To ensure profitability and compete in an increasingly competitive market, today’s organizations require efficient systems and processes as well as comprehensive and reliable performance data from all areas of their operations. This data must be readily accessible and easy to configure so that business users can respond quickly and make informed decisions that ensure the organization can achieve its objectives. Many are reliant on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions to help them achieve this unified and single version of the truth and Unit4 is a leading provider of innovative self-driving enterprise applications, which streamline and automate key business, financial and administrative tasks.
Over the past 30+ years the company has built a customer base and deep industry expertise in service industries and has laser-focused its efforts on specific sub-segments in four industry verticals, viz., Higher Education, Public Services, Not for Profit and Professional Services. This focus sets it up for leadership in delivering enterprise applications for these dynamic and underserved markets.
Unit4 is a global company with operations in 26 countries, employing around 3,000 people. Its teams work closely with customers to deliver cutting edge innovations and end-to-end solutions that increase effectiveness and ensure strategic and financial objectives can be met.
Voyaging through Time
Unit4 is a Dutch-based ERP vendor and has been in business for over 35 years. Over the last few years it has recognized technology needs to support and enable people and businesses in the services economy to work differently. As a result the organization has changed its business focus and mindset and has benefited from acquisitions that add strategic customer value, and deliver leadership in its four key vertical markets.
Emphasizing Unit4’s customer value, Stephan says, “We are in business for people. Our approach and technology need to support customers in services based organizations, giving them more time and resource to focus on their core business, its growth, profitability and ability to serve their customers or end users better. As a result we are investing time and money on the development of technologies and services that support these goals today and into the future.”
Exemplary Leadership
Unit4 is led by CEO, Stephan Sieber. Stephan joined the company in early 2014 as EVP Strategy and Operations and took over the position of Head of Sales mid 2015 before becoming CEO in 2016. He has played an instrumental role in the repositioning and transformation of Unit4 to become a pioneer in enterprise applications for service organizations.
Stephan lives and breathes the company strapline, ‘In business for people ‘through a very effective strong internal and external communications programme, and by actively encouraging transparency across the business, and with customers and partners. He also promotes the value of working as an integrated global business drawing on the skills and expertise that exist in all of Unit4’s regional offices. Unit4 people are also encouraged to get involved in good causes in the communities in which they are based. In addition, Stephan is a family man and is an advocate for a healthy work-life balance. Indeed, he established the Unit4 Moves campaign, which encourages the company’s largely office based employees to stay healthy and active by taking up sporting challenges as individuals or teams.
Blending Innovation and Revolution
From cloud to machine learning and AI, Unit4 builds self-driving business applications based on the components of the digital economy. The company studies the progression of technology to comprehend how it can bring capabilities to the real world its customers live in today and their real future. This amalgamation of industry excellence, knowledge and expertise and future proof technology is what enables Unit4 to stand apart in the market.
Unit4’s core product offering is based around its focus on four industries, which includes state-of-the-art applications for Student Management, and Professional Services Automation. The company’s flagship products include Unit4 Business World ERP, Unit4 Financials and Unit4 prevero for corporate performance management. In its APAC region the organization is also known for Human Resource Management solution, Unit4 Prosoft HRMS. Unit4 is innovating continually to deliver new user experiences and it was the first to launch an enterprise-grade digital assistant named Wanda. The company is also extending and enhancing its value proposition through a growing international partner ecosystem, which offers a wide range of value add solutions and services that integrate with and support Unit4’s own solutions and services.
Overcoming Challenges
While describing today’s business landscape, Stephan asserts, “Cloud computing and the prevalence of mobile and digital technologies have accelerated the shift towards the services economy, effectively giving every company the opportunity to differentiate their offerings.”
Speaking about the fact that customers are demanding alignment of their cash-out streams and the value received from their technology use, Stephan said, “We’re seeing data driven business models, where customers want to pay for the insight and the result created through their use of the software, evolving and defining a whole new set of differentiations and customer opportunities.” As a result, Unit4 is rethinking the way customers work and the way its technology can deliver innovation and solutions that can help customers achieve their business, financial and operational objectives now and in the future.
Pioneering Unique Solutions
“Our focus is very much on people, they are at the heart of the organizations we serve,” said Stephan. Unit4’s software is designed to meet ongoing market and internal challenges and unlock a company’s potential; removing the more mundane tasks and allowing people-centric organizations to be more efficient and productive; spending more time on meaningful tasks that will help drive the business and its success forward.
Customer-Centric Services
The company is focused on creating value, and saving time and money for its customers around the world. For example, the implementation of Unit4’s Prosoft has helped Farrer Park Hospital in Singapore to save over SGD 200,000 annually. The new appraisal system saves employees 6,400 hours a year on administrative tasks, so they can focus on projects and strategies that enable them to take care of patients. And on the other side of the globe, Unit4 is working with Wokingham Borough Council in the UK to achieve a saving of 4M GBP per year by 2020 through the implementation of Unit4 Business World.
Another great example is NGO, Heifer International. By implementing Unit4 Business World they have achieved a 57% increase in program impact, while decreasing their expenses to 27%. The company’s Professional Services Automation solution provides collective insight across complex projects in more than 40 countries. And the net result is that Heifer has more time and money to spend working with and supporting the people and communities in most need.