Dorf Ketal, a specialty chemicals manufacturer and services provider with a global presence, offers its customers innovative chemical solutions and quick, decisive consultations to solve their most difficult problems.
Before Center, Dorf Ketal’s Financial Reporting Manager, Ameya Bhagwat spent two weeks per month “buried in a spreadsheet and chasing down receipts,” only to sink even more time reconciling between SAP Concur and multiple American Express statements.
Bhagwat explained, “Each month, we gave employees 10 days to submit their expenses, which coincided with the American Express statement closing period.” The situation was further complicated by disparate American Express closing periods and late expense reports. “It was a long process.”
Bhagwat wanted more efficiency. Because the credit card accounts were separate from SAP Concur, managing it meant toggling between two different platforms to order or deactivate cards, consolidate receipts, and approve submitted expenses resulting in highly manual, multi-step, and multi-week process.
Dorf Ketal seeks the control, visibility, and support offered by Center
As a global organization that submits more than 470 transactions per month on average, Dorf Ketal needed a centralized solution like Center that could integrate company credit cards—not debit cards—with expense management. Additionally, after previously experiencing systems without onboarding support, Bhagwat knew a dedicated implementation team was critical to get the new system up and running. He shared, “[With one vendor,] the implementation process was self-driven. Another problem was they issued debit cards instead of credit; our business model requires credit cards. When I came across Center in an email, I saw they solved both those challenges.”
A customized implementation in just three weeks
After choosing Center, Dorf Ketal was up and running in only three weeks, even with complex ERP requirements. Dorf Ketal uses Oracle eBusiness Suite, and it was a must for the expense management solution to map to it — Center was able to configure the export file for seamless data transfer.
“The implementation went very fast and smoothly. The ERP system we use with Oracle is notoriously difficult to integrate with, but Center customized that export file pretty quickly.” —Ameya Bhagwat, Financial Reporting Manager, Dorf Ketal
Plus an acquisition and second implementation, handled with ease
When Dorf Ketal acquired another company, they relied on Center to help with the transition and a second implementation. For Bhagwat and his team, “Enlisting the assistance of Center was a must for the new company, as our experience had already been nothing but positive.”
Even with incomplete data, Center was able to easily get everything configured. Bhagwat shared, “When you acquire a company, consolidating expenses and finances, in general, can be painful.” He added, “Because of the nature of the acquisition, we were missing a whole bunch of data on the new company’s end. The Center team was flexible with how data came through, and we were ready to go on day one.
First class support that delivers
From the initial implementation to adding on for the acquisition, Bhagwat is thankful for the first class support from Center and appreciates having a dedicated account manager. Now whenever he has an issue or request, he gets a fast response and resolution.
“With SAP Concur, it seemed impossible to get a response, but now with Center, if I have an issue, all I need to do is send an email to our dedicated account manager and everything gets resolved very quickly.” —Ameya Bhagwat, Financial Reporting Manager, Dorf Ketal
Processing accelerated: From swipe to submit and reminders with a click
Bhagwat used to dedicate a third of each month to reconciliation. Now, he logs in about once a week to see if there are outstanding expenses that need a reminder. He explained, “I used to have to compile a list of people who had outstanding items and then send them individual emails. With Center, I can send it in one click; it’s super convenient.”
What once took at least 10 days at the end of each month—not to mention any carryover from discrepancies against card statements or chasing down missing receipts—is now automatically settled through the Center platform.
I was surprised to see the shortened processing time. Whereas we used to have a big scramble at the end of each month to submit expenses, we now have submissions within 6.7 days of swipe that are then approved within 5 days on average, and it all happens in the Center platform. —Ameya Bhagwat, Financial Reporting Manager, Dorf Ketal
Center’s real-time insights drive business impact for Dorf Ketal
Center now gives Bhagwat the visibility and controls he needs to manage employee expenses efficiently, and the streamlined submission process makes it much easier to manage accruals—a huge benefit when processing around 470 transactions per month. As Bhagwat noted, “With Center, I can see exactly what’s been submitted or approved. And I can make an accurate accrual because I know what’s missing.”
Overall, the ease at which employees can utilize the platform and the availability of insights have been a game-changer. Since adopting Center, Dorf Ketal has seen multiple benefits, including:
- Leadership has a more accurate picture of company finances: With real-time visibility, management can leverage insights into company spend for better decision-making.
- Expense submission via Center Mobile App is convenient for on-the-go employees: Users can now submit purchases as they make them, saving everyone the end-of-month hassle of locating receipts, uploading, and coding into one platform and reconciling against disparate systems.
- Individual user support: Employees are empowered to contact Center support to resolve individual issues quickly.
- A centralized platform makes card management simple. Because everything integrates into the same website, Bhagwat can order or deactivate cards, raise limits, make approvals, and more.
“Everybody likes the interface and finds it very easy to use. The notifications you get when you swipe the card ensure that people take the receipt image as soon as possible. The number of missing receipts has gone down significantly. And, management appreciates the insights. Having Center is a huge improvement.” —Ameya Bhagwat, Financial Reporting Manager, Dorf Ketal
Center: Providing visibility, control, and efficiency
Today, a growing number of employees are making purchases utilizing CenterCard and recording them in the Center Mobile App. Bhagwat, his finance team, and management now have the visibility and insights they need to keep on top of finances for Dorf Ketal, while employees have a tool to make their jobs easier.