Dematerialization and the adoption of digital solutions are opening up a host of productivity opportunities for private and public sector organizations and associations.

However, bringing a digital transformation project to fruition can be tricky, as it may be hard for in-house teams to accept new habits and tools.

Preparation and support are clearly essential to the success of this type of project.

Making every dematerialization project a success

At N2JSOFT, every digitalization solution that we implement is accompanied by comprehensive support. Our consulting department is responsible for welcoming, listening, advising, configuring, and training each customer on our products.

Our aim is clear: to support and advise every customer and to make every dematerialization project a success.

This objective is the key priority for our consultants. Thanks to their experience, they understand the challenges and needs of our customers.

We asked Ilona Boldorf, one of our multilingual consultants, to tell us more about her background and how she draws on her expertise to advise each customer she works with.

A rich, multilingual accounting career path

Originally from Germany, Ilona Boldorf studied at the Georg-August University of Göttingen, majoring in accounting and management control. She has worked in the UK and is fluent in three languages: German, English, and French.

Over the course of her career, which has spanned three countries, she has managed international projects in the following areas:

  • Management control
  • Accounting
  • Debt recovery
  • Expense report management
  • Consolidation of accounts
  • Optimization of the chart of accounts

A detailed knowledge of the accounting ecosystem

Our consultant has worked with numerous accounting tools, such as SAGE and SAP. As far as expense report management is concerned, she has of course worked with Excel and paper, as well as an internal management tool with limited functionality

Having experienced these specific issues, she knows the challenges of expense reports and accounting in general:

  • The technical constraints of accounting solutions
  • The barriers to adopting a digital solution
  • The difficulties in managing expense reports (on paper or via an unsuitable solution)

“Before joining N2JSOFT, I tested N2F. I immediately saw how much time and money the solution could save an organization, whatever its size.”

Her experience, knowledge, and commitment enable her to support, guide, and advise our customers in an effective and highly personalized way, an approach shared by every member of the Consulting team.

Consulting: essential support for digitalizing your business

“Implementing a tool like N2F is sometimes the ideal time to introduce analytics. It can also be an opportunity to modernize the company’s chart of accounts. My professional background and experience enable me to offer a high-quality service to our customers, with the aim of ensuring that they benefit 100% from N2F.

Our role is not simply to set up and configure the tool. Each customer is supported from A to Z by a consultant, their privileged contact who follows them throughout the implementation and training process, even after the Go Live. As a result, customers can be sure of full support from our consultants right through to the general roll-out. After that, our Support team takes over,” explains Ilona.

Commitment and interpersonal skills, the keys to project success

“The Consulting department has a genuine analytical and advisory dimension. We listen and tailor our support to our customers’ particular needs and business practices. We ensure that we understand their current and future needs, because we believe that it is vital they become autonomous in their use of the solution (so they can develop it directly in the future). Of course, we’re always available if they need us,” Ilona notes.

“I love my job because it allows me to propose solutions, to see satisfied professionals, and to continue learning from each customer. Every project is different, as each organization is unique. I enjoy interacting with people, understanding and even anticipating their needs, being available for them, and providing them with the best experience possible.

“It’s true that the transition to fully digital technology isn’t always easy for some people. That’s why I think it’s so important that we offer high-quality, tailor-made support, that we listen, and that we make ourselves available, to make the roll-out a success. Although some customers worry about change at the very beginning, feedback from the field is systematically positive once the project has been completed, whether from administrators, accountants, or end-users.”

The benefits of paperless processes for users, accountants, and management controllers

“Implementing N2F is often seen as a revolution by users, as it provides a framework for people who are not fans of administrative tasks. Entering expense claims on a mobile application, rather than entering them by hand using an Excel file, has a playful side that people really like. It takes way less time, it’s almost fun!

“In accounting and management control, there’s a lot to do, and some periods are much busier. With N2F, business personnel are freed from this tedious, low value-added task. Depending on their company’s structure, they can then focus on tasks that require more time, such as monthly and annual closing, bank reconciliation, customer invoicing, and debt collection for the treasury department.

“In addition, the fact that expense reimbursements are automatically controlled, and therefore more regular, optimizes cash flow forecasting.”

Choosing the right support and the right tool, for lasting benefits

In many organizations, accounting processes are still carried out manually:

  • Supplier invoice entry
  • Customer invoicing
  • Checking accounting entries
  • Preparation of data for VAT verification

“The benefits of implementing N2F aren’t limited to sending data to the accounting system. For example, if VAT is correctly entered in N2F, it simplifies other tasks (such as declaring VAT to the tax authorities). Another example is using N2F’s Reporting section to analyze and track statistics, which helps organizations to optimize costs.

“Similarly, when you no longer need to archive paper documents, you eliminate the costs associated with archiving (especially if you use a specialized service provider), as well as the time spent filing and retrieving physical files,” continues Ilona.

Dematerialization in Europe: differences and regulatory requirements

The N2F consultant explains that, “In France, the chart of accounts is standardized. This is not the case in Germany, where organizations are required to have a chart of accounts, but do not have to comply with a common standard. There are also differences in tax recovery, which N2F can handle if a company has one entity in France and another in Germany. If the company is international, and wishes to adopt a standard for all subsidiaries, this can also be configured in the tool.

“In Europe, paperless supplier invoices are becoming the norm. Digitalization is therefore unavoidable, and companies need to make the right choice in terms of the solution they use, but above all in terms of the ‘partner’ they choose,” concludes Ilona.

Want to know how an expense report solution can help your organization manage expenses? Well, that’s perfect, our experts have put together this comprehensive guide to choosing an expense report management solution: