OIM Consulting Slashed Expense Processing Time by 70%

Challenges: Burdensome Processes for Invoicing and Payroll

When OIM Consulting started looking for a cloud-based timekeeping solution, they had very specific parameters in mind.

Accountant Carmelle Venter was on the front lines, managing the data for invoicing and payroll. She knew better than anyone how much was riding on them finding the right tool.

She says, “We work as our own entity and also deliver professional services to our sister companies. It’s critical that we keep everything organized so we can invoice correctly and pay our people at the end of the day.”

On top of accuracy and complex allocation, OIM Consulting needed a solution that could sync with their existing software. They were already using Xero for invoicing and BambooHR for HR management.

Since neither system could capture time utilization, the firm had been using Excel spreadsheets to track hours and entering the data manually into both systems.

Venter says, “It was time-consuming, that’s all I can say. There was a lot of duplicating data, just copying it from one form to another.”

The process left a lot of room for human error, which compounded the administrative burden.

Before Venter could even begin the data entry, she and a colleague had to review consultants’ timesheets and expense submissions, track down missing info, get approvals from various teams, and make sure no one had tampered with the formulas.

Between them, it took five days of work each month, and left no time for other important tasks as the company grew.

Knowing that timekeeping automation would relieve these frustrating inefficiencies, OIM Consulting began the search for a tool that could:

1. Sync with BambooHR to automate HR information
2. Integrate with Xero to streamline invoicing and information required for payroll
3. Eliminate human error in timekeeping data
4. Free up time for more value-building activities

After some experimenting, they discovered ClickTime’s existing integration with BambooHR and learned about the possibility of building a custom integration.

A few meetings later with ClickTime’s talented support team, they began the exciting journey of partnering with them to pioneer the integration with Xero.

Venter says, “Time is money. The less time that you are spending capturing data, the more time you can spend analyzing it and building value in your business.”

“Time is money. The less time that you are spending capturing data, the more time you can spend analyzing it and building value in your business.”

Solution: Tailored Integrations that met the Firm’s Needs

The first reason OIM Consulting chose ClickTime was because of the integration with their HR platform.

“The integration with BambooHR improved the quality of our information,” Venter says.

As impressed as she was with the HR improvements, Venter knew that the real wow factor would come when they could also sync the error-free timekeeping with Xero.

The connection eliminated a large part of Venter’s data entry, along with potential errors in staff compensation.

“ClickTime solved our problem with missing information. We configured a setting to ensure that consultants account for a minimum of 40 hours per week or eight hours per day. Now, our time is never short-captured,” she explained.

She said, “The integration with Xero was going to eliminate even more labor from our administration process and make our invoicing simpler and more accurate.”

Venter was blown away by how easy it was to prepare for the new integration.

She says, “We didn’t have to redesign what we’d already set up or even change the way we were capturing information in our system. They met us where we were at and addressed the needs that we had.”

She credits ClickTime’s outstanding support team, along with the fact that they already had developed tools for the accounting world.

“Because ClickTime was already designed to integrate with Quickbooks, the accounting package ID fields were available and all we had to do was enter our allocation codes. It was so easy to hook up the integration, because we already had our system set up in a compatible way.”

The support team was tireless in working with OIM Consulting to make sure the integration met their requirements and functioned correctly.

Venter says, “They made the journey so simple for us, communicating and addressing our needs in a way that was easy to understand. With their help, the programming part on our end didn’t seem scary at all.”

She says that ClickTime support was always only an email away, and knowing they had things under control took all the stress out of the experience.

The efficiencies of the dual integrations brought intense satisfaction, freeing Venter and her team to contribute more to the firm’s growth.

She says, “We’re able to spend more time monitoring our utilization rates and managing our budgets. The integrations are always relevant, up-to-date and accurate.”

Although the summarized data was technically available in the old Excel-spreadsheet system, Venter is keenly aware of how much effort it would take to build the reporting herself.

“Being able to see the allocations of our consultants on the dashboard is a huge benefit. With ClickTime, all the information is in one place and it makes it so much easier to create and generate our reports, graphs, and stats.”

“We’re able to spend more time monitoring our utilization rates and managing our budgets. The integrations are always relevant and accurate.”

Results: 70% Less Time Spent Processing Expenses

With the dual integration connecting their timekeeping to BambooHR and Xero, OIM Consulting has seen incredible efficiencies. Now, they spend 70% less time processing expenses and 50% less time tracking billable hours.

The accounting team has gone from blocking off five working days per month for invoicing and payroll to being able to zip through it every week.

Plus, they’ve been able to manage over four times more consultants without hiring any more accountants.

Venter says, “If we didn’t have ClickTime, there would be more potential for error and we’d need more eyes on the information to ensure it was actually correct and complete. Whereas now, we can trust that the data output is accurate.”

She has high praise for the entire process, calling it seamless, simple, and an incredible time savings.

“If we didn’t have ClickTime, there would be more potential for error and we’d need more eyes on the information to ensure it was actually correct and complete. Whereas now, we can trust that the data output is accurate.”

“ClickTime’s support team just went over and above while they built the custom integration with Xero,” Venter says. “It was a privilege walking through that journey with them. They completely eliminated our wasted processing time and allowed us to focus on more valuable tasks.”