Canadian consulting firm Syntax leverages SAP Business AI and natural language processing to transform its timesheet project tracking. The new intelligent solution helped the company shorten the billing cycle significantly.
What has helped Syntax, formally Beyond Technologies, might soon be available for its clients too.
The tracking of revenue-generating activities and efficient billing routines are critical for professional services and consulting business to succeed. In exactly this operational area of its company, Syntax identified opportunities for improvement.
The company decided to explore use cases and existing solutions that leverage the power of SAP Business AI to transform and improve its timesheet task tracking.
Human-Centered Approach: Business AI Explore Workshop
Professional service firms that bill clients for their work need highly efficient time-tracking and billing systems. To address these challenges, Syntax, along with two other customers, began its journey with the SAP Business AI Explore Workshop, a human-centered process that helped evaluate operational issues. Following an additional SAP Business AI Design workshop, also offered by SAP AppHaus, Syntax entered the “Run and Scale” phase to implement an effective solution to meet its specific needs.
Navigating Billing Inefficiencies
For Syntax, the timesheet process is a necessary part of operations, serving as the backbone of task tracking and billing. The Timesheet app in SAP S/4HANA Cloud is widely utilized in the professional services industry. Considering the time constraints that most consultants have when entering their time reports, Syntax wanted to look for opportunities to enhance its usability and efficiency. Syntax recognized that complexities within the app could lead to delays in time entry. These delays often resulted in incomplete or inaccurate records that impacted billing and ultimately revenue generation.
Syntax looked to the SAP AppHaus team to optimize timesheet data entry and elevate the user experience for both employees and management through the use of SAP Business AI.
Harnessing the Power of Generative AI and SAP BTP
In a joint project with the SAP AppHaus team, Syntax and two other customers evaluated existing SAP solutions for the use case. To tackle billing inefficiencies, SAP developed an innovative application powered by generative AI and built with SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) and SAP S/4HANA Cloud (see diagram), based on feedback from users such as Syntax.
“With this Timesheet app task tracker, consultants can effortlessly record billable hours in real time using natural language, right after completing a task,” Ingo Feucht, senior director of Product Management for SAP S/4HANA at SAP, said about the success of this project. “Ultimately, we consider this a Joule use case, but the project is a great showcase of how SAP customers can leverage generative AI hub to quickly build their own custom business AI solutions.”
Easy Handling
The new solution enables real-time task logging and processing. It allows users to enter timesheet data with simple conversational prompts. The usual so-called “shadow systems” that people use to temporarily note down what they worked on — for example, in Notepad or Excel — can be eliminated as the information is directly sent to the Timesheet app in draft format.
Employees can easily and accurately track how much time they spent working on each client. First experiences with the application have shown that it can considerably reduce entry delays and help ensure that employees record their hours efficiently without the cumbersome steps traditionally associated with timesheet management.
Improved Billing Accuracy
Companies failing to accurately track billable hours can lose thousands of dollars in annual revenue per employee. The new solution supports invoices in being processed more swiftly and accurately, leading to reduced days sales outstanding as well as less non-billable hours and less customer inquiries. This means that consultants can dedicate more time to high-value tasks rather than administrative duties, ultimately resulting in an even more productive workforce.
What’s more, the new task tracker replaces individual notes, be it in Excel, Notepad, or other places where employees used to track their own time. By empowering employees to accurately and easily log their time, thus reducing unbilled hours, the new solution helps organizations capture every billable hour, maximizing revenue potential.
Frank Densborn, enterprise architect at the SAP AppHaus, summarized his experience: “With this solution, we were able to eliminate the need for shadow systems that consultants put in place to temporarily track their work before entering it into the system. So, instead of building a new timesheet application, we collaborated and innovated using SAP BTP and the generative AI hub to solve the real business problem, leveraging SAP’s human-centered approach to innovation.”
Driving Future Growth and Efficiency
The implementation of this new SAP Business AI solution not only addressed immediate operational challenges, but also positions Syntax and its clients for future growth. By benefitting from the capabilities of SAP AI Core and SAP AI Launchpad, businesses can continuously evolve their processes, ensuring they remain competitive in an ever-changing market.
Leonardo De Araujo, partner for Global SAP Innovation at Syntax, reflected on the project success: “As early adopters of SAP S/4HANA Cloud and participants in the lighthouse program, we’ve used SAP Business AI to tackle industry challenges like inefficient timesheet processing. This innovation has significantly reduced our days sales outstanding. By saving up to $100,000 per day, we shorten the billing cycle.”
A New Era for Timesheet Management
Syntax’ journey illustrates the power of innovation and collaboration within the SAP ecosystem. By harnessing advanced technologies like generative AI built with SAP BTP, organizations are not only transforming their own processes but, in the case of Syntax, also driving significant improvements for clients.
Syntax is setting a new standard. The impact of its generative AI-driven solution will undoubtedly resonate throughout the industry, inspiring others to follow suit. The future of timesheet project tracking has arrived, and it’s powered by SAP Business AI.
Yasaman Jalaei is a working student in the SAP Business Technology Office.