SPON employees want to use smart payment cards even more

The educational organization SPON has been using Elari since 2023. The software supports them in their invoice processing, contract management, and employee expense management. How do you efficiently set up expense processes as a decentralized organization with more than 450 employees spread across 11 locations? You can read about it in this success story.

Also discover how SPON uses Elari Contract Management in a separate success story.

What does SPON (Specialists in Special Education) do?

SPON (Specialists in Special Education) uses a variety of educational methods to help children realize they belong and to build their self-confidence. They prepare students to play an active role in society through small-group settings, individualized attention, and an optimal learning environment tailored to the students’ didactic and pedagogical needs. An admirable mission supported by more than 450 employees.

How does SPON manage to support more than 1,600 students of various ages across 11 locations? Thanks in part to Elari and Elari Partner Groenendijk.

How did SPON work before Elari?

Controller Nico Commissaris carries out various assignments for SPON, which has been using Elari Invoice Processing to great satisfaction for some time now. Drawing on Nico’s extensive experience with various Elari processes at other clients, he was immediately able to recommend a solution to resolve the hassle with school bank accounts: Elari Expense.

Nico explains: “We felt that too many transactions were going through school bank accounts at SPON. That was inefficient. We also felt we had too little control and visibility over those transactions. We wanted to scale back our use of the school bank accounts. For that reason, and based on my previous experience, I proposed Elari Expense as the solution. Our goal with the full Elari environment was to gain an overview, control, and oversight of all organizational expenses.”

“An added benefit is that Elari’s ‘look and feel’ is consistent across the board, no matter which processes you’re working with,” Nico continues. “Since SPON was already using Elari Invoice Processing, employees were already familiar with that way of working and thinking. It was therefore a natural step to start using Elari’s contract management software and smart payment cards as well.”

How does SPON use smart payment cards now?

SPON has been using smart payment cards for employees since 2024. For example, teachers can easily use them to run a quick errand on the fly, without having to go through a whole expense reimbursement process. Through the card, teachers have access to the organization’s budget and don’t have to pay anything out of pocket. SPON is considering setting up the process as follows: employees pay with the card, take a photo of the receipt, and upload it to the Elari app. It really is that simple.

“We allow a maximum of two smart payment cards per location,” Nico explains. “Employees pick up the card from the administrative office so they can easily use it for errands. The card and the receipt are then neatly returned so the administrative office can process the expenses using the Elari app.”

“I’ve heard nothing but positive feedback. Employees are so enthusiastic, in fact, that they want to use the smart payment cards even more.”

Nico Commissaris, Controller at SPON

Nico adds: “Based on my experience with other clients, I already knew that a personalized debit card wouldn’t work for SPON. That’s because such a card is often issued in the director’s name, and the director doesn’t want to have to go to the supermarket every time a bag of sandwiches needs to be picked up. The smart debit cards are truly a godsend for SPON.”

Account Manager Edwin explains: “It’s great to see that SPON didn’t just choose our smart payment cards, but that they opted for a broader approach. They also recognize the added value of our contract management software.”

What benefits does SPON get from Elari?

“I’ve heard nothing but good things about Elari,” says Controller Nico. “The software is easy to use and logically structured. I was actually surprised to find that employees want to use Elari even more extensively. People see the smart payment cards as a great tool for making organizational expenditures. It’s so easy to use that employees want to incorporate it even more into their workflows. Personally, I also think the current approach is much more efficient than working with school bank accounts. I want to streamline this even further.”

“Elari is convenient and has a logical structure.”

Nico Commissaris, Controller at SPON

SPON is actually considering closing many school bank accounts in the future, Nico adds. “My idea here is to process as many transactions as possible through Elari Expense and reduce the remaining transactions to zero. Then there will be no reason to keep school bank accounts, and we can gradually phase them out.”

Discover the benefits SPON is experiencing with Elari Contract Management in a separate success story.

What role did Groenendijk Onderwijsadministratie play in this project?

Elari Partner Groenendijk supports SPON in its decision to pursue a phased rollout. This is one of Groenendijk’s best practices. “An implementation always proceeds in clear steps, and we guide the process from start to finish, with clear communication and functional alignment. Our goal is always to ensure a smooth transition. After implementation, we continue to support clients with post-implementation care and further optimization steps. Together, we continue to build efficient and innovative solutions.”

Curious about what Elari can offer your educational organization?

Discover Elari Purchase to Pay and Elari Expense. By consolidating all spending processes into a single environment, you’ll gain true insight into your organization’s spending. From procurement, invoice processing, and contract management to expense reporting and smart employee payment cards: Elari is the solution. Are you ready to gain a clear overview and take control of your spending?