Hersenstichting Automates Target Spending System with Salesforce

De Hersenstichting ("Brains Foundation") is committed to keeping the brain healthy, curing brain disorders and improving patient care. To achieve this, they commission research, provide information and carry out innovative projects.

Automating Target Spending

At the end of 2016, the organization Hersenstichting asked Xebia the following question: can you automate our target spending system in Salesforce? There were a large number of subprocesses: the whole process of allocating the funds, acquiring permissions for (research) projects, involving the internal and external assessors, as well as monitoring the projects and milestones, not to forget accounting for expenses.

Hersenstichting had the following two main challenges, for which it needed a solution:

• Standardizing the processes across departments
• Spending less time on administration, and better logging of agreements

Better Insight in Applications and Projects

Firstly, we converted the processes of Hersenstichting into process flows, over the course of a couple of sessions, based upon Salesforce technology. Afterwards we started arranging Salesforce in sprints. The standard approval processes in Salesforce now aid in the decision making concerning the allocation of funds. In order to make flexible application forms without requiring custom work, we implemented a FormAssembly-based solution, which also guarantees maintainability. Using Community Cloud by Salesforce, peer reviews by scientists and laymen (a.i. patients) are facilitated easily. Approved payments are converted in payment orders for the Financial Administration, using Conga.

In June 2017, Hersenstichting went live with this beautiful solution, using Salesforce and other applications on the platform. All internal and external involved persons are now guided through the process and always have a 100% insight into the applications and current projects. A solution we are pretty proud of!

A Uniform Process

There now is a uniform process which harmonizes the way of working across departments. Decisions are automatically logged into this same process, and the target applicant can now follow up on the course of the process via a community.

Insight for Donors

The Hersenstichting expects to be able to, in the short term, house their fundraising under Salesforce as well. This offers the opportunity of linking incoming funding to outgoing expenditures. In doing so, donors can receive insight into the progress of the projects they are sponsoring, which will bring about a greater feeling of involvement for this group.