"How Vattenfall easily simplified their invoicing process."
Many SME entrepreneurs want to receive invoices directly into their accounting software. But, from an economic perspective, making electronic invoices suitable for thirty to forty different packages is not an option. Energy supplier Nuon / Vattenfall was looking for a solution. PEPPOL proved to be the answer.
Pieter Hansma, the proposition marketer at Vattenfall, focussed on e-invoicing. As a marketer, he has a clear passion for the customer and the customer processes. This is why he encountered e-invoicing:
"In a large organization such as Nuon / Vattenfall, an invoice makes a considerable journey through various departments. Eventually, we looked for a light solution to simplify the invoicing process.
Storecove turned out to be the best solution. We could easily implement their e-invoice software without high costs. In addition, customers can receive both by e-invoicing as well as the traditional way.
How? Storecove sends the XML invoices (European standard) to the customer through the independent PEPPOL network. The customer will immediately receive a booking proposal in their bookkeeping-software, and can book the invoice with a single push of a button."
"This innovation has led to a significant acceleration of our e-invoicing process."
"Customers who are not connected to the PEPPOL network will receive the invoice as XML and PDF in an e-mail that includes all relevant fields. Storecove ensures that the invoice is transformed into a UBL format that fits the specific accounting package.
They function as our junction box between PostNL and all forty Dutch accounting packages. This innovation has led to a significant acceleration of our e-invoicing process."
The implementation was very easy: “We saw that 30 to 40% of our customers filled in their accounting package address," says Hansma. “That's a pretty big percentage. More than I expected. Our door-to-door sales channel goes live in the third quarter of 2019 and I expect the same percentage in this period.
Many entrepreneurs know exactly which e-mail address is connected to their accounting package, and I am happy to notice that it's quite common for them to tell us which one that is. This indicates that there's a definite need for unburdening in this area."
"E-invoicing is an important step towards a more pleasant customer experience."
Hansma believes that e-invoicing is an important step towards a more pleasant customer experience: “Booking invoices is a pain for a lot of entrepreneurs. If you get rid of that irritation, I expect a positive effect on customer loyalty and acquisition. Moreover, offering this service gives us a small competitive advantage.”
However, Pieter does not only see digitization as making the customer experience more pleasant. “Digitization is also an important link in sustainability. Not only does it reduce paper usage, but also logistics flows. In this way, it contributes directly to reducing CO2 emissions and improving air quality.
Moreover, e-invoicing is very cost-efficient, both for us and for our customers. The energy transition requires investment. Not only by SMEs but especially by large companies such as Vattenfall. We explicitly take responsibility and want to be a forerunner in the transition.
That's why we've formulated a clear goal: to make a fossil-free life within one generation. With that goal in mind, we pay close attention to costs, so that we have more capital to invest. In a sustainable generation, for example, or effective partnerships with companies outside our own sector.
The same applies to corporates: you can only invest a euro once! "
Curious about what e-invoicing can do for your organization? Visit this page for more information.
More information about e-invoicing?
Call us on +31 (0) 20 261 17 91 or send an e-mail to helpdesk@storecove.nl.
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