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API

Four Reasons to Consider Ramp for your Spend Management Platform

Do you dream of a way to automate your corporate credit card, accounting, and reconciliation process? What if we told you we have a solution that can help automate, streamline, lower your bills and integrates with Deltek Costpoint Expense? PCI and Ramp have partnered together to provide you with an integrated, streamlined credit card and accounting solution.

What Is Ramp?

Ramp is the only corporate card and spend management platform designed to help you spend less, helps you close your books 5X faster, and gives you 1.5% cashback on every transaction.

Here are four reasons to consider switching to Ramp

1.It’s easy for everyone

Deploy Ramp in minutes and eliminate expense reports with its easy-to-use software.

Features:

  • Automatic receipt matching
  • Virtual cards for all your subscriptions
  • ACH reimbursements for out-of-pocket spend

2. Control at scale 

Manage your employee spend as you grow with the most powerful limits & card controls.

Features:

  • Auto-locking cards & category restrictions
  • Recurring card limits down to the daily level
  • Multi-step card approval workflows

Submission policies that automate everything

 

3. Powerful integrations

Integrate seamlessly and automate everything to streamline financial operations.

Features:

  • Best-in-class accounting integrations
  • Automatic category and merchant mapping
  • SSO support for Okta and Google
  • Slack integration for smart alerts & approvals

 

4. Real-Time intelligence

Get one view of all your expenses with built-in intelligence & analytics to save you money.

Features:

  • Automated savings insights
  • Spend forecasting & analytics
  • Powerful search & filtering down to transaction level
  • Centralized vendor & subscription management

Learn more about our integrated solution here.

If you would like more information on Ramp and PCI’s Deltek Costpoint integration, contact us today.

Connect Everything

Is your firm using multiple tools to manage Financials, Payroll, CRM, HR and more? It may be time to consider connecting everything. Connect your applications quickly and easily with PCI’s LINK capabilities.

APIs can help connect all systems and data to one system to help you easily host all your data in one consolidated system such as Deltek Costpoint or Deltek WorkBook. In addition to data storage, API’s enhance productivity and help to drive revenue.

Still confused to how this may work for your organization? Here are a few examples: If you are using Insperity as your PEO, you can use API automation to move your employee data between the Insperity and Costpoint. If you are using HubSpot to move your marketing, sales, and service data we can sync it with Deltek WorkBook for consolidated project management and CRM tool.

Learn more about PCI’s LINK integrations here.

Premier Consulting & Integration (PCI) Expands Service Offerings with API Capabilities

Premier Consulting & Integration (PCI) Expands Service Offerings with API Capabilities

PCI is proud to seamlessly connect Deltek ERP users to hundreds of software vendors through newly launched LINK program.

 

Red Bank, NJ – November 16th, 2020 – Premier Consulting & Integration (PCI) has launched LINK, a utility which connects Deltek ERP solutions including Deltek Costpoint and Deltek WorkBook, via an API, to hundreds of software vendors to help Government Contractors and Marketing Agencies streamline efficiency.

With LINK, PCI and Deltek customers can streamline data between hundreds of software vendors. This will allow automation between their ERP system and virtually any 3rd party software solution. Integrations have been built between numerous vendors including Paychex, Bamboo HR, Salesforce, HubSpot, PD Expert, QuoteWerks, Fedex, Word Travel International and more.  LINK also connects to virtually all banking institutions and credit providers.

“Our goal with the LINK solution is to bridge a gap many of our customers have between the data flow across all internal systems used. Our LINK program provides quick and cost-effective solutions to our customers,” said Martin McGann, Founder and Owner at PCI.

Learn more on how PCI’s LINK integrations can streamline your operations here.

 

About Premier Consulting & Integration (PCI)

Premier Consulting & Integration, LLC (PCI) is the leading provider of financial management consulting services, implementation and audit support for government contractors and marketing agencies. Our consultants combine 30+ years of relevant experience acting as former CFO’s, controllers, and accountants. We offer small business solutions that are affordable, easy to use and profitable. Learn more at www.pcillcstaging.wpengine.com

 

For further information contact:

Becca Rosenblatt
Marketing Director, PCI
becca.rosenblatt@premierconsultingllc.com

The Most Important Reason to Automate Payments Now

Written by Derek Halpern, Nvoicepay

 

A funny thing happened while I was writing this article. While I conversed with our editorial consultant on how to approach the struggles companies are facing in the current global climate, she received this email:

The names are changed for privacy purposes.

 

The email’s writer, “John,” is not the only accounts payable (AP) professional sending out emails like this. We’re in uncharted territory, and the rules are changing every day. But one thing we know for sure is that payments will always have to go out and that with workers ordered to stay home, it’s very difficult to cut live checks, as John and countless other accounts payable professionals are finding. Priorities have shifted, and remote supplier payments have jumped to the top of the list.

No doubt, AP departments will find a way to get it done. Paying invoices is a core function of every company, and people are working overtime to reach out to suppliers and get them paid electronically. Maybe there is some delay, but these companies will make it through the crisis.

But I think there’s more to learn from this whole experience than just solving a short-term problem. When we go back to “normal,” do we want our old payment processes to do the same, or is this our opportunity to start making long-overdue infrastructure upgrades?

Magnifying the challenges

AP is one of the last bastions of paper processing in the enterprise, and it comes with challenges. According to the latest research from AFP, companies still make 42 percent of their payments by paper check. All those processes that are involved with paying by check—printing them, hunting for approval and signatures, and stuffing envelopes—are culprits of inefficiency.

Back-end support adds another wrench into the process. Delays and errors are inevitable, so who do suppliers call when they’re missing a payment, or they’ve found an error? Processes for resolving these supplier issues in-house are maddeningly reactive.

Now these challenges are magnified, forcing us to think differently about how we run our businesses. A surprising number of people still think that making payments by check works, and up until recently, it’s been hard to argue with that. It’s not as efficient as it could be, but people have their check processing routines down. As more employees work from home, processes that required in-office attendance are no longer feasible. Just like John, many companies are reaching out to their suppliers, asking for different ways to make their payments. The new challenge: finding a way to securely store the data their suppliers provide them. Financial technology (fintech) companies have solved for this exact problem, and are ready to add value to AP workdays.

When most people think of adding technology to their business payments process, they usually imagine outsourcing the check writing process, doing ACH payments through their bank, and maybe having some kind of virtual card program.

Most fintechs have moved beyond that kind of disjointed offering. They look at the whole end-to-end process and implemented a process that streamlines payments and mitigates the risk of maintaining extensive supplier data by offering supplier services.

Beyond operational efficiency

Until now, the drive for supplier payment automation focused primarily on improving operational efficiency. As payment fraud rises, buyers have turned their attention to reducing the associated risk. Business continuity has not really been part of the conversation; if it came up, concerns got pushed aside as unlikely worst-case scenarios. Now is the time to address the elephant in the room, and push through the uncertainty to strengthen our AP teams.

We don’t know what the new norm is yet, but it seems clear that we’ll see a rise in remote work. The ability to quickly move so many operations online has been one source of resiliency during this time. Companies are learning more about roles previously considered to require a presence at headquarters. They’re finding that many HQ functions can be accomplished remotely by taking advantage of automation and cloud technology.

At a minimum, remote capabilities cater to the business continuity strategy that meets today’s needs. But in many cases, the other benefits like added security and supplier support make automation adoption a no-brainer. By removing the stress of getting manual check payments out the door, AP teams are freed up to apply their time to more beneficial and critical tasks.

Learn more

Join PCI and Nvoicepay on 10/14 for an overview of Nvoicepay and Costpoints API integration.

New call-to-action

“This article originally appeared on Nvoicepay’s blog https://www.nvoicepay.com/resources/blog/the-most-important-reason-to-automate-payments-now/”

The Power of Integration

The question comes up with any software application, can this product keep up with our business needs or is it only solving the bare minimum?

 

Keeping Technology Fresh

Technology is constantly evolving to solve the needs of business problems. New features keep software platforms up to date and relevant.  Developing new features is no easy task, which is why APIs are becoming more and more popular.

 

The Power of APIs

The ability to connect multiple systems increases the effectiveness of your solutions. APIs give clients extensibility, the capability to create connections between multiple software platforms.

 

Streamline your Business Process with PCI’s API Integration Support

PCI offers cutting-edge solution integrations to complement and enhance your Deltek product investments. Our consultants help to identify and bridge gaps between various business systems, offering several third-party integrations into Deltek Costpoint. Our API capabilities include data pulls and custom-built integrations.

 

Learn more about our Integration capabilities here. Interested in getting started? Contact us today for a quote!

Recap of Deltek Insight 2019

Deltek Insight brought together 3,500+ of the Deltek Project Nation community for four action-packed days of education, inspiration, networking and a ton of fun! We enjoyed seeing our clients and networking with colleagues in the Government Contracting and Marketing Agency community!

 

A few highlights below:

 

MVP Partner Award

This was an exciting year for us at the conference as we were announced as the winners of the Deltek Partner MVP Award along with our client Highlight Technologies. This award acknowledges a Deltek partnership that showcases an exceptional implementation of Deltek’s solutions! We are so proud of our team for this exciting accomplishment!

 

Legos

This year we decided to make our booth a little more interactive and fun with the use of Legos! Thanks for all who stopped by to build your figurine for our PCI board! This is now proudly displayed in our NJ office!

 

Sessions

We had multiple sessions at Insight on Costpoint API Integrations, Business Intelligence/Reporting and cleaning up Costpoint with WorkFlows and Jobs. If you attended our sessions and would like to request additional follow up, contact us today!

 

Our New(er) Offerings

This year we were excited to showcase some of our more recent service offerings including our new API capabilities along with our automated expense and travel solution.

 

  • API Integrations: PCI can assist in identifying and bridging gaps between various business systems, offering a number of third-party integrations into Deltek Costpoint. Our API capabilities include data pulls and custom-built integrations.

 

  • PCI’s travel and expense solution – ARCH: PCI’s ARCH (Air, Rail, Car, Hotel) program is an end to end travel booking and credit card reconciliation solution designed for the modern Government Contractor. ARCH provides the ability to integrate the travel booking process, credit card reconciliation and with our API, feed the data into Deltek’s Costpoint expense solution. This means no more manual expense entries for travelers!

 

We can’t wait to see everyone next year in Denver! Pre-Register today for Deltek Insight 2020 for $100 off early bird pricing!

API Analogy

We live in a world where software can automate and fix most of our business challenges. A large piece of this software success comes from APIs. To recap some of the information from our recent blogs, API stands for “Application Programming Interface.” API’s are built to connect systems to one another.

API’s allow us to purchase goods and services directly from our phones, make a dinner reservation, book travel through booking tools such as ARCH and so much more. But how does data get from one point to the other? How do different applications connect to other systems?

 

Ready for the ultimate API Analogy?

An API is a system that takes requests and tells the system what to do and response back to the original messenger.

When at a restaurant, you can choose from a menu of options. The kitchen is the part of the system that will prepare your order. Think of your waiter or waitress as your API. Sending the message between you and the kitchen to ensure you receive your request and delivering the response back to you (in this case, your food).

 

Connect with Us

Questions on API integrations? Are you interested in learning more? Join our LinkedIn Forum to discuss with experts and customers on questions and best use practices on APIs.

A Journey to the Center of the API

My name is John Trela, I am a principal consultant at Premier Consulting and Integration LLC (PCI). As you may know, PCI is a systems integrator for Deltek products.

When I first started my journey into understanding the Deltek API, there were many challenges and questions that arose regarding the programming and integration of systems. In our new blog series around API’s, I will share best practices and answer questions you may find helpful on your API journey.

 

What is an API?

API’s allow the integration of Deltek and many applications/systems. A company could be using various systems for HR, Accounts Payable/Receivable, Payroll, travel, etc. in which they need to connect to their other products.

API “calls” as they are referred to, allow the transfer of data between said systems. In simple terms, an API call is like writing a letter, there is a header and address section, the body of the letter and the closing signature and title block which ends the letter. These headers direct where the API call will go, the body section contains the actual data being transferred and the signature closes the call and generates a response. API calls are preferred over using Structured Query Language (SQL) programming because API’s use the data validation built into Deltek to qualify the calls and make sure the data is correct before accepting the calls.

Example: If you are creating a new employee in Deltek Costpoint and you tried to enter the Social Security Number (SSN) providing too many numbers or providing letters instead of numbers the system would fail to complete the call and send back a response letting you know the SSN did not pass validation.

 

What are some practical use cases for API’s inside of Deltek?

Practical applications for APIs range from HR functions such as setting up employees, updating employee records, importing travel data, issuing Accounts Payable vouchers for payment or EFT payments for travel data and/or updating Accounts Payable records from bill pay services. In short, the API can streamline many functions which employees are currently entering by hand or entering multiple applications. Inside of Deltek Costpoint, you can import or export data, run and return reports, or issue instructions to run any saved parameters inside of Deltek applications.

 

5 Things you need to know before diving into APIs:

  1. Check to make sure the application you want to link into Deltek supports API’s and the level of business servicers you are currently being supplied with do not have any additional costs for accessing API’s.
  2. Identify tasks inside of your organization in which duplications of effort exist, setting up an API can help streamline and automate these efforts.
  3. Deltek provides a Web Integration Console (WIC) to generate API calls and test the integration methods. Programming knowledge is preferred when working with WIC.
  4. Understand programming language such as JSON and WSDL will be helpful on your journey.
  5. Build a team of individuals with programming expertise and employees who are familiar with Deltek and the applications you wish to integrate into.

 

Tips and tricks from the path to API perfection:

Employee information in Deltek’s API can be appended and the salary records can be updated. However, when integrating these modules, I have found that the calls need to be setup to enter one individual at a time instead of sending multiple blocks of employees. Costpoint think every new entry is a new employee until the validation is complete and the record is appended. If you only have 10 seat licenses left, you can only update 10 records at a time. As a workaround for rolling out applications across multiple clients it’s best to make the calls one employee at a time.

Make sure you have proper triggers in place when testing and implementing your API calls. I.E: If employees do not have employee ID’s setup but the salary records exist, do you want to send that date, or should the data wait until an employee ID is provided? Decisions on the quality for the data need to be mapped out before you start making calls.

I’ve found it easiest to start off designing an API call with all the provided fields inside of the Deltek application. Then limiting the items down to the fields that are provided in the application you are integrating in and identifying static fields that can be programmed into the feed as well as items that are required for your specific company.

 

API integrations and future projects:

This journey has been one met with great technical challenges. Every new integration presents technical challenges which must be overcome. I would love to hear how your Deltek API integration is going and what challenges you have had to overcome. If you are just staring out on your journey, I hope this article is helpful and if you need any guidance or direction PCI and myself are here to help!

 

Helpful Resources:

 

Join our Forum:

Request to join our WIC and API LinkedIn Group here.

 

Contact the Author:

John Trela
Principal Consultant
Email: John.Trela@premierconsultingllc.com