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Sapphire SunSystems Customer Newsletter

Ian Caswell  - Managing Director

Welcome to the first Sapphire SunSystems newsletter of 2008. I hope that you enjoyed the holiday period and that the year is off to a good start for you.   Many thanks to everyone that took part in our annual customer survey. At Sapphire we have a very simple business ethos: customer first.

This is at the forefront of our thinking, our planning, our communications and our actions - we strive to provide you with the best service possible. The feedback that we receive in the annual survey is a valuable source of information for us to ensure that service levels are being kept in line with (and hopefully exceeding) your expectations. Comments we received include:

“Thanks for all your support this year, as usual the level of service has been first class.”

“The user day I attended this year has been very useful. Please keep informing me every year.”

“Thanks for all your help during the last year.”

I am pleased to announce that the winners of the prize draw are:

Winner:            Guy Burnett - Authentics Limited

Runners up:    Daniele Lionetti - National Geographic
                          Mark Leeming - Chartered Insurance Institute
                          Ali Mahmood - International Power

In addition you helped to raise nearly £800 for Children with Leukaemia, so thank you very much.

Thanks also go to everyone that attended the User Day at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester last November. The day was a great success and was, as always, a great opportunity for us to get together with our northern based customers and go over the latest developments at both Sapphire and Infor.

Sapphire as an organisation continues to grow and the team is expanding in numbers accordingly. Additions to the team include Graeme Whorrall and Tom Hovell on the Support Desk. Marion Brady and Anna Weston have both moved from the Consultancy Team to the Support Desk – helping us keep the support offered by Sapphire second to none!

I am always keen find out what you think of the Sapphire newsletter, as well as any feedback you may have on Sapphire’s service to you as a whole, so please email me your thoughts at ian.caswell@sapphiresystems.co.uk.

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Tony Martin - Client Service Director

Having worked for Sapphire in the late 1980s I was delighted when, in October 2005 the opportunity arose to renew my acquaintance. Sapphire had changed since my first stint there; bigger, more people, more customers but one thing had not changed: the ethos of delivering excellence in customer service.

My role on rejoining was as interim Sales and Marketing Director. That job always carries a degree of responsibility for quality service delivery and I felt that there was a role for someone to work full time in making sure that, as we grew, our clients continued to get the high level of focus that you deserve. The appointment of David Singh as Sales and Marketing Director in September 2007 gave the board the opportunity to appoint me as Sapphire’s first Client Service Director.

So what do I do? What is my job? Well principally it involves working with the rest of the Sapphire team to ensure that you get the best possible service. I liaise daily with Peter Brett, our SunSystems Support Manager and his team; we have an escalation procedure within Sapphire that is strictly adhered to and Peter and I are aware of any calls that haven’t been solved in what we would regard as a timely manner or mean input from Infor or other suppliers.

I work closely with Sales and Marketing Director, David Singh, to ensure that our team of Account Managers are engaging with you on a regular basis and giving you the level and standard of attention that you deserve. I also make it my business to join them on a number of their account management meetings and I look forward to seeing a number of you soon on those occasions. Likewise, I talk daily to Services Director, Martin Royle, to ensure that the delivery team are working with you and for you every time they visit. I chair the monthly head of department meetings. This is to make sure that, at all times, what we do is in the best interests of you, our clients.

I have introduced a number of initiatives over the last few months. These have included:
 

  Serialisation database – this records the serialisation dates of your software, ensuring that we have ordered your re-serialisation keys before the expiry date.
 

  Support log emails – You may have noticed that when a support call is closed you now get an email from Sapphire, offering you the chance to comment on how you felt the call was handled. This gives us the chance follow up any individual issues as well as giving us statistics that help us do our jobs.
 

  I am always looking for new and innovative ways that we can improve on what we offer. If you have any thoughts, comments or ideas I would be delighted to hear from you. If at any time you feel that the level of service you are receiving from Sapphire is below what you expect, please do not hesitate to contact me on: 020 7648 2000 or at: tony.martin@sapphiresystems.co.uk.

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These webinars are free of charge to all our SunSystems Customers and all that's required to participate is a phone line and an internet connection. To enrol on any of the webinars listed below please visit: www.sapphiresystems.co.uk/training_events/customer.htm We look forward to welcoming you!

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Professional Advantage invites users to their iPOS User Group which is open to all existing customers, of all levels.

The event is free of charge and will focus purely on the iPOS Suite, new functionality changes and how to get the best out of what you already have.

It will be a chance to network with other iPOS users and listen to their experiences and talk to us, the product authors directly in an open and frank environment.

Date: Thursday 13th March

Time: 9.30am – 1.30pm

Venue: The Bedford Suites, London

Register: click here

Further information: click here

Come and discover the real power of your iPOS eProcurement solution!

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The program is designed to give you an introductory overview to

the solutions detailed below in a format that offers you and your colleagues a time-efficient  (and carbon-neutral)  learning environment.  The web seminars are designed to help you understand how Sapphire's range of solutions can help improve productivity, increase user satisfaction and foster better internal controls across a variety of areas within your organisation.

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Free Webinars

For the full schedule please click here

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Latest Course Schedule Now Available! We are pleased to announce that the latest training courses are now available from the Sapphire Training team. Please click here to request your copy. Alternatively you can Please call our Training Advisor Sharon Stevenson on 020 7684 2000 or email training@sapphiresystems.co.uk for more information.

The cost per delegate per course is £345 + VAT including lunch and course notes - receive 10% off when you book 3 or more people on the same course!

Design your own Vision Course on the topics of your choice for just £925 + VAT per day at your office, or £1380 + VAT at one of Sapphire's Training Centres, for up to 6 people. Training can be given on a copy of your own data at an extra charge if required.

Tailored training for your Finance Team will facilitate the production of even better and more meaningful management reports, helping you get the most from your solution and the best return on your solution and training investment.

For information on any of our Training Courses you can call our Training Advisor Sharon Stevenson on 020 7684 2000 or email training@sapphiresystems.co.uk for more information.

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Sapphire Systems plc triumphs with the highest number of new customers for Infor Financials in 2007.

Sapphire was recently announced as the winner of the “FY07 Most New Name Contract Wins” award, at the recent Infor Channel Partner event in Barcelona.

Sapphire - an Infor FMS SunSystems Channel Partner since the mid-1990s - is justifiably proud of its long and successful track record that includes: the fastest growing SunSystems Channel Partner in the World (2000-2001), the Global Number 1 SunSystems Channel Partner for 5 consecutive years, along with the most recent addition: the winner of the “FY07 Most New Name Contract Wins” award for the most new customers for Financials solutions during the last year in the EMEA region.

Commenting on winning the award Ian Caswell, Managing Director at Sapphire said “I am delighted to see the hard work of our SunSystems team recognised with this award. A good proportion of our new business comes as a direct result of customer recommendations, which is a great endorsement of the team’s dedication and expertise.”

He goes on to say “I am sure that our success is due to having a dedicated SunSystems team; the team currently has a combined experience of some 2,500 implementations, which gives our customers access to one of the most knowledgeable teams of SunSystems consultants in Europe Middle East & Africa. We are also proud to have one of the highest ratios of Support Consultants to customers in the industry.”

Steven Rees-Pullman, EMEA VP of channels for Infor, added, "We are delighted with the first class service that Sapphire has provided over the last 10 years of our relationship. We really value the deep domain expertise of Sapphire's sales, professional services and support staff and this latest award is a real testament to the depth of this experience."

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Click here to download your free copy of this Sapphire whitepaper

Introduction:

Few Finance Directors can truly say they have expenditure under control. Few have visibility of costs and commitments and few can proactively manage budgets.

Yet the pressures to improve corporate governance are greater than ever before. Major corporate accounting scandals can make for a shaky economy. Businesses are under heavy scrutiny, having to justify expenditure and demonstrate control. Perhaps it is because of these increasing pressures that a new wave of enterprise software is gaining popularity.

More and more organisations are implementing Spend Control software to take control of expenditure, improve cost-base visibility and ensure that value for money is truly achieved.

This paper examines how Spend Control software is deployed across some of the world's leading organisations, and in multiple business sectors, tackling these problems head-on. Click here to download your free copy.

Click here to download your free copy of this Sapphire whitepaper

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Sapphire to supply and implement the Proactis Spend Control solution at Moat Housing Association

Sapphire Systems today announced that it is to supply and implement the Proactis Spend Control solution at Moat, a housing association based in the South East of England.

Located in Dartford, in the heart of the Thames Gateway and at the centre of their operating area, Moat is one of the main deliverers of affordable housing in three of the government's growth areas, as well as many other important localities throughout the wider South East.

As a result of an increase in both the size of the organisation and the volume of purchase orders generated, Moat determined that a formal system was required in order to maintain budgetary control and expenditure. The management team at Moat set about sourcing a purchase order processing system to manage the procure-to-pay process.

Moat short-listed both the ‘Proactis’ and ‘Soprano’ systems before making the decision that the Proactis Spend Control solution from Sapphire would best fit the requirements of the business. The Finance Team at Moat deemed that the proven track record of Proactis would meet the needs of the organisation today and in the future, with the sales ledger processing and dashboard reporting to be integrated into Moat’s existing systems. Stuart McCreadie, Executive Director of Finance and Corporate Services at Moat, went on to comment “We were impressed with the positive referrals received from other customers of Sapphire and the quality of the sales and support offering.”

Once the Proactis Spend Control solution is up and running Moat expects to see better management of resources, the ability to process orders more efficiently and increased control over expenditure.

Clare Howard, Account Manager at Sapphire, concludes “Proactis Spend Control helps housing associations meet the requirements of corporate compliance demanded both by legislation and best practice. Finance Directors require instant cost-base visibility and there is a need to have a procurement system across the organisation in order to impose vital controls over spending, manage increased buying power effectively and dispense with disparate systems.

In addition to this I think we will start to see more of a trend towards automating typically inefficient paper intensive purchase-to-pay processes, to bring savings from procedure efficiencies and economies of scale. Organisations such as Moat are leading the way to improved efficiency within the housing sector.”

About Proactis
 

Proactis is a specialist in Spend Control software helping organisations achieve dramatic cost savings, streamlined procurement and corporate compliance since 1996.

Proactis Spend Control is an advanced eProcurement solution that moves responsibility to requesting users whilst maintaining complete budgetary and sourcing control. It incorporates purchase-to-pay, eSourcing, eCommerce and Supplier Relationship Management. Benefits include cost-pipeline visibility, source consolidation, reduction in maverick spend and major improvements to the month-end close cycle.

Proactis’ customer base has grown to more than 200 user organisations across diverse industry sectors, including financial services, Government and Not-for-Profit.

Proactis is headquartered in the United Kingdom, and is represented throughout Europe and North America. It is listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange under the symbol PHD.L
 

www.proactis.com

About Moat:
 

Moat is a housing association that has provided affordable homes for people in the south east over the past 40 years. With particular strengths in affordable home ownership and key worker housing, Moat also provides general needs homes for rent.

Employing 420 people and managing over 18,000 homes for rent and shared ownership, Moat is one of the Housing Corporation’s development partners and is also the government’s appointed HomeBuy Agent in Kent, Essex and Sussex. Moat’s aim is to be a leading housing association offering excellent customer service and building high quality affordable homes within thriving communities.

www.moat.co.uk

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Sapphire to supply and implement the Proactis Spend Control solution at Star Energy, an onshore UK oil producer

Sapphire Systems today announces that it is to supply and implement the Proactis Spend Control solution at Star Energy.

Star Energy develops and operates gas storage facilities via the conversion of oil and gas fields. In addition to their gas storage business, they own and operate 26 oil and gas fields within the UK.

Steve Pawson, Group Financial Controller at Star Energy, set about sourcing a new procurement solution earlier this year as the company had outgrown their existing system. Steve explained “The solution that we were using wasn’t flexible enough for our needs as it was really designed to be used by accountants rather than operationally minded people. We were after a system that could be used with ease throughout the company and also provide managers with real time visibility of their departments’ and the company’s financial commitments.”

Steve turned to Sapphire, providers of Star Energy’s SunSystems financial accounting solution, to assist with the project. “Our Sapphire Account Manager, Lucy Roberts, did a lot of the work in identifying the procurement solution that would best fit our needs” said Steve. “We found her assistance in helping us to meet our requirements invaluable.”

In taking the decision to implement Proactis Steve said “Proactis was deemed the most appropriate solution for Star Energy as it would smooth the procurement process, cut paper use and give us an intuitive interface that can be used effortlessly by everyone in the company.” In addition, further requirements for managing expenses and management of stores had been brought to light, both of which can be handled by the Proactis solution. The Stores module in Proactis enables users to take advantage of economies of scale with functionality to manage storage and allocation of stock.

Once Proactis is in place Steve says “We are looking forward to benefiting from peoples’ time being freed up, which will enable them to focus on more value added activities.”

Lucy Roberts, Account Manager at Sapphire, adds “Proactis is great for helping organisations take control of their costs, streamline procurement and manage expenditure. It is very user-friendly and can be customised to suit each individual user. Being a web-based solution further enhances usability as it does not require key members of staff to be in the office for authorisation purposes. We are delighted to be working with Star Energy on this important project which will facilitate their efficient operation for the future.”

Terry Wilcox, commercial director at Proactis, says: “We are delighted that Star Energy has chosen Sapphire and Proactis P2P to control spend. We have designed P2P to make the purchasing process as easy as possible for all types of user, whilst ensuring the right controls are in place. This will deliver dramatic benefits in terms of reductions in maverick spend, and an increase in use and compliance.”

About Star Energy

Star Energy is an energy company with a primary focus on gas storage development. Founded in 1999, Star Energy is the UK’s second largest onshore oil producer and one of the main developers of underground gas storage using depleted oil and gas reservoirs. Star Energy employs over 150 people and has a turnover in excess of £50 million. Their unique mix of resources, developments and skills, together with their dedication to environmental soundness, is the paradigm of an energy company for the 21st century.

www.starenergy.co.uk

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While climate change is a natural phenomena that has taken place over millennia, it is the speed with which the change is now accelerating, and the huge contribution to climate change that is now accepted as human-made that concerns us all. Niki Leahy FSN senior writer looks at the impact of climate change on the role of the accountant.

The effects of disruptive weather patterns on flooded homes and businesses in several parts of the UK this summer have been stark. Climate change is both an economic and environmental challenge. Swiss Re, the world's largest insurer estimate that annual global damages from the effects of climate change could reach $150 billion in less than ten years. The Society of Lloyds recently noted that between the 1960's and 1990's the number of natural catastrophes doubled, while insurance losses increased seven fold.

Risk aversion drives climate change up the business agenda, with a majority of companies recognising that it at least poses regulatory risks to their business. The recently published Fourth Carbon Disclosure Project records that, “taking climate risks into account is now becoming part of smart financial management. Failure to do so may well be tantamount to an abdication of fiduciary responsibility and indication of poor management”.

The effects of climate change on business are now becoming widely documented, in