Key takeaways:
- Scaled with ease: Enabled a small legal team to handle 500+ contracts annually.
- No missed renewals: Automated reminders eliminated costly oversights.
- Freed up legal: Templates empowered teams from other departments to self-serve on contracts.
- Reliable partner: Trusted platform with fast support and a team that listens.
Background
ecosio specializes in seamless electronic data exchange (EDI) and e-invoicing, positioning itself as a leading provider of B2B integration solutions across diverse industries. The company enables automated communication throughout entire supply chains, driving efficiency and streamlining business processes.
Wolfgang Vanas joined ecosio as the first legal hire four years ago and currently serves as Head of Legal, leading a team of three. For the full story of how Wolfgang built ecosio's legal function from scratch, read his first 100 days as an in-house legal professional. This article picks up where that one left off.
Challenges: Overcoming Growing Pains in Contract Management
When Wolfgang joined ecosio as the first legal hire, the company had no structured system for contract management. Contracts were stored in a shared drive folder, and there was little visibility or control over their status.
Employees across departments would often be asking the legal department about contracts for specific suppliers, only to find that they couldn't be sure if they had all the relevant documents or information at hand. The absence of a formal process meant that there was a lot of uncertainty around whether contracts were valid or if the documentation was accurate.
"You go on a journey of finding more information while not knowing if there is any other information out there. This was the biggest pain point that we had to tackle head-on."
As the company scaled, so did the complexity of managing contracts across departments. Wolfgang and his small legal team needed a way to handle this increasing workload. One of the key friction points came from manual processes—especially in HR—where employment contracts had to be tailored for different entities with various add-ons.
Another costly pain point was contract renewals: without centralized tracking, key dates were easy to miss.
"We had one or two occasions where a renewal was missed, and that, of course, had a financial impact. And it was something that we could only trace back to not having a proper system in place to keep track of those dates."
Key challenges:
- Missed contract renewals led to financial consequences due to lack of deadline visibility.
- Legal was overly involved in routine tasks like repetitive contract creation.
- No centralized system for managing contracts, versions, or contract ownership.
Solutions: Building a Scalable Contract Management System with Precisely
To meet the demands of a growing contract volume and reduce legal's involvement in routine tasks, Wolfgang turned to Precisely for a more efficient and scalable way of working.
After evaluating various CLM platforms, Precisely was selected for its comprehensive range of features, including a robust digital archive, customizable templates, efficient approval and signing workflows, and automated reminders for important dates.
"What I loved most was that Precisely was so well-rounded. I felt like there was nothing missing and every aspect is just great. I don't have to compromise on this or that."
Wolfgang Vanas, Head of Legal at ecosio
A standout improvement came through the automated template functionality. Once set up, templates enabled teams to generate compliant documents independently, freeing up legal's time for higher-value work.
The shift to a centralized contract repository replaced scattered email threads with a structured review and approval process. Most importantly, Precisely helped the team avoid missed contract renewals with automated reminders.
Key solutions:
- Precisely was chosen for its balanced feature set including: archiving, templates, e-signatures, and reminders.
- Streamlined contract creation workflows empowered departments to manage contracts without always relying on legal.
- Automated reminders helped avoid missed contract deadlines and their associated costs.
Results: Empowering Growth with Streamlined Contract Oversight
With the implementation of Precisely, ecosio saw a complete transformation in its contract management processes. Contracts were now centralized, and legal had full visibility over all agreements.
"I don't see a lot of employment contracts anymore. It's just off my mind and offloaded onto the Precisely templates."
Notably, the legal team was able to prevent missed renewals, saving significant costs. As the company grew, the system scaled seamlessly, handling over 500 contracts annually. The same scalability story resonates across our customer base — the British Council consolidated contracts across 100+ countries using Precisely's template automation to handle global complexity without growing the legal team.
"Without Precisely we would have a hard time keeping up. There would have been no scaling option. Precisely works whether you are a small department, or a big department. The use of Precisely can evolve with your growth."
Wolfgang Vanas, Head of Legal at ecosio
Key results:
- Full contract visibility and control across the company, reducing risk.
- No missed renewals since implementing automated reminders, preventing costly oversights.
- 500+ contracts processed annually, with templates significantly reducing manual work.
- Increased collaboration and streamlined processes across departments, especially HR.
- The system scaled seamlessly as the company grew, handling more contracts without increasing overhead.
The Precisely Difference: People & Product
Over four years of using Precisely, the relationship has evolved beyond a typical vendor-client dynamic. From fast feedback loops to a consistent product experience, Precisely has become more than just a tool — it's a trusted companion in ecosio's daily work.
"Precisely has always been like a steadfast companion over the last four years. There's never been a glitch, there has never been a downtime. It was just always there when I needed it."
Wolfgang Vanas, Head of Legal at ecosio
"The product is really great, but for me the distinctive factor is always the people. Everyone I get in contact with at Precisely is really excited about what they're doing. If you have a question, the response time is just insanely fast."
Wolfgang Vanas, Head of Legal at ecosio
Key metrics:
- 500+ contracts processed annually
- Zero missed contract renewals
- Countless hours saved on routine administrative tasks
