Action chose to outsource the hosting and support of Oracle HFM straight after selecting the financial system. “Since finance is the only department within Action that uses HFM, we decided to assign a functional administrator in finance rather than IT, and outsource to a third party,” says Jakub Kawecki, Finance Controller at Action. “We wanted specialized knowledge available to our end users.”
Retail company Action is growing fast. Originating in the Netherlands, the company now has almost 1700 stores in 8 countries.
Simplicity and cost-consciousness
Before deciding on the new financial system, Action looked at other alternatives as well. “Oracle HFM and the corresponding hosting solution were the best fit with our way of working,” says Jakub.
Outsourcing the hosting of Oracle HFM supports Action’s strategy. “Two of our key values are simplicity and cost-consciousness. By hosting at Swap Support, we feel we meet these values as we have a good working relationship at a reasonable price,” says Jakub. Also, not having its own on-premise servers aligns with the company’s asset-light strategy.
"We wanted on-call IT support based on an SLA (Service Level Agreement), backup during holidays, and a sparring partner for issues."
Thomas Koelemeijer - Action
Outsourcing hosting and support in line with growth
The company aimed to achieve several business objectives by outsourcing to Swap Support. “We were looking for mature knowledge about HFM,” says Thomas Koelemeijer, Group Financial Controller at Action. “We wanted on-call IT support based on an SLA (Service Level Agreement), backup during holidays, and a sparring partner for issues.”
For fast-growing companies such as Action, the required level of support can be a dilemma. This dilemma was solved by a flexible service agreement, allowing the support levels to expand in line with the company’s growth. “At first, we did not have a fulltime in-house functional administrator, but as Action grew and the reliance on the tool increased, we decided to hire a dedicated functional administrator. Furthermore, we started with a gentleman’s agreement with Swap Support, but two years ago, we re-negotiated this starting situation to a more mature situation with an SLA. The SLA helps to prevent misunderstandings or unrealistic expectations,” says Jakub.
"It makes us feel safe. We can be sure that when something goes wrong, we will be informed. In urgent situations, we can reach out to our colleagues at Swap and expect quick support and a fair discussion."
Jakub Kawecki - Action
Single Point of Contact for all questions about Oracle HFM
As Action outsources both the hosting and support of Oracle HFM, users can reach out to one point of contact for all their questions. The team is enthusiastic about this Single Point of Contact approach. “We find it user friendly and handy. Also, we know that the other side truly understands the problem.”
Both Jakub and Thomas are positive about the quality of the support they receive. “It makes us feel safe. We can be sure that when something goes wrong, we will be informed. In urgent situations, we can reach out to our colleagues at Swap and expect quick support and a fair discussion.”
The future roadmap is drawn up together with the specialists at Swap as well. “There are frank discussions and suggestions, which we appreciate a lot. The close working relationship and the way we are supported makes our future landscape connected. We see the future bright and sharp,” says Jakub.
Feeling secured is priceless
Jakub and Thomas expect collaboration with Swap Support to continue in the future. “It is good to be able to focus on resolving challenges within your organization, knowing that there are specialists you can count on. The fact that we can feel secured and keep track of our own business is priceless.”
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