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Power Platform Microsoft ERP Service business

Case Telinekataja

Efficiency leap in billing with Power Apps and AI

2018 Telinekataja implemented the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations ERP system. One important reason for choosing this system was the expandability of the Microsoft ecosystem. As part of the continuous development of the system, Digia built two applications for Telinekataja to automate the processing of work orders using Power Platform and AI Builder. Now, 60% of Telinekataja's work orders are processed automatically.

 

Telinekataja offers scaffolding and weather protection solutions, as well as other temporary structures, to construction and industrial companies. Founded in 1965, this family-owned business operates in Finland, Sweden, and Estonia. Quality standards, customer orientation, and responsibility guide the company's operations. In 2023, Telinekataja employed 227 people and delivered solutions to over 1,000 construction sites.

In 2018, Telinekataja implemented the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations ERP system, delivered by Digia. The new system replaced the previously used separate financial management and ERP systems.

"An important reason for choosing D365 was its expandability, which we believed would enable the efficient and secure digitalisation of individual business processes in the future," recalls Inka Satukangas, the system's main user and development expert.

As part of Digia's continuous services, the companies engage in ongoing discussions about developing the D365 solution. In the summer of 2023, these discussions led to a plan for integrating electronic work orders into the ERP. About six months later, the idea of an AI-powered PDF reader emerged.

 

Telinekataja-logo

 

What we did

  • Applications for the automatic processing of work orders 
  • ERP system (2018)
  • Continuous services

What we used

  • Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations
  • Power Apps
  • Power Automate
  • AI Builder 
It has been great to see how these solutions allow information to be digitised when and where it is created.

Inka Satukangas, Dynamics 365 Main User, Telinekataja

From Paper Work Orders to a Mobile Application with Power Platform

Previously, Telinekataja's construction sites used paper work orders. After completing a task, employees filled out a form, and the management approved them according to their schedule with the client. After approval, the management sent the scanned orders to billing. The contents were entered into the ERP system in billing, and an invoice was sent to the client.

The process included many manual steps, and interpreting handwritten forms often caused additional billing work. The journey from a single work order to an invoice could take several weeks.

Digia's team developed a mobile application using Power Apps to replace the paper forms. Now, Telinekataja's installation teams fill in the information in the app and get immediate confirmation from the client. The information flows directly to billing via Power Automate. The application was completed in under six months, with most of the time spent on user testing.

"By digitising work orders, we have achieved significant efficiencies in billing. Now, the journey of a work order to an invoice takes at most a week, and our time is not spent on entries and their verification," says Minna Vuorio, Billing Manager at Telinekataja.

”Our billing team manually processes an average of 10 work orders per hour; now they come to us as pre-processed. It's easy to calculate the significant efficiency leap this represents. Not to mention the time saved on construction sites when information is immediately available in digital form.” 

Minna Vuorio, Billing Manager, Telinekataja

Automatic processing of PDF work orders with an AI Builder implementation

Around the time the new application was completed, Telinekataja began a large-scale project. The mobile application could not be used in the project, so it was decided to use PDF documents for recording work orders instead. After the project ran for about six months, work orders increased significantly. Up to 100 documents could be generated per week, resulting in a considerable amount of manual work in billing.

The issue was raised again in discussions with Digia. The solution devised was an AI application implemented with AI Builder and Power Automate, which reads PDF work orders and automatically transfers the information to billing. The AI application was completed quickly, and three months after the first planning meeting, a production-ready solution was used in billing.

”The AI Builder application works great and is easy to use. The completed PDF work orders are moved to their folder in Teams, from where the AI automatically processes them. It transfers the completed documents to one folder, and it could not process those for some reason in another folder for human review," says Joona Palokangas, who is responsible for project billing. 

Impressive results speak for themselves

The impact of both solutions on Telinekataja's billing efficiency has been significant. Manual work has been dramatically reduced, and invoices are sent out faster.

”Our billing team manually processes an average of 10 work orders per hour; now they come to us pre-processed. It's easy to calculate the significant efficiency leap this represents. Not to mention the time saved on construction sites when information is immediately available in digital form," says Vuorio.

Thanks to the two applications, about 60% of Telinekataja's work orders can be processed automatically. The aim is to improve this figure further by expanding AI Builder to other similar projects and increasing the adoption of electronic work orders.

Collaboration with Digia is smooth

After the idea was conceived, Telinekataja brought it up in a monthly meeting with Digia's team, and the project was launched. Less than six months later, they had a production-ready application, and the AI Builder application was developed even faster.

The collaboration between Telinekataja and Digia around the ERP system is close, and the Digia team is well-versed in their client's business. This has facilitated the rapid completion of application projects. Digia's skilled project manager and the team serving Telinekataja especially receive praise from Satukangas.

"'In both application projects – and other cooperation between our companies – Digia's team has kept a firm grip on the reins. Their way of doing specification work and documenting things is something I have learned a lot myself."

Digia's Business Director, Jarkko Savolainen, also praises the team for their smooth cooperation with Telinekataja.

"Telinekataja is a long-term Microsoft Dynamics 365 customer. I am pleased that we can deliver tangible business benefits to Telinekataja through features that leverage Microsoft's AI capabilities."

Digitalising individual processes in the Microsoft Dynamics 365 environment is efficient

Microsoft Dynamics 365 has proven to be a digitalisation platform for Telinekataja that lives up to its promises, which can be effectively expanded with low-code solutions like Power Platform and AI Builder.

"It has been great to see how these solutions allow information to be digitised when and where it is created," says Satukangas.

Telinekataja is now working on a new Power Apps project with Digia. This time, it's about an electronic site diary.