Cost reduction, process design, financial information for strategic decisions, compliance requirements and, last but not least, the shortage of skilled workers are future topics to which the finance department and company management currently attach great importance. However, many companies lack the appropriate freedom to fulfil strategic management tasks. Finance departments are increasingly struggling with the cost and time pressures of economic competition and are forced to become more efficient.
The effort for administrative tasks in finance and accounting devours a large part of the available capacities. Information that is important for corporate strategy and management often falls by the wayside.
An important goal is to reduce the effort required for administrative processes in order to create freedom for strategic tasks. As a successful concept for excellent capacity control, in addition to automation, process optimization and centralization, F&A outsourcing is becoming more important.
F&A Outsourcing – A Practical Example
A logistics service provider headquartered in Bavaria recognized F&A BPO as a successful model for itself as early as 2001. Founded as a courier, express and parcel service, it is now part of an international logistics group and transports more than 50,000 shipments every day. Within Europe and Germany, the company is one of the largest market players.
The following challenges had to be overcome: securing competitiveness by concentrating on core tasks, increasing cost flexibility, reducing administrative activities and creating freedom for strategic decisions.
The solution was to outsource the entire financial accounting including payment transactions, monthly and annual financial statements. The same applies to the technical system support of SAP R/3® (FI/CO), the paper archiving of documents and the digital archiving of SAP® data.
Opportunities and risks of business process outsourcing
It is not always necessary to transfer the entire financial accounting to the service provider. In many cases, partial outsourcing also makes sense. Fixed costs become demand-oriented, variable costs, and in the course of the specialization of the service provider and the use of the external, standardized IT infrastructure of large data centers, the positive economies of scale can be benefited from.
For finance and accounting, outsourcing models are needed that do not focus solely on the cost side. Rather, it is important to analyze the existing processes together with the service provider as part of the outsourcing project and to adapt the process complexity to the actual requirements of the company.
In the case of the BPO, the costs and responsibility for the ongoing operation of the accounting systems are borne by the service provider. Ultimately, the service provider is liable for the correctness of its actions and, last but not least, for secrecy and data security. It is advisable to inspect workplaces as well as technology and safety equipment before concluding a contract in order to dispel data protection and security concerns.
In order for outsourcing to succeed, it is important that the expectations of the service provider are precisely defined. A joint analysis of the processes and definition of the tasks are prerequisites for the creation of a clear contract that can be implemented by both sides. Our experience shows that inaccurate and too concise standard works are out of place here. It is not enough to just outline the rights and obligations. This often leaves a feeling of insecurity and does not generate the necessary process effectiveness.
As a client, you also have to be aware that know-how is being shifted and therefore take a closer look at the fluctuation rate at the service provider. It must be ensured that the outsourcing service provider has sufficient qualified personnel and default strategies, not only on the personnel side.
But the most important thing is transparency and communication from both sides. For example, it is important to avoid shadow accounting from the outset, not to inflate remaining tax units unnecessarily and to define fixed contact persons and supervisory duties.
Result
By outsourcing sub-processes or the entire financial system to a service provider, there are significant advantages for a company. In addition to the process efficiency already mentioned, companies that outsource also benefit from the personnel efficiency of the service providers. Absences are optimally cushioned, personnel reserves in the company are eliminated and existing capacities can be managed excellently. Equally important is the professional quality, which is constantly adapting to the current requirements. Changes in the law are implemented promptly and cost-intensive training for their own departments is no longer necessary. Outsourcing can thus also be a solution to the shortage of skilled workers, as a concept on the way to market success.
This article was discussed at this year’s BPO&ITO Forum in Berlin. Here you can find the detailed article. Further information on the BPO&ITO Forum can be found here.
Do you have experience with Q&A outsourcing? Can you imagine outsourcing your financial accounting to an external service provider? We look forward to your comments!
Image source: Fotolia.com, Photographer: Arvydas Kniukšta
