The term ‘digitalisation’ is currently on everyone’s lips. Yet many companies struggle to introduce and implement it in a holistic manner. What many people don’t realise is that process documentation can form the cornerstone of a company’s digitalisation. With the right software And with a strong partner at your side to support you with procedural documentation and process optimisation, nothing stands in the way of comprehensive digitalisation.
vemeto GmbH is one such partner. It specialises in the development of Procedural documentation in accordance with GoBD (Principles governing the proper maintenance and retention of books, records and documents in electronic form, as well as data access) and uses the Opti.Tax software for this purpose. vemeto GmbH works closely with tax consultancy firms and law firms. Together, they reach out to clients who require advice or who have even had to make additional payments following a tax audit.
„Many tax advisers do not have the capacity to compile procedural documentation,“ says Sven Horak, Managing Director of vemeto. This is because such documentation cannot be produced at short notice – at least not in a way that would both stand up to the stress test of a tax audit and be of practical use to the business owner.
Experts bridge this gap by drawing up procedural documentation for companies and, in addition, optimising and digitising processes and workflows. After all, procedural documentation is not simply about passing a tax audit; good documentation offers businesses a genuine opportunity to work more efficiently, drive forward digitalisation and thus remain competitive.
Visualising the current situation
In order to achieve the goals of efficiency and digitalisation, it is first and foremost important to understand the current situation. This is precisely where drawing up procedural documentation comes in, ideally created using the hsp software Opti.Tax or a comparable programme. This is because procedural documentation involves far more than simply scanning documents to replace paper records; it involves digitally recording all data and processes within the organisation.
Where does the data come from? How is it passed on? Is everything GoBD-compliant? All of this can be visualised beautifully in process flows, making it transparent and traceable. Process documentation created in this way is therefore much more of a Process documentation, a handbook for entrepreneurs, and offers real added value for entrepreneurs. Another advantage is that all the data and processes are now available in digital form. The foundations for comprehensive digitalisation have now been laid.
Getting staff on board
Once the current situation is clear, the next step is to develop the optimised target state. The vemeto experts also support their clients during this second phase. According to Sven Horak, the most important thing in this phase is to „get the workforce on board“. This means that staff must receive comprehensive training. They need to understand why they are doing what they are doing and why changing the processes makes sense. Every single person must understand the overall process and support it.
It is also important to bear in mind that this transition cannot happen overnight. „It has to be done step by step so as not to overwhelm the team,“ emphasises the vemeto managing director. After all, some staff members have been working in exactly the same way for many years, or even decades.
Even after successful process optimisation and digitalisation, the experts continue to support their clients as partners, for example by incorporating changes to the GoBD and arranging a meeting at least once a year. This is because process documentation is a dynamic reflection of processes, and simply creating it once is not enough. It therefore makes sense to review and scrutinise these processes on a regular basis.
Added value offsets the costs
Incidentally, bringing a third party on board to help with process documentation has advantages for both tax consultancy firms and companies. This is because external advisers are objective and provide an outside perspective. „I haven’t yet had a project where there haven’t been some significant “aha’ moments,” says Sven Horak.
Companies should not shy away from the costs associated with bringing in such specialists. The added value they gain from comprehensive process documentation and optimisation quickly offsets the cost of this expertise. This is because optimised processes are more cost-effective and, thanks to increased competitiveness, lead to higher turnover.
Tax advisers and accountancy firms also benefit from such a partnership. They receive all of their clients’ supporting documents digitally and automatically, which also reduces their workload and costs.
Incidentally, there are no financial surprises at vemeto GmbH; billing is based on a fixed price agreed in advance, rather than a daily rate. Furthermore, companies can book the consultancy services in individual modules.
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