Q&A with Oli Pollard, Client & Partner Sales Manager at Webexpenses.
So, your company name is a bit of a spoiler alert when it comes to the specifics of what you do – but we’d love to hear more detail. What is the scope of your business and what is your USP?
It’s a fair point! Webexpenses is a travel and expense management solution which saves organisations time and money while improving employee satisfaction. The cloud-based platform provides expense tracking and corporate card reconciliation which allows employees to snap a receipt using OCR, whilst finance teams gain complete visibility of travel and expenses spent through our reporting suite. In fact, since our inception, we’ve processed over a billion expense claims across 70 countries and have a client retention rate of 99%.
We attribute this success in part, to the fact that Webexpenses can integrate with many existing ERPs for seamless data exchange and what is more, we provide a number of complementary modules in the form of invoice processing, payments and expense auditing. We are part of the Sage partner network and support Sage Products such as Sage X3 and Sage Intacct, by facilitating a unified, collaborative way of working when it comes to processing expenses.
That’s a lot of expense claims! So, how did you come to work with Percipient?
We were connected through Sage’s partner network, but realised a year or so ago, that we had a similar ethos and culture, and that, combined with the obvious product synergies, represented great potential for a partnership. We’ve since worked together on numerous successful customer deployments and have never looked back! It helps that the people there are brilliant to work with and we can have a good laugh along the way – something which I believe is really important in business.
While opportunities to automate and drive both efficiencies and productivity in this space have been prevalent for years, the pandemic really highlighted the shortfalls of manual, paper-based expenses processing.
You’ve clearly seen impressive business growth in recent years. Where has the greatest opportunity come from?
While opportunities to automate and drive both efficiencies and productivity in this space have been prevalent for years, the pandemic really highlighted the shortfalls of manual, paper-based expenses processing. When an employee is working remotely, whether at home or on the road, it seems ludicrous to have to retain paper receipts , wait weeks until you’re actually physically in an office to submit expenses on spreadsheets, only to realise that the person who authorises them is not in for a further few weeks. The world has changed, and when an entire project can be deployed remotely, it seems somewhat out of kilter to accept that a single expense can potentially take months to be reimbursed. Even for those offices which have returned to having all employees in, the days of hovering over a desk for a signature is completely out of step with the world.
In terms of the market, we are still seeing demand from those organisations which use manual processes and need to move forward and automate their expenses; but we are now seeing growth with those who have part automation, but are moving towards full digital transformation which necessitates a more comprehensive, collaborative approach alongside our partners.
Are you still seeing lots of organisations relying on manual processes for expense management?
Of course, more and more are converting, but there are many who have yet to make the shift. We spoke with one for example, who couldn’t claim VAT back as they had no visibility of their expenses. Thankfully we were able to help them to track everything more rigorously so as to ensure any owed VAT could be incorporated into VAT returns.
Many still use spreadsheets which allow visibility to a degree, but risk inaccuracies and of course, are reliant on timely data entry, which can be a barrier to real-time reporting.
So, we’ve talked a bit about the opportunities, but what are the biggest barriers?
I suppose the short answer is apathy. When a process has been in place for a long time, it can take a pretty major event to break through this resistance to change. Often it’s a new person with a different perspective, and sometimes it’s a crisis. Clearly the crisis we’ve experienced over the last two years, has made it difficult not to embrace the clear benefits of a cloud-based expense management platform.
What is your role at Webexpenses?
My title is client and partner sales manager, but essentially, I am the glue between our organisation and our partners. Typically, I help educate on our product and the value it can deliver, ensure our core values are represented, and support sales and marketing initiatives.
Training is another important aspect of my role, including the development of collateral, and as we look to grow our partner network, I’m always on the lookout for new opportunities.
The other aspect to my role is managing a team responsible for looking after our direct customer base, which currently comprises around 80% of the business. My days are pretty varied and involve a lot of problem solving which is definitely a good thing – there’s never a dull moment!
You sound like you genuinely enjoy your role – what are the best bits, and the worst?
I truly believe that good relationships are the bedrock of business. I really enjoy meeting and getting to know people and take an immense amount of pride in the partnerships we have in place. With this in mind, the best bits are definitely getting out and about and meeting up with those we work with. Conversely, the worst bits are being confined to working via Teams day in day out whilst in the midst of a pandemic!
What do the next 12 months look like for you?
Looking ahead, we are focused on scaling our partner business, through seeking out organisations where a good fit exists, both product-wise and culturally. Percipient has definitely set the bar high as an example of what we’re looking for in a partner. We’re also looking to raise the profile of our complementary products and continue to look for opportunities within our existing customer base. And I suppose, personally, I am looking forward to embracing the freedom to go on holiday which has been lacking in recent years.
As a business, we are definitely feeling incredibly grateful to be returning to normal, and to be part of an exciting, expanding organisation as 2022 hits the halfway mark.
Sage Business Applications
If you would like to know more about our work with Webexpenses, and other Sage business app providers, get in touch or call us on 01606 871332 for more information.