DRG Chartered Accountants are using on-line HR software system Cezanne HR to improve the efficiency of their people processes and add value to the service they offer to clients.

The practice, which has a client base spanning small entrepreneurial businesses, family-owned operations, and global companies, has seen rapid growth and now has bases in London and Dorchester in addition to its Maidenhead HQ.

It has also undergone what partner David Gordon-Smith describes as a ‘sea change in technology’, transitioning over recent years to an almost entirely Cloud-based, paperless operation.

Until now, HR processes were the only exception to this rule, with holiday and absence management procedures still being managed via spreadsheets and hard copy forms.

“As staff numbers expanded and we opened our satellite office, it gradually became more and more difficult to keep track of everything,” explains David. “We started to look round for an HR system that would allow us to store information electronically in one central place, and that would be easy for people to access from wherever they might be.”

The practice looked at a number of web-based HR systems before opting for Cezanne’s HR software because it offered the sophistication they were looking for, without the high start-up fees and licence costs associated with similar solutions.

DRG have just gone live with the Cezanne HR system and are currently using it to house all people-related data, including contracts and salary information, and to manage annual leave and absence.

The performance management module, which will come on stream shortly, is particularly important for the practice, as it needs to record regular performance information as part of its graduate qualification scheme.

Early feedback has been positive. “It provides a much more professional image for staff,” David says. “It will make it a lot quicker for people to find the information they need, and has the benefit of having a polished, large company feel about it.”

The practice has also seen the potential to offer Cezanne HR as a ‘value-added’ product to its client base. “We run payroll for around 140 client companies and many of them have also expressed a need for a system that will help them manage general HR processes more effectively,” says David. “We’re planning to integrate the Cezanne HR solution with other software packages (such as Sage payroll), eradicating the need to make duplicate entries across different systems.”

“It will also help smooth the pensions auto-enrolment processes for our clients by allowing them to input all the required data into one central place, ensuring they are legally compliant.”

“We are very happy with the way the system is working so far – Cezanne HR is providing us with the functionality we need but at a fraction of the cost of most other providers.”