«Abacus Expense Management with AbaCards is a problem solver.»

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Heidelberg Instruments Nano AG has been using Abacus Expense Management for five years. The company has also recently started using the "AbaCards" company card management system. In an interview with Abacus, Matthias Bürke talks about his experiences with Expense Management and the benefits of AbaCards.

What were the reasons for using Abacus Expense Management at Heidelberg Instruments nano AG?

Matthias Bürke: The most important drivers were our employees. Our sales and service employees are on the road a lot and travel frequently. To eliminate the tedious expense process with paper receipts and Excel spreadsheets, I looked at various expense tools - including Abacus. The decisive factor was that Abacus Expense Management is seamlessly integrated into Abacus Financial Accounting. This saves us processing via several interfaces.

How does Abacus Expense Management support you in your day-to-day work?

MB: Today, I have almost nothing to do with expense management. If it is configured correctly, it runs automatically. Our sales partner Projekt7 also contributed to this success.

Why did you go for the ‘AbaCards’ card management solution?

MB: We have two important areas of application for AbaCards: On the one hand, we need an overview of all company cards used by our employees. We need to know who incurs card charges and who only has cash expenses. We used to keep track of this in an Excel spreadsheet. The big disadvantage was that the table had to be constantly updated. With AbaCards, all our cards are always up to date.

And the second field of application?

MB: The second field of application is card management itself. We can simply order new cards or block lost cards without having to contact the card provider. AbaCards are a welcome tool for everyday life.

From ordering to using the cards - how does the AbaCards process work?

MB: The process is really fast! It only takes a few minutes for a card to be ordered and ready for use. If an employee came to me now, they could make their first payment with the virtual card in ten minutes. The physical card will arrive in about 10 days - if one is requested at all.

How did card orders work before the solution with AbaCards?

MB: Previously, we had to initiate the process with the card provider, then ask employees to enter their personal information. This information was then sent to the card provider. In addition, the information had to be managed separately in Abacus. With AbaCards, data exchange is fully automatic.

«Well-functioning software leads to employee satisfaction.»

Matthias Bürke, CFO and member of the Board of Directors at Heidelberg Instruments Nano AG.

Are employees enthusiastic about Abacus Expense Management?

MB: Internally, there were two predominant views on Abacus Expense Management: Young professionals find it great, but also see it as simply the state of the art. Experienced professionals who have already worked with other expense reporting solutions find the Abacus Expense Management system ingenious.

Do you recommend Abacus Expense Management?

MB: Absolutely! I think that expense management is still a sticking point in many companies. However, I am convinced that a good expense tool not only speeds up the process but also saves money, for example when it comes to correctly reclaiming VAT.

What three terms would you use to describe Abacus Expense Management?

MB: Simple, fast & digital.
 

About Matthias Bürke

Matthias Bürke has been with Heidelberg Instruments Nano AG for over eight years. He has a master's degree in business administration. He holds the position of CFO at Heidelberg Instruments Nano AG and is a member of the Board of Directors.
 

About Heidelberg Instruments Nano AG

Heidelberg Instruments Nano AG, based in Zurich Altstetten, is a technology company specialising in the development, manufacture and sale of nanofabrication machines.

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