Case Studies

 

  • Sage Coretime helps BDO run the practice


    BDO is a firm of registered auditors and is registered to carry on audit work in Ireland and the UK by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland.  The company is a partnership established under Irish Law and is a member of BDO International Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, and forms part of the international BDO network of independent members firms.  In Ireland, BDO has offices in Belfast, Dublin and Limerick and employs 466 people.  The BDO Limerick office has implemented Coretime from Sage to provide key information on our running the busy practice.
     
    “We wanted a web based solution that integrated with Sage Accpac as the marketing database facility was attractive to us,” explains John Hartery, Director of Finance & Operations at BDO.  “We needed a solution that had many critical features that would help us run our practice more easily and efficiently.  We upgraded our Sage Tempus Pro solution to Coretime as it is a Sage product and this was a factor in our selection as we are comfortable with the other Sage products we use.” 
     
    Sage Coretime is a powerful and easy to use time recording and project management solution which enables users to enter data, including expenses, via the internet from any location, at any time.  It’s an online solution, people log on, choose the client they were working with and the project and input the details in relation to the time and detail of the work carried out by them.  “It provides us with accurate time recording, control of our WIP and Debtors, excellent reporting features and a useful marketing database,” continues John.  “The productivity reporting and inter departmental time transfer tracking along with the underlying reporting are extremely useful.  We use these to track exceptions to budgets and forecasts in all performance areas including cash collection reporting and to monitor departmental performance on a monthly basis.”
     
    The solution integrates with some of the Sage products that BDO uses.  BDO worked with Coretime technical support to implement the solution on site and remotely.  The next phase for BDO is to further integrate this solution with others they are using.
     
    “We now have close control over all the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in our practice,” concludes John. 
     
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  • i.p.One tracks time expenditure online

     
    i.p.One was established in 2001 and acquired by Jim Doyle in 2003.  It is an independent Irish company based in Danville Business Park in Kilkenny.  i.p.One delivers particular expertise and experience in the planning, provisioning, implementation, management and maintenance of projects across the telecommunications, rail, energy and water sectors.  The company employs 36 people.  i.p.One has implemented Coretime from Sage to log staff working hours in real time mode from their mobile devices on a project-by-project basis.
     
    “We needed a reliable solution to accurately track how we are utilizing our staff in relation to client projects”, explains Teri Barden, Office Manager, i.p.One.  “We wanted to know how our staff manage their daily schedules and how much of their time ends up as chargeable time to clients and we also needed to know how efficient we are in utilizing our resources. In addition, it was important that the chosen solution was easy to use and would not unnecessarily add to the administrative burden of the finance staff.”    i.p.One has used Sage products in an accountancy capacity before and was familiar with the software capabilities and its foundations.  Based on these factors they chose the Coretime product. 
     
    Sage Coretime is a powerful and easy to use time recording and project management solution which enables users to enter data, including expenses, via the internet from any location, at any time.  It’s an online solution, people log on, chose the client they were working with and the project and input the details in relation to the time and detail of the work carried out by them.  “The product enables our employees to log their working hours on a daily basis regardless of their location,” continues Teri.  “As the system is web based the majority of our staff utilize handheld devices in the everyday work, this enables them to access the internet an any time and update their hours in real time mode.
    i.p.One also uses the solution to produce date range reporting, invoicing and credit notes.  They customised the solution to suit their projects’ working needs.
    “This allows us to demonstrate our actual time on client business, which is a crucial part of demonstrating the return on investment that our work brings to clients’ business”, adds Teri.  “It also ensures that all of our hard work is reflected in increased recovery on each our projects”. 
     
    i.p.One invoices for completed man hours and the time sheet element is of the most importance for them based on the information that their employees enter on a daily basis.  “A fast turnaround on information from the field to the office and the user friendly ability for all our employees if a great benefit,” concludes Teri.
    “As a product, Sage Coretime has more than delivered on our expectations and has additional functionality that will add further value to our business as we develop its use within the company”. 
     
     
     
     
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    Get in touch with us today to get a free trial of our hosted version of Sage Coretime, no need to download or install anything.

     
     
     
     
     
     

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  • Sage Coretime Powers Award Winning Commitment


    Coady Partnership Architects, an award-winning architectural practice, is committed to serving the many needs of its diverse client base. Here, we see how Sage Coretime helps this company protect profits in challenging economic times.

    About the Company
    Coady Partnership Architects is an established practice renowned for its commitment to design excellence, and provides comprehensive consultancy to private and public sector clients in master planning, architecture and urban design. The firm has a track record in cutting edge design within diverse sectors including education, sport, health, housing, office refurbishment, leisure, and building conservation projects. Coady Partnership Architects also has particular expertise in project initiation, brief development, building design and procurement.

    The Challenge: Increasing Efficiency
    In early 2006, Coady Partnership began to look for software systems that would increase internal efficiencies in order to maintain profitability, and also to bid for work bid more effectively. Business Manager, Owen O'Leary explains.

    "We were using a time and fees software system that frankly wasn't up to the challenge. We knew that if we could track our time more effectively, we might uncover methods to increase staff efficiency and productivity. This would enable the firm to compete more effectively in the marketplace, while allowing us to maintain our present levels of service and design excellence.
    "For those reasons, we decided to purchase a new software solution that could help partner us into the future."

    The Solution: Sage Coretime
    In mid-2006, Coady Partnership Architects installed Sage Coretime, the powerful time and billing solution from Sage. Since then, the firm has enjoyed substantial benefits; including increases in its levels of efficiency and productivity; not least during the recent challenging economic times.

    "All twenty-five of our employees use Sage Coretime to monitor project time," states Owen O'Leary, Business Manager, Coady Partnership. "Before we installed the Coretime solution, our designers were using manual timesheets. Our staff had to fill these in by hand every week, which was a headache. Similarly, my back-office team had to download those timesheets into our existing accounting solutions, which was both time-consuming and prone to inaccuracy."

    In Challenging Times, Accurate Cost Data Protects Profitability
    The recent turbulence in Ireland's economy has illustrated the power of Sage Coretime. "While we have used Coretime for years, it is only now that it has shown its power. Coretime's reporting capabilities allow us to review cost data, on an almost real-time basis, line by line, and for every project. This means that we are able to compare actual costs to budget quickly and accurately. In challenging times like these, Coretime is indispensable in preserving profitability."

    Instant Access to Critical Project Data
    "By accessing Sage Coretime data, we now have a greater sense of control," Owen explains. "For instance, we can quickly compare actual time spent on a project - and the cost of that time - with the established project budget. This enables the firm's directors and project managers to sit down with team members to assess those costs, and in the event of a possible cost over-run situation, to take action quickly to minimise further costs. And because every member of staff can access fundamental cost information, the Coretime solution promotes teamwork: staff members have a greater sense of responsibility to every project and our designers work more efficiently, without sacrificing design integrity."

    Historical Data for Accurate Budgeting & Bidding
    "The archive facility has come into its own, particularly as the market has become more competitive," Owen states. "For instance, recently the government changed its tendering process. Now, architects are being asked to bid for new projects on a fixed basis, rather than on a percentage of build costs. With the vital historical data from Coretime, we can submit competitively priced fee bids for which we are confident - we know that we can still make a profit while not sacrificing our commitment to the client's design. Price has become a huge factor in the tendering process, and Sage Coretime provides us with the information we need to compete effectively."

    Integration Made Easy
    "Our Sage Coretime solution is integrated with Sage 50 Accounts," explains Owen. "This seamless solution helps us to streamline back-office tasks, while decreasing the need for double entry. “And Sage has been instrumental in helping us to achieve further benefits, for instance, Sage "tweaked" the solution for us in order to avail of special VAT regulations applying to treatment that architects and other service companies working in Ireland receive. Now, we can easily account for VAT both on an accrual and cash receipts basis. This has helped the firm to improve its cash flow, as well as VAT accuracy."

    Would Recommend
    When asked if he would recommend the Sage Coretime solution to other companies, Owen was frank: "I already have, and I will again. Sage Coretime allows us to accurately track current project time and costs, and to compare those against agreed budgets, in order to ensure ongoing profitability. Its archive system allows us to search for additional efficiencies, and to bid for projects using realistic cost data. Its user-friendly design is easy to use, has been embraced by our staff, and is now an integral part of our daily workflow.
     
    The solution has therefore empowered the company. It partners with us every day, and will help us to empower our future. In short, it is an integral solution that will help us to bring our award-winning commitment to excellence to many more clients."
  •  
     
     

    Free TrialContact Us

    Get in touch with us today to get a free trial of our hosted version of Sage Coretime, no need to download or install anything.

     
     
     
     
     
     

    Coretime Overview - View our simple step-by-step video