Institute of Public Finance - Improves Its Finances

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04 September 2015 | Updated 01 January 1970

The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) has rolled out mobile room booking and hot desking technology from V1, the global business automation specialists, to reduce administration. The organisation uses the software to manage events and training sessions at its new London headquarters.

CIPFA is the oldest accountancy body in the UK and provides training courses to those working in the finance department within public services. In the past 12 months it has held 1,500 events and training sessions for 16,000 delegates. Its new London headquarters opened in January 2015 and brought together two previously separate offices into one state-of-the-art site.

The organisation recently went live with room booking and hot desking modules that form part of V1’s Learning and Training Management (LTM) solution. V1 LTM is a web-based application that is used by CIPFA’s entire workforce of 260 people across five offices. The solution combines CRM, marketing and back office functionality, such as visual scheduling and clash checking, to manage learning and training development from registering learners to certification.

The new modules are used to manage 20 hot desks and 12 rooms at the London office. The room booking system can be used by staff in the office, via the LTM system on their computers, or remotely via any mobile device. Once the details of the booking have been entered, they automatically appear on an iPad outside the relevant room and on a TV monitor in reception.

Hot desks can also be booked via mobile devices, the back office LTM system or by using a touchscreen wall-mounted monitor. The technology has significantly reduced administration around both processes, by negating the need for duplicating data entry.

Colin Jenkins, Group Assistant Director (IT), CIPFA, said: “Both solutions look extremely professional and are an ideal fit with our new, modern office. But even more important is the way they have massively reduced administration and made both booking rooms and hot desks a more self-sufficient process.

“Now data is entered once in one single place and the information instantly filters through to where it needs to – not just through to the display screens, but also through to invoices and payments when necessary. It saves so much time and effort, when people arrive they know they have a room or a desk booked, it’s clear where and when the bookings are for.”

CIPFA has been using the V1 LTM solution for the past 10 years to manage its online, on-site and internal training courses. It is also used for the body’s publication sales, membership management, contacts database and to run its helpdesk.

The software has delivered significant efficiencies and reduced paper flow by automating procedures. For example, paperwork such as joining instructions and CPD certificates are now issued in batches at the click of a button, rather than through the post or individual emails.

Jenkins added: “V1 LTM combined our many disparate solutions that didn’t talk to each other into a single integrated system that manages the whole life cycle of everything we do. The system generates information from each interaction we have with our customers."

Picture: The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy's HQ

Article written by Cathryn Ellis | Published 04 September 2015

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