The luddovne accountant Frederik Sandgrav is back on the field. Corpay One has published the following interview on their website:
What is the accountant's new responsibility? Frederik Sandgrav gives his bid here
In this post we talk to the automation guru about all of them — Frederik Sandgrav. Frederik often refers to himself as "the luddovne accountant", referring to the fact that he is always chasing new solutions and optimization opportunities to make accounting as automatic as possible.
Automation is now a hackneyed term, and something that is hotly debated in the industry. Frederik is one of those who has actually worked with automation for over 20 years, so for him it is not a fad, but something he has been a pioneer inside for several decades.
Frederik runs sandgrav solutions, and together with 9 employees, he helps everything from sole proprietorships to listed companies to save time at the accounting. Here he talks more about how he tackles opportunities and challenges created by the new wave of automation, and shares his thoughts on both the past and the future.
New solutions revive older tools
Many new solutions have come on the market in the last 3-5 years, but according to Frederik, the new products often act mostly as catalysts in relation to existing older solutions. At Sandgrav Solutions, they themselves use newer solutions such as Farpay, Roger, Pleo, Fakturafil and E-conomic, but spend just as much on implementing solutions that have been around for over 20 years. With simple and older solutions such as making a bank file that can be uploaded to the bank, as well as better creditor management, you can get a really long way, and this should not be forgotten in these times when there is a huge focus on new, smart solutions. However, the new products have ensured that there is an increased focus on processes and time saving, so the trend is really good at starting the debate internally and externally.
The accountant's new responsibilities
Frederik's great mission has always been to stop all typing. And that's also why customers choose Sandgrav Solutions. Virtually all new customers choose Sandgrav Solutions because they are hooked on automation and digitization. They know how much money and time there is to save.
At Sandgrav Solutions, they primarily help two customer groups: 1. The small start-ups, who know there are easy ways to set it all up, but do not immediately know how to put the systems together. 2. The established companies which feel that their current partners and solutions are not up-to-date and who want an easy and elegant administration.
Frederik was one of the first accountants in Denmark to really take it seriously that the accountant's task has changed radically and will change even more in the future.
"It is our responsibility as accountants to make new technology easily accessible and easy to use. We need to be more LEGO builders compared to tech tools, as well as controllers and advisors."
Optimization of up to 95%
It's not just talk when Frederik says he saves companies both time and money. Frederik's biggest optimization to date was when he started the optimization process for a company that had previously spent 20 hours a month on bookkeeping and payroll. When Sandgrav Solutions had Roger, Pleo and automatic payroll run with Bluegarden run up, and the customer could now spend only 1 hour a month on the entire process. An optimization of 95%.
"Most companies should have some quick AHA experiences with tools that are easy to use and thus quickly discover how easy and fast things can get."
And this is precisely what Frederik points to as the best tip against internal resistance. Show everyone in your organization the importance of digitizing and start small without changing everything at once. When management has faith, it is often simple to convince the rest of the employees.
You can meet Frederik and hear more tips on how to approach automation in your own company, Friday 14 June at Roger in Copenhagen. The event is free and there will be light food and drink for all participants. Sign up here.
