OnGuard helps Ernst & Young to maintain the quality in everything they do

Arendo Sturre, Ernst & Young:
 

Arendo Sturre is Teamleader Credit control at Ernst & Young and has been actively involved with the OnGuard User Group (OUG) for nearly 3 years. Why is he involved in the OUG, what is his view of credit management and what challenges does he encounter as a Credit Manager at Ernst & Young?

“I have been working in credit management for over 15 years, “ says Arendo Sturre. “At my last employers I had already encountered OnGuard, and although I did not work directly with it myself, I had a positive impression of it. When I moved to Ernst & Young at the end of 2006 I started working actively with OnGuard and since then I have only become more enthusiastic about OnGuard. For me OnGuard is the leading credit management tool which can provide optimum support to professional credit management. OnGuard is not just a CM tool - the organisation behind the package is professional. The fact that there is a User Group is certainly evidence of that as far as I’m concerned.”

Why the OnGuard User Group?

Arendo Sturre joined in the OnGuard User Group in 2007: “I think it’s important that users share their experiences relating to OnGuard and work with OnGuard to identify potential for optimisation. As a Credit Manager I am constantly working to improve processes and therefore also the use of OnGuard as a support tool. As a core member of the OUG I am close to the action and can exercise (more) influence and enter into discussions with OnGuard.”
 

“I always try to make a critical contribution and also to bring my sense of humour to the User Group meetings, “ says Sturre. “Naturally I share my knowledge and experience with my fellow professionals and like to participate in the discussions about developments in the market and what we as credit managers think about them and can or sometimes even have to do with them. I also feel that the core group should have a diversity of representatives. Hence I am pleased to see system admins participating alongside credit managers and team leader. I also like to see participation by users who use specific modules such as customer groups and users who - for example - have set up and use the customer scoring. I am striving within the User Group for more contact with the grassroots, the users themselves. After all, we are a mouthpiece for all users.”

 

The goal of the OnGuard User Group is clear: to share professional knowledge and exchange experiences with the OnGuard software. Arendo Sturre as a User Group member also contributes to the further development of the software: “Since last year the User Group has been involved at an early stage in the content of new releases and their testing. OnGuard is thereby opening the door to the core group and we greatly appreciate that. I would like to see the OnGuard User Group turn into a group which knows what the current issues are amongst the grassroots and regularly has contact with groups of users. That could be a meeting during an OnGuard workshop, or at organised events. I would like to enter into a dialogue about market developments and how we as credit managers can anticipate them. I think a good example of that is the discussion about what approach we as credit managers will adopt in a recovering market, with a particular focus on the ever longer payment periods which customers are unilaterally imposing.”

 

According to Sturre: “Within our own organisation I am keen to enter into discussions about important issues such as the extension of payment periods and complaint management. The fast and effective tackling and resolution of complaints enables any organisation, and therefore also Ernst & Young, to highlight the quality of its service. Our proposition is “Quality in everything we do!” The proper recording of feedback on our service provision in OnGuard helps our organisation to further improve our quality. Our credit control department is very aware that this starts by utilising the (telephone) contact with our customers. If it is then recorded (and monitored) properly in OnGuard this ensures good complaint reporting, highlights opportunities for improvement and makes it available for discussion with the management. Only an optimum collaboration between credit control and our advisers will allow an optimum result to be achieved.”

 

Ernst & Young is a leading global firm in the area of assurance, tax, transactions and advice. Ernst & Young has a history in the Netherlands dating back to 1883 and is thereby the oldest firm in its sector. The specialists at Ernst & Young attach great value to trust and added value. Integrity in the client relationship is very important.