Optimization of payroll and cashflows with Hexagon Xalt

Many companies today face huge challenges in the area of digitization.

Many problems such as outdated technologies, manual or even paper-based processes not only make everyday work more difficult, but also result in a loss of overview.

Hexagon Xalt platform

Hexagon Xalt is a platform that enables users to not only streamline but also modernize their IT system landscape through mobile solutions in the area of applications and integration solutions.

With elements such as apps, a cloud environment, visualization tools or dashboards, as well as diverse options for software and hardware connectivity, Xalt users are driving technological progress within their company today.

Whether Xalt is used as a web-based application on a PC or laptop, or as an app on mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets, it doesn’t matter. Companies can connect these applications to their systems such as ERP and databases and access or supplement corporate data, applications and content through secure, real-time access.

Here, the Hexagon Xalt platform works in the background and provides the technology. This makes it possible to create an app with the Xalt technology with minimal effort.

To establish a secure connection between the data in the local network and the Xalt Cloud Platform, the Xalt Connector Gateway is used. This software is installed in the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) and functions similarly to a proxy. Through it, a secure encrypted connection is established between the internal systems and the Xalt Cloud Platform.
Another point that supports the security of one’s data in the Xalt Cloud Platform is the fact that no data from the connected systems is stored. As soon as the user starts working on the mobile device, all data is retrieved in real time as soon as it is needed. This means that no data from the ERP system, database or any other application is permanently stored in the Xalt Cloud Platform.

If Xalt servers are able to communicate with the internal systems through an established connection, Xalt’s „App-Builder“ can be used.

This „App-Builder“ can select the data to be shown to one or more end users. This is then used to create an „app“ that provides access to that data. The resulting data objects can be deployed to the appropriate end device. Due to the low-code structure of the Xalt framework, this can be accomplished without much programming effort.

Custom apps that have been created once in the Xalt Cloud Platform can then be used automatically on all desktop end devices in the browser. There are also native apps for Android and IOS in which the apps are also available. It is not necessary to carry out separate development for desktop and mobile devices here. However, possible if you want to specifically optimize workflows for working on a smartphone or tablet

Both small and medium-sized companies use this cloud-based platform to create their own applications through the given construction kit, which can cover various use cases in different areas of the company (manufacturing, QM, maintenance, SCM, HR, asset management).

Here we describe a use case of Hexagon Xalt Integration at a technology service provider. The service provider’s mission is to advance companies in the areas of networking and communication. This presented many challenges for Hexagon Xalt. With customers in multiple locations, the workforce was also in multiple locations. The processes within payroll became quite complex, so the company relied on a 35-step manual payroll process.

This process required each task to be entered twice and information is pulled from three separate databases because the ERP system was not connected to all systems involved in the payroll process.

To record and bill for IT services, the company uses all-in-one web-based software.

As soon as services were recorded in the all-in-one software, additional manual data entry was required for the payroll process in ERP software. At the same time, changes to the ERP also had to be redundantly transferred back to the all-in-one time recording.

The double-sided manual data entry in each case was prone to errors here and often led to delayed billing, which had a negative impact on cash flow in the company.

To address this challenge, solutions from Xalt Integration were used to integrate the service entry processes from one software and Payroll (payroll) in ERP with each other.

At that point Xalt Integration synchronized the information that resided in both systems, eliminating unnecessary process duplication and manual data handling..

As a link between the two softwares, Xalt was thus able to provide the service provider with a precise overview of the personnel deployed, their invested working hours, the orders to be processed and the liabilities to be settled.
This not only increased the efficiency of the processes, but also minimized errors. Manual data entry was significantly reduced.

Benefits of implementation of Xalt

The introduction of Xalt brought a number of positive aspects for the customer here:

• Automated payroll accounting process
• Reduced administrative effort
• Shorter billing cycles
• Improvement in cash flow
• Improve data integration
•  Reduced handling of the payroll process
• Reliable, accurate and easily customizable data
• Process has been simplified and is replicable
• Real-time overview of individual project costs and the status of a given project

This article is based on this case study Hexagon_XS_Kidwell_Case_Study_en_2021.pdf. For more information we  reference the website of  our partner Xalt | Hexagon.