request. Thanks to this, the company management has an overview of how much time each request took or which client is the most time-consuming. They can also see what the estimated time per job was and how much was actually worked.

“After deploying SmartFP, we have increased the number of hours recorded by about 45% and the number of hours billed to clients by 20%. It no longer happens that people do work on a project and forget to enter those hours into the system. I also appreciate the linking of the reports with orders and contracts. We can clearly see if we fit into the contracted flat rate or if we need to bill extra hours,” describes Martin Brabenec.

In the past, it happened that employees reported hours only at the end of projects or the data did not correspond to reality.

Invoicing documents in one click

The original impetus for VGD Technologies to go digital was billing errors. After the deployment of SmartFP, they no longer occur.

They can easily generate a report in the system, which includes, for example:

• designation of the order to which the statement relates,
• an exact breakdown of hours worked,
• hourly rate
• and the total price.

This is then sent to the client and also serves as the basis for invoicing in the Helios accounting system. In the future, they plan to add a direct connection to Helios to SmartFP. Thanks to this, the documents would be sent directly to the accounting system and an invoice would be automatically generated from them.

VGD Technologies uses the following solutions in our SmartFP modular system:

• Client records(Tailor-made solution)
• Records of contracts
• Order records
• Acceptance form(Customized solution)
• Helpdesk
• Job reports(Tailor-made solution)

The change paid off

The IT company praises the transition to SmartFP and wants to expand it even further.

In addition to the direct connection to the Helios accounting system, they plan to deploy the Property and Equipment Register module. “We need to keep track of the licenses we manage for clients and also the hardware. It would be great if our expert could see what equipment the client is using when dealing with requests,” adds Martin Brabenec.

“Many clients react this way. Often the company’s own employees come up with ideas on what additional work SmartFP could save them. Instead of making big changes and implementing a robust solution, we always recommend starting with one module at a time. Once you see that it works and people are comfortable with it, implement the next one. This is what SmartFP conveniently allows,” concludes Lukáš Pavlík.

SmartFP will help your business too. Tell us what you’re working on and we’ll figure out how to make it easier for you.

Článek VGD technologies case study se nejdříve objevil na SmartFP.

The event agency Czech-IN, mainly known as C-IN, has been working in SmartFP since 2018. They started with invoice approval functions, gradually added modules for HR and a booking system. Today, thousands of people register for their events through it. Annually, the system saves them 8 jobs and has saved them during lockdown thanks to completely digital processes.

The flow of paper documents was hard to follow, it was time to go digital

Event agency C-IN’ s journey to SmartFP began in 2018 when they solved problems with paper invoices. The document approval process began to lag as invoices were physically circulating around the company. As a result, they were getting lost, getting stuck with different people, or not getting to the accounting department, who had to search for them.

“We recognised that it was time to optimise the process and transfer the invoice circulation to electronic form. When we were looking for a solution, we had discussions about SAP or various CRMs, but found these systems too robust and costly to customize. In the end, we were recommended SmartFP by other companies,” says Tomáš Maxa, Managing Partner at Czech-IN.

C-IN had the following requirements for the solution:

• setting the approval process according to their needs,
• the possibility of setting the roles and responsibilities of different people in the approval process,
• approval deadlines and notifications,
• data export and reporting,
• access from anywhere.

“We already had the module for invoice registration and approval ready in 2018, so we only modified it for C-IN according to their approval workflow. As a result, the finished system was available within 2 months of being contacted, including testing,”says Dalibor Nemec, founder of SmartFP.

The contribution of SmartFP to C-IN in four points:

• Thanks to the Reservation System module, 8 administrative jobs will be saved.
• The Invoice Approval module has accelerated the approval processes several times.
• Employees can also access the system from home or in the field.
• New modules and customizations are ready in the system within 2 months including testing.

SmartFP has accelerated approval processes several times and invoices are no longer lost

C-IN’s requirement was that the invoice approval process should be the same as before, only in an online environment. Previously, the process was that when an invoice came in, the receptionist would place a physical copy of the invoice in the inbox of the manager in question, who would pick it up, approve it and send it on.

Today, invoices are sent to a special e-mail box, where the system retrieves them and moves them to the approval process. Depending on which department the invoice relates to, the system assigns it to the first approver. An email notification alerts the approver to the document for approval. Once the person approves it in the application, the system forwards it to the next employee in the process until it finally reaches the accounting department.

C-IN now handles the circulation of received and issued invoices via SmartFP. The system is connected to the Pohoda accounting system. Thanks to this, for example, they can see in the invoice register in real time whether a document has already been paid.

“We ask our clients about other systems and tools they use in the company. We can link them to SmartFP so that data is transferred automatically and no one has to overwrite it or check that it is still up to date.” adds Lukáš Pavlík, SmartFP project manager.

In the invoice register, people from the finance department can also quickly see who has which invoice. The approval process is faster and digital invoices cannot get lost. In addition, they can find a complete history of document circulation, such as exact times, in the system:

• when the invoice arrived,
• when she got to the project manager,
• when he approved it
• or when accounting got it.

A major and unexpected advantage of the system became apparent in 2020: “When the first lockdown started, we kissed our hands that we introduced the system years ago. We wouldn’t have been able to work with paper invoices in the home office, whereas SmartFP’s online environment has changed virtually nothing for us.” Tomáš Maxa recalls.

SmartFP gradually expanded to include modules for HR and event booking

We like to say that the SmartFP system is a jigsaw puzzle of different applications, from which the client chooses only the ones he needs for his work. And C-IN is proof of that. After the successful implementation of the invoice approval module, they decided to add other modules to the system according to their current needs, namely:

• HR module,
• record of contracts
• reservation system

“The addition of the HR module came out of the same need as invoice approval. Previously, we had been recording attendance and all employee records in excel spreadsheets, which was unorganized, difficult to track and increased the administrative burden.” says Tomáš Maxa.

Every time a request came from C-IN to add another module, we had it ready to use within 1 to 2 months, including testing.

Employees record their attendance from anywhere

Thanks to the HR Manager module, C-IN’s HR specialists can deal with the following issues in one place:

• Employee records (for each person, they keep records of wages, type of time, salary growth, etc.),
• recording and approving leave,
• statements of work for clients,
• attendance or OHS agenda.

“Our employees have unlimited home office opportunities, and because we host congresses and conferences, many of them work in the field. So it’s essential that they can manage their attendance and other agendas from anywhere, such as from their mobile phones at a conference. With SmartFP, this works seamlessly. They can register their attendance with a few taps,” says Tomáš Maxa.

In the SmartFP booking system, they plan events for tens of thousands of people

SmartFP’s booking system works as a web application through which participants register for events organised by C-IN, whereby:

• the web interface for registration is integrated into the C-IN website, but they can also place it on the website of the client for whom they are hosting the conference,
• Participants choose extra services such as refreshments in the system,
• the system is connected to a payment gateway, so that participants are immediately redirected to pay as in a classic e-shop.

The main benefit of the booking module is the reduction of the administrative burden for the C-IN. Previously, participant registrations were handled via email, which would now require triple the administrative staff.

“We are organizing ever larger events, currently one for tens of thousands of people. If we took registrations via email, we would need 12 people full time just for this agenda. Our salary costs would go up by millions of crowns a year. Thanks to SmartFP, we manage everything with a team of four people,” says Tomáš Maxa.

The booking system also includes an administrative part, where C-IN keeps track of all registrants. They can easily create reports from it for the client and see all the necessary information for organizing the event, such as current availability or specific food requirements, in one place.

“Each of our clients may have different requirements for a booking. That’s why it’s great that SmartFP is an easily customisable system and in most cases we can adapt it to the client’s needs ourselves. For more specific types of events, we can then contact the SmartFP developers in a timely manner and they can modify the system within a few weeks.” says Tomáš Maxa.

C-IN uses the following solutions in our SmartFP modular system

• Approval of invoices
• HR Manager
• Records of contracts
• Reservation system

SmartFP has simplified the operation of the C-IN agency module by module

The SmartFP system has completely changed and streamlined the operation of the C-IN event agency. ,,The company is a typical example of our client. They started with one module, and when they needed to simplify other processes, they got in touch to add new features to the system. In SmartFP, this is no problem. Moreover, once users have mastered one module, they can easily learn to use all the others – because they have the same logic.” Dalibor Němec describes the advantage of the SmartFP modular solution.

In addition to the benefits of the individual modules, C-IN also appreciates the system as a whole. “I like the fact that the system is simple, clear, easy to modify and has only the functions that we will actually use for our work. That’s one of the reasons we didn’t want to go for a more robust ERP system. It would have overwhelmed us with features we wouldn’t have used,” evaluates Tomáš Maxa.

They plan to continue to expand SmartFP with new modules. For example, they are currently considering the Travel Orders module as well as the employee evaluation module.

We believe that SmartFP will simplify processes for you too. Tell us what you do in your company and we’ll figure out how to make it easier for you.

Článek Case study C-In se nejdříve objevil na SmartFP.

Botanical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic is the largest centre of botanical research in the Czech Republic. Scientists work at Czech and foreign workplaces, so the Institute was looking for a way to connect them and digitalize accounting and personnel administration (for example, recording and approval of invoices, contracts, attendance, leave requests, business trips, etc.).

Papers were transported between workplaces in bags

Documents sent by post and left at reception desks. Sometimes lost or forgotten in a drawer. This was the reality of the Botanical Institute in 2020. “The long-term pressure for change was already unbearable. We used to send paper documents between our centres in Prague, Brno and Třeboň by post or transport them by car, in bags. With invoices, we had no control over exactly where they were or whether they were forgotten,” Lenka Doleželová, Deputy Director for Economics of the Botanical Institute, describes the situation.

The institute hoped for greater supervision and easier transfer of documents, thus saving time and money, and no loss of important papers. “At the same time, we hoped to automate some processes related to the settlement of subsidies, of which we draw a lot,” adds Doleželová.

What the Institute of Botany of the CAS solves

• 400 employees in 11 departments in 3 cities,
• the need to share documents between workplaces,
• attendance records, leave requests, home office approvals,
• authorising and accounting for business trips,
• recording and approval of orders by the responsible person,
• as a state institution, often works with grants and their accounting.

A system that adapts

From the beginning, Doleželová had a clear idea of what the new solution should meet.

At the institute, they needed:

• software that can leverage data across agendas,
• a program that connects to the existing accounting and HR system Helios,
• a solution that adapts to their requirements – rather than having to change established processes for a new system
• and a system that’s intuitive and employees will embrace.

“We knew exactly what we wanted. We didn’t want to fit our requirements to a boxed system where concessions would have to be made. We knew our needs, and the people at SmartFP were great at responding to them. They tailored the core modules for us while meeting all the planned deadlines.” summarises Doleželová.

Switch from paper to electronic processes within six months

All modules were deployed in parallel and the transition from paper to electronic processes took less than six months. “Gappex managed to deploy the first phase of administration to us a few weeks before the covid pandemic. Everything worked 93% of the time. I consider this a great result,” Doleželová recalls.

For more complex modules, such as workflows linked to calculations and bulk reporting, the procedural and logical functioning of the entire agenda had to be resolved first. “We had to involve the Gappex developers in our processes in detail to achieve our vision. Here, too, the deadlines were pushed back, but we really wanted to have a polished result.” explains Doleželová.

In total, we delivered and customized 20 modules for the Botanical Institute. Thanks to SmartFP now:

• record and approve invoices or contracts online without having to physically hand them over or think about who to forward the invoice to for approval,
• online they ask for rental cars, but also for vacation or home office,
• record attendance and entire employment contracts and agreements,
• easily account for business trips,
• keep in one place all documents and payment summaries for internal accounting,
• keep track of small expenses and fixed assets,
• monitor and report on the use of budget money.

“We knew that we were processing a large number of invoices per year, but it was only thanks to SmartFP that we found out that there are around 5,000 invoices per year. Today, we have an electronic trail for every invoice and always know the status of the invoice,” describes, for example, the benefits of the invoice module.

This is also important for the Botanical Institute due to its funding from subsidies. “We not only have to book the invoices, but then we have to report the use of the subsidies on the basis of the invoices. Thanks to SmartFP, we can do the recharging in a few minutes, which makes our job much easier,” praises Doleželová.

The system facilitated communication and scored with employees

The digitization of processes saves a lot of time and money, and it has also made it possible to have an overview and system in all processes. It has made it easier for all employees to function. “Previously, everyone used to deal with travel requests or billing on their own and on paper. Today we approve everything electronically and we can do bulk billing. If a whole group goes on a business trip, one person will then bill it for everyone,” Doleželová mentions another advantage.

The management appreciates the clarity and all kinds of reports they can easily pull from the system. In addition, SmartFP enables two-way automatic communication with Helios, so there is no need to transcribe data from one program to another. “We don’t have to do double work. All employees have access to SmartFP, where they deal with their agenda, and then only accountants and HR staff work in Helios, and data from SmartFP is automatically transcribed there,” says Doleželová.

The new system has been accepted by all employees regardless of age. “They even keep coming up with ideas on how to improve some things,” Doleželová adds. The Botanical Institute continues to benefit from the fact that instead of a boxed solution, they have chosen a customised software that they can modify themselves. “And what is beyond us, the developers at Gappex will solve it for us,” she concludes.

We believe that SmartFP will simplify processes for you too. Tell us what you do in your company and we’ll figure out how to make it easier for you.

Článek Digitization of the Botanical Institute: from paper to online processes se nejdříve objevil na SmartFP.

The aim of this solution was to allow participants to register and link data with the Strava system and the Pohoda accounting system. Considering many years of cooperation, we can say that we have succeeded. How did we solve everything?

Administration and registration part and payment gateway

We built the entire solution on the SmartFP platform. Both the administration part, which records all registrations, payments and accrued results, and the public part, i.e. the registration form with a connection to the payment gateway of Saferpay (in previous years GlobalPayments). However, this is not just one registration form, but also a form for school registration or a system linking to Strava’s API.

From A to Z tailor-made

The main advantage of the whole solution is the tailoring of the administration interface to the Teribear action. The administration is supplemented with automatic mailing, data synchronization with the Pohoda accounting system, user exports and other functions facilitating the handling of registrations. Thanks to these automated processes, we have significantly reduced the number of administrators even with the increase in registrations above 14,000 people.

In addition, the entire solution meets all security standards and GDPR requirements, including logging of all user activities.

Článek Registration system with payment gateway se nejdříve objevil na SmartFP.

Attributes

We analyzed the range of attributes recorded. You can search over all of them and sort the attributes using the wizard.

For example: actress – height 175 cm – weight 70 kg – blonde hair – can ride a horse.

SmartFP has a large range of configurability, allowing individual features to be added, removed and modified to give the user a system that is tailored to their liking.

What features and data we have implemented in the Artist Register

First, basic information such as name, surname, contacts (both phone and email) along with various locations of contact. Next, we have incorporated a skills tab that can expand with time. This keeps the records up to date and allows for a wider variation of offers for a given actor.

The same goes for education – the app stores information about all the education levels you’ve completed. Last but not least, there’s also the option to upload photos, engagements and family relationships so that a person who opens an actor’s record can really see everything.

This includes the option of printing in PDF form. We place emphasis on data protection. Therefore, the user can only print or export data according to their permissions.

Visual side of the application

The entire record is then divided into previews, which you can easily filter through many parameters. Each view contains basic information and a photo.

The user can also add other parameters to the list and then export the filtered view itself in the form of a list. The same is true in reverse – you can also import the data directly into the records, which, if the data already exists, avoids unnecessary input of information about each record.

There is also a gallery

Since we are talking about actors, where the form is often decisive, the gallery is part of the system. Within the gallery you can browse the photos freely. You can tag the selected actor and save them as named search results. You can then work with them freely.

Článek Catalogue of Actors se nejdříve objevil na SmartFP.

Our SmartFP solution Offices Unlimeted has convinced tenants and they can now use the system to book any meeting room in any of our centres.

Starting points for cooperation

“We have been booking meeting rooms through direct contact between the tenant and the receptionist, which has its limitations, especially in situations where the tenant has a client on the phone and needs to see online what time the meeting room is available.” Marie Kantorová, office manager, Offices Unlimited, describes the situation before working with Gappex. “We place great importance on personal contact with our tenants, but we were aware that in 2022 digitalisation is a must for just such a process.”

Briefly about Offices Unlimited

Offices Unlimited offers a flexible concept of fully furnished office units with flexible lease periods, which are ideal for those looking for a furnished office or coworking space without long-term commitments. Users of shared offices benefit from both closed offices and shared spaces such as meeting rooms. Offices Unlimited has been in business for six years. In November 2021, their premises expanded to include a new facility with an additional seven meeting rooms. Tenants who have a contract with Offices Unlimited can use the shared space across all three buildings in Prague. This was the impetus that convinced the company to introduce an online booking system.

Marie Kantor had an idea that there would be a reservation system:

• available via web or phone
• have simple and intuitive operation for users (tenants and receptionists)
• give notice to the receptionist when refreshments are required for the meeting room

“After showing a demo version with the addition that we could have the booking system up and running within a week, there was nothing to wait for.” adds Marie Kantorová.

Addressing meeting room occupancy is just the beginning

During the presentation of the Reservation System in the SmartFP system to Maria Kantor, we demonstrated other functionalities that could be used in the system:

• report on the occupancy of meeting rooms by individual companies as a basis for the billing of meeting rooms
• automatic sending of information that the date for renting a meeting room is approaching, both to the receptionist and to the person who reserved the meeting room
• sending calendar invitations directly from the system

“We were surprised how in just one meeting we saw more potential for what else we could use the system for. I imagined that we would give all the information to the tenants via a bulletin board where we would post news or that we would put documents such as instructions on how to connect the printer etc. into the system,” Marie Kantorová recalls. “My only fear was that some of our ‘old tenants’ were so used to personal orders that they would avoid the online system. This fear did not come true, the on-line system was accepted by these tenants due to its simplicity.”

Fast commissioning

The meeting room booking system was deployed to the client in 2 days and the following 3 days were spent in collaboration with the client fine-tuning the text and images. Dalibor Nemec, CEO of the company, adds: “We have once again confirmed that clients find it easier to comment on already created applications than when they are invented from scratch and only on paper. Therefore, we can manage the process of deploying the basic version and implementing the required modifications in cooperation with the client really quickly and at minimal cost thanks to the high level of configurability of the SmartFP platform.”

“The cooperation was excellent”, says Marie Kantorová: “The demonstration, listening to our requirements, joint fine-tuning of the assignment, quick implementation and all in a very positive and friendly spirit. And what’s more? No user training needed. Everything is so simple that although an instructional video was made, we have had feedback from tenants that they don’t need instructions at all.”

Practical benefits of Gappex solutions

Meeting rooms are currently booked through the online system. Each tenant, after logging into the system under his/her identifier, can see which meeting rooms are reserved exclusively for his/her company, which are free, which are occupied. If refreshments need to be ordered, for example, the receptionist will receive an email notification directly from the system. At the same time, the system automatically sends a “reminder” some time before the start, both to the receptionist and to the orderer. Just as a meeting room can be easily booked, it can also be cancelled up to a certain time. All bookings are recorded and subsequently used as an overview of meeting room usage and as a basis for billing.

“Until now, all the records were kept in an excel file stored on a shared disk, which was accessible only to receptionists at individual buildings. Each reservation had to be made in person or at least by calling the reception. The transition to an online system has benefits not only for us, the current tenants, but also for our future contracts. Digitalization is introduced as a bonus to our current services when leasing new offices.” Describes Marie Kantor.

A vision for the future: a digital evolution that makes work even easier

“What appeals to us most about the system is its simplicity and the possibility to have all the agenda in one place. In connection with the booking of meeting rooms, it is beneficial for us to have a clear accounting for each tenant in the system, which we can also share with each tenant. Similarly, we would like to have a record of printing on shared printers, a clear record of the entry cards of each tenant. I liked the ability to record receptionist attendance in the system and there was much more. I am convinced that our cooperation with Gappex will not end with the use of the reservation system through SmartFP,” says Marie Kantorová.

Do you want to simplify booking management in your company? Try SmartFP’s booking engine, which allows you to quickly and easily manage space rental, save time and ensure visibility. Visit our booking engine page to see how it can make your day-to-day operations easier!

Článek Offices Unlimited reservation system se nejdříve objevil na SmartFP.