Success story: Intuitive Centric HR document solutions save time

The Brueder Schlau Group is one of the leading interior design providers in the wholesale and retail sector. In HR, the company uses SAP HCM and has already made great strides in digitalization. It had used a digital filing solution and reference letter generator for some years. However, these were due for modernization: The tools were complicated to use, which led to time-consuming and cumbersome HR processes. The old system therefore needed to be replaced by a future-proof cloud solution with an intuitive user interface.

After an evaluation, the project team decided to introduce Centric Employee File as a digital filing solution and Centric Reference Letter for automated reference generation. The filing solution’s ease of use and SAP HCM integration were exactly what the HR experts were looking for. Centric Employee File, in combination with the Centric Reference Letter, also proved to be the most cost-effective solution. What’s more, the HR department has been a satisfied user of Centric Audit & Compliance tools for payroll auditing for years.

GDPR-compliant migration

In the implementation phase, the team was supported by Centric partner Xayambe. Christopher Pautz, SAP Consultant HR at the Brueder Schlau Group, particularly emphasizes the successful cooperation:

As the employee files were already digitized, no preparatory scanning was necessary. Around 23,900 files, 5,200 of which were active, were to be imported exactly as they were from the previous solution. However, securely transferring this huge amount of data posed a challenge. The aim was to transfer around 600,000 documents into the new filing solution without any media discontinuities while maintaining GDPR compliance.

A scanning service provider that Centric usually works with to digitize paper files was able to help and provide a secure server that complied with all security regulations for the migration.

Document storage directly from Outlook

Around 20 HR employees at the head office and other locations are currently working with Centric Employee File. In future, managers will also have access to certain documents in the file. The corresponding role concept, which regulates access on a document-by-document basis, has already been defined. The Centric products, which are deeply integrated into SAP, use the SAP authorization concept and also import the master data directly from the SAP HCM system.

As hoped, the intuitive usability has proven to be a considerable advantage in day-to-day business. For example, employees can now file new documents directly from Outlook. As filing is a standard process often carried out daily by several HR employees, this simplification of the process saves a lot of time overall. HR Manager Martin Damm also highlights the fact that all documents can be found quickly using the full-text search and a live search function as an important plus point:

Integrated system

All Centric products are integrated with each other. Depending on what they’re working on, HR employees can therefore access the documents they need via Centric Employee File or via Centric Reference Letter, which was also implemented after the digital filing system, and edit them in a consistent SAP Fiori interface. The project team added individual modules and job descriptions to the templates and text modules contained in Centric Reference Letter. These can now be included in the references at the touch of a button. Automated and standardized work processes ensure efficient workflows with significantly fewer sources of error due to system breaks and manual entries.

Effective collaboration

A key factor contributing to the project’s success was the good cooperation between Centric and Xayambe. The team from Brueder Schlau felt well looked after and expertly guided throughout the project – from the advice they got from the well-informed Centric Sales staff to the structured implementation by Xayambe and ongoing support by Centric.

Xayambe implemented the project in a transparent manner for everyone involved via weekly status meetings, clearly defined tasks and milestones, and clear smart sheets. After compact training for IT staff and key users, they were able to familiarize HR employees with the Centric tools in house.

Once the project was completed, Xayambe handed it over to Centric Support. Here, too, the team at the Brueder Schlau Group feels that it is in good hands: They have always got prompt feedback on the individual support tickets created so far and process issues have been resolved quickly.