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19/09/2024
PROMOS News
Insights into the work of the Utility Cost Management Expert Node – an interview with Leader Tamara Erdenberger
In a dynamic corporate environment in which innovation and collaboration play a central role, PROMOS offers an exciting platform for new approaches and a change of perspective with its Expert Nodes. Tamara, Senior Consultant and Director, explains in an interview what Expert Nodes are, how they work and what benefits they offer customers. She also presents the current status of work on her own Expert Node for utility cost management.
Editorial team: Tamara, the so-called Expert Nodes were created as part of the new PROMOS corporate structure. Can you explain what exactly these entail and what goals are being pursued?
Tamara Erdenberger: For us, the Expert Nodes are a kind of cross-team initiative that is very different from our usual working structure. Traditionally, we work in different, relatively fixed teams – be it in development, sales or other specialist departments. With the Expert Nodes, however, we want to create a platform that makes it possible to work beyond the boundaries of these teams. The aim is to tackle certain pressing problems for our customers. But we also want to recognise gaps in the market even better and develop solutions that truly help our customers make their work more efficient and enjoyable. To do this, we utilise the enormous potential that can arise from collaboration between different experts.
Editorial team: That sounds like closer cooperation between the different areas, right?
Tamara: Yes, exactly! I notice in our regular meetings that the change of perspective is doing us a lot of good. The team are coming up with completely new ideas. It’s also the first time for PROMOS that we have specifically given our world of ideas a certain structure and direction. In my Expert Node on utility cost management in particular, until now we – like our customers – have been driven primarily by the constant stream of new legal requirements when developing solutions. Now the time has come to turn the tables and to discuss new ideas and proactively provide impetus for the future.
Editorial team: So you approach solution development much more strategically and with a greater scope than before?
Tamara: Yes. We see a lot of potential in the property industry in particular, where our customers are often confronted with recurring challenges. And, of course, the shortage of skilled labour also affects our customers. If we can enable them to automate processes, make it easier for them to rent out properties or help them post invoices more quickly, then that provides real relief. Our focus is on long-term solutions that are sustainable and add value.
Editorial team: In view of the many uncertainties in the market, this is of course very valuable for customers.
Tamara: Exactly! We want to drive forward topics that have a future and help shape the working environment of our customers in order to create benefits for them.
Editorial team: And how exactly can we visualise this? Have the team leaders of the departments appointed individual employees to work in the Expert Nodes?
Tamara: No, not at all. Participation is completely voluntary. And I think it’s this that gives the Expert Nodes their special spirit. The people sitting there are really keen to create a cool product.
Editorial team: That sounds really exciting and promising.
Tamara: Yes. We also have employees in the team who have only recently joined PROMOS. Someone like this might not have as much knowledge of the product, but they may think much more unconventionally. That is the change in perspective that we are striving for. We are deliberately breaking up the traditional structures.
Tamara Erdenberger is Expert Node Leader for Utility Cost Management. With pragmatism and a great deal of ambition, she and her team create new solutions for the real estate industry.
Editorial team: Let’s move on to your Expert Node. Together with Dirk, you manage the node on utility cost management. What are your plans?
Tamara: Well, we only started a short time ago so we’re currently working on getting a basic overview. We use a kind of mind mapping tool to display all processes graphically, building on one another. We are looking at external billing. In our experience, data exchange is usually the greatest friction point. Of course, the customers’ starting positions are also very different. We are currently realising this with the ongoing changeover to the ARGE 3.10 format. Some customers still download their data records manually from SAP® and send them to the service provider by e-mail. Others are already in the process of having a cool, automated platform built. For the majority, however, this is not yet within reach. They have to start with their master data because they can’t check it properly and don’t know where the errors are.
Editorial team: That’s a wide gap, of course.
Tamara: Yes, and our aim is to find a middle ground. We’re trying to compartmentalise this process and think about what adjustments can be made. We ask ourselves where the greatest potential lies to improve things and enable as many customers as possible to benefit from automated billing. The vision is the billing audit. We also want to take data exchange out of SAP® and onto a platform that automates this process and can be connected to various systems – such as for device management, document capture or metering service providers. We are working on this step by step.
In this way, we can create a standardised solution that works for everyone, regardless of individual requirements. We will no longer have to spend time working on every single SAP® system to improve something that already exists.
Editorial team: So you are creating a common standard?
Tamara: Yes, exactly. This is also the approach of PROMOS.GT ready2 – a uniform standard for all. And of course we also try to take this into account in the Expert Node topics. Something that satisfies all customers equally and that all customers can use equally. Ultimately, we can then also take the pressure off our support team, who will be able to recognise and resolve recurring problems much more easily.
Our aim is to relieve customers of as much of their usual work as possible. And if a customer ends up saying, “Having a platform is all well and good, but it’s still all too much for me”, then we can even step in ourselves and offer billing as a service.
Editorial team: Tamara, a completely different question: What’s your role in your Expert Node?
Tamara: So the official title of my role is Expert Node Leader. Of course, this means first and foremost leading the group strategically and steering it towards our goal. I also see it as my responsibility to keep discussions going between members, provide impetus and keep everyone together.
Editorial team: So a kind of moderator?
Tamara: Yes, exactly. And then, of course, I bring my expertise in the area of SAP® utility cost management. I contribute all the knowledge that I have gained over the years in customer projects and in relation to our solutions. I’m the kind of person who likes to achieve tangible results fast. To develop something that works quickly and makes life easier for customers.
Editorial team: So one might say more of a pragmatic type?
Tamara: Yes, definitely.
Editorial team: You share the management role with Dirk [Krause]. How do you complement each other? What is his role?
Tamara: We are the only Expert Node with two leaders. I think it’s great to have a sparring partner. Dirk is the absolute visionary in our group. He has an idea and we try to put it together brick by brick. He is also a real networker and, as Head of Business Development and Partner Management, knows our customers’ needs and problems inside out. What’s more, with his many years of experience, he’s an incredible pool of knowledge for us. He is always thinking outside the box for us and visualises what the future can be and where the journey will take us. The energy he brings to our task and his enthusiasm when he talks about it is really energising.
Editorial team: That sounds like a good combination. You as the pragmatic one and Dirk the visionary! One last question. Are there any plans to include customers in the Expert Nodes?
Tamara: We haven’t reached that point yet. But as soon as we are ready to sketch out initial ideas, we want to present what we’ve been doing to the customer and say “This is what it looks like, would you like to develop it further together and get started?” I know from practical experience that, ultimately, our solution from the drawing board is only as good as how it works for the customer in practice. And of course we need the important input of our customers for this. We are very grateful that we regularly encounter such open ears and people who are really keen to get going.
Editorial team: That sounds really great. Thank you Tamara for taking the time to talk to us and good luck with your Expert Node!
