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ScreenSkills –
UniFi Case Study

UK’s Leading Screen-based Creative Skills Organisation Achieves Operational Efficiency with UniFi

ScreenSkills – UniFi Case Study

UK’s Leading Screen-based Creative Skills Organisation Achieves Operational Efficiency with UniFi

  • Read time: 6 minutes

Background

ScreenSkills are a long-standing user of Infor SunSystems. Their relationship with FinanSys started when they wanted to upgrade from SunSystems 5.4 to SunSystems 6.

ScreenSkills wanted to upgrade so they could make the most of the latest technology, security and automation potential. You can read about that SunSystems upgrade case study here.

But it didn’t stop at the successful upgrade and the subsequent benefits – the working relationship between ScreenSkills and FinanSys grew over the years. Recently, the organisation implemented UniFi to modernise and automate their procurement and approval processes amongst other use cases.

Following a short call to discuss automation options, it became clear that the tried and tested methodology from FinanSys represented a lower total cost of ownership compared to other suppliers. The numerous positive customer references and UniFi unique automation platform made the decision easy for ScreenSkills.

The icing on the cake was the competitive quote which saved ScreenSkills over 25% compared to their first quote from another provider.

How UniFi Made the Difference

Using UniFi, ScreenSkills created quite a number of apps to power their operations, including a Purchase Order (PO) app and a Purchase Invoice (PI) app, just to name a few. It’s worth noting that UniFi offers one system to manage an ever-growing number of use cases, and there are no limits on the apps you can create.

With this, they were able to streamline the purchase order process, making it much faster and easier to raise purchase orders, match invoices, and process invoices.

These apps also packed built-in workflows that help to ensure tasks are completed in a timely manner. This was especially helpful for tasks that required multiple people to complete.

For example, the email triggers send automatic notifications to the relevant parties when a task is assigned or updated. This helps to keep everyone on the same page and ensures that tasks are not delayed.

Overall, the shift to using apps has brought about significant time savings as everything is now done electronically. The introduction of email triggers, especially with the recent update allowing subject updates, has been incredibly beneficial.

It provides end users with a snapshot of their tasks even before they open their emails or begin the task, greatly enhancing efficiency and productivity.

Devendra Patel, ScreenSkills - Financial Planning and Reporting Accountant

UniFi also provided much better reporting capabilities for ScreenSkills than their previous manual system. This allowed the company to track progress on projects, identify areas where there were bottlenecks, and make informed decisions about how to allocate resources.

Devendra stated : 

In the past, when everything was done manually, we lacked comprehensive reporting options. We had no way of knowing what was pending, what had been completed, how long a specific task took, or who was responsible for it.

Now, with everything on the apps, the Quick Report feature in UniFi has become a game-changer. We can instantly report on any data we have, providing us with invaluable insights and control over our operations.

Transitioning from a paper-based system to an automated one through UniFi also brought about significant benefits in terms of audit trails. The adoption of UniFi introduced a new level of reliability and accuracy in ScreenSkills’ workflows, with each step being date-stamped for transparency and accountability.

This shift added a new dimension of trustworthiness to ScreenSkills’ data during audits, ensuring all approval processes are recorded accurately and can be accessed easily, eliminating any doubts about their validity.

Significant Time-savings

Here are some of the Apps that ScreenSkills used and the approximate time saved:

Expenses

From start to finish, this saved ScreenSkills approximately 3 days per claim. Before the implementation of UniFi, the ScreenSkills team had to find the codes to which the cost relates (the system now populates automatically with a dropdown).

Working out the mileage and amount has had a significant saving of time and accuracy. 

Authorisation of claim is a lot quicker as this can now be done on the move rather than waiting for the manager to be in the office.

Purchase Invoice and PIPO (combined as same invoicing process)

This had an approximate time saving of a day per 20 invoices for the charity organisation. This is due to details being pulled through PO, which saves time in recording on the system directly.

Also, with UniFi, approval can be done on the move rather than waiting for the budget holder to be in the office.

New Debtor/Supplier

This saved ScreenSkills approximately 0.25 days per set-up. Before the implementation of UniFi, this was manually completed in each business unit. With UniFi, they’ve been able to create the setup in all BU at the same time.

.

Purchase Ordering (PO)

This had an approximate time saving of 0.5 days per PO. Before adopting UniFi, purchase orders were requested manually to the finance department, which then needed to be added to a PO register to get the next number. In turn, finance raised a manual PO PDF document.

This is now all automated through UniFi.

Also, POs were not recorded on the system, which meant the ScreenSkills team could not include PO balances on their month-end reports. This had a major impact on reporting at year-end.

PO Write-off

As purchase orders were not on the system, there was no PO write-off function. If anything needed to be cleared, it had to be zeroed off on the spreadsheet, which led to a lot of mistakes.  

Automating this process has mitigated the errors.

Sales Invoices

This had an approximate time saving of 0.10 days per invoice as this was manually journaled into the finance system. Now, it is automatically done once approved, thanks to UniFi. 

Contract Management

With this app, ScreenSkills were now able to keep a record of all contracts in one place, which can be reported on.

The Overall Experience with UniFi

The organisation’s Financial Planning and Reporting Accountant had this to say when asked about their experience with UniFi:

Very good, and I must single out an individual and say Yulia was exceptional and on hand when we needed help or if anything was not working.

What has been a good change is that as admin users, we can now see all the drafts in the system which helps the business in completing a task if required.

The ability to copy down populated item lines in a table has had a time saving for end users.

Also, the audit report for changes on users/reference data is very useful as we can now track
all changes, like who/when/what were made!”

Profile

ScreenSkills is the industry-led skills body for the UK’s screen-based creative industries – film, television (including children’s, unscripted and high-end), VFX (visual effects), animation, and games.

The charity supports economic recovery and future innovation and growth across the nations and regions by investing in the skilled and inclusive workforce who are critical to the UK screen industries’ global success.

Established in 1991, ScreenSkills provides insight, career development, and other opportunities to help people get into the industry and progress within it.

They work across the UK with employers, individuals, learning/training providers, trade associations, unions, and government to ensure the screen industries have the skilled workforce they need.

About UniFi

UniFi is a highly innovative Accounting, Finance, and Business Process Automation platform that integrates seamlessly with your finance department and beyond, offering limitless use cases. The power of UniFi lies in its versatility – it’s designed to replace unconnected software and manual processes, streamlining your operations into one comprehensive system.

UniFi Key Features

No-code Application Builder

Business Process Management

Automation

Accounting Automation

Middleware & Integration

Excel Add-in

Work OS

Workflow Creator

Business Intelligence

Pre-installed Foundation Apps

Machine Learning

Artificial Intelligence

Autonomous Data Capture

UniFi Use Cases

With UniFi, there are no limits on the workflows you can create. Our software offers one system to manage an ever-growing number of use cases.

Purchasing (P2P)

Sales (O2C)

Financial Accounting

Reporting and Analytics

Human Resources

Integration

Compliance and Audit

Autonomous Data Capture

Our team and customers discover and create new use cases daily.

  • Why UniFi Stands Out
  • 25+ years of experience in implementing in finance and business technology
  • Enterprise-grade software without the cost - make significant savings by having one costeffective system that can be used for everything
  • Free pre-installed foundation apps
  • Designed to be fully configured and customised for any requirement
  • Simple user-based pricing. No paywalls, no hidden fees
  • Easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface for building and customising apps
  • Real-time collaboration and comments
  • Paperless approvals and workflows
  • Role-based security and permissions
  • Detailed reporting and analytics
  • Integration with your finance, accounting, HR, or ERP system
  • Open API for connecting to a wide range of data sources
  • Scalability to support any number of users and use cases
  • Comprehensive help, training and support provided at no extra cost

What are your next steps?

  1. Get in touch with us to schedule a call
  2. We will listen to your requirements and discuss how UniFi can help
  3. We will then present you with a tailored demonstration and quotation
  • Contact us today on +44 (0) 207 456 9833 or info@unifiplatform.com

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Emma is a Business Development Manager at FinanSys with a strong background in accounting. She holds the AAT qualification and is part-qualified as a Chartered Accountant with ICAEW. Previously, Emma served as Finance Manager, where she oversaw all financial operations and successfully implemented a new financial management system. With 7 years of experience, Emma prides herself in identifying challenges faced by finance teams and delivering effective solutions, leveraging her expertise in accounting and financial systems.

Glyn is the Business Development Director at UniFi. Qualified as both a barrister and a chartered accountant, he has dedicated his career to merging these disciplines to drive impactful results. Since entering the IT industry in 1998, he has held diverse roles ranging from back-office accounting to frontline sales, culminating in leadership positions where experience has honed his strategic vision.

His leadership philosophy focuses on nurturing and empowering teams, fostering an environment where they not only achieve exceptional growth but also enjoy the journey together.

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