Fuhrer Treuhand AG: "AbaPlato has significantly streamlined our internal processes."

Experience from everyday fiduciary practice

How does that feel in practice? Sandra Fuhrer, owner and managing director of Fuhrer Treuhand AG, talks about everyday life - openly, concretely and with a view to the changes following the introduction of AbaPlato. A field report for all fiduciaries who are thinking about the next step towards digitalisation.

How did you report your services to your customers in the past - and how does that work today with AbaPlato?

We used to use a self-developed Access tool to record services. Because the maintenance effort was constantly growing, we decided in favour of AbaPlato. Today, all employees record their services direct-ly in the system - billed in units of 5 minutes, each assigned to a defined customer project (e.g. bookkeeping, annual financial statements, taxes or business consulting). This allows us to maintain an overview of expenditure and project distribution at all times.

One major difference lies in the automation: Invoiced services no longer need to be manually marked as "invoiced". We can also issue invoices not only on a monthly basis as before, but also on a daily basis if required. QR payments can be imported directly into accounts receivable and are automatically posted in the General Ledger. Previously, invoices were printed out, filed in physical open item folders and in-coming payments were tracked manually. Today, filing takes place digitally directly at the customer's premises. 
 

Reasons for introducing AbaPlato

What was the deciding factor for you to introduce AbaPlato in your company?

The cost-benefit ratio was decisive for us. The monthly fees and investment costs were significantly higher with other solutions. As we were already working with Abacus, it made sense to use AbaPlato as an integrated module - having everything in one system is a great advantage.

How does AbaPlato specifically support you with service recording and invoicing?

Paid invoices are posted automatically, which saves us manual intermediate steps. The invoices are available digitally as PDF files, eliminating the need for physical filing. Even if invoicing is not currently any faster than before, we benefit from consistent and clearly structured processing.

What advantages does the direct link with accounts receivable (Debi) offer you?

We are becoming noticeably more efficient: Accounts receivable invoices are no longer filed physically, invoiced services no longer have to be posted manually before the next invoice run, and digital invoices can be sent by e-mail directly from the system. Documents are also stored digitally. We receive the open item list (OPL) at the touch of a button.

Time savings and efficiency in everyday work

How do you feel about the option of generating and customising invoice documents directly in Word?

Ingenious - we create all invoices using the Word option. In our case, the originally planned automation could not be realised as desired, which is why we are currently dispensing with it.

Where do you notice the greatest time savings or increase in efficiency in everyday life through the use of AbaPlato?

We see the greatest advantages in the digital filing of invoices, the automated booking of incoming payments, and the reminder process. In addition, we no longer have to keep separate accounts receiva-ble lists, which saves us a lot of time.

How did you find working with Arcon during the introduction and use of AbaPlato?

Very positive - the team was always helpful, competent and solution-orientated. The introduction was efficient and uncomplicated.

If you would recommend AbaPlato to another trust company: What would you particularly em-phasise?

End-to-end automation and close links with accounts receivable. I also like the clear target/actual com-parison in the employee budget evaluation.