Customer Case: Power BI Dashboard Saved 15 Hours a Week

A mid-sized logistics company in Stockholm spent 60 hours every month updating Excel reports manually. Three months after the Power BI implementation that time was down to 8 hours. Here is the whole story.

Note: The company name and some details have been anonymised for confidentiality reasons, but all figures and results are real.

The company: Logistics company with 80 employees

Industry: Transport and logistics Employees: 80 people Revenue: About SEK 120 million/year Area: The Stockholm region Systems: Fortnox (accounting), in-house TMS (transport management system), Excel for reporting

Contact person: Emma Larsson, Controller (interviewed March 2025)

The challenge: Drowning in Excel reports

When Emma contacted us in November 2024 she described the situation like this:

“Every month-end is chaos. We have 12 different Excel reports that have to be updated. Two colleagues and I spend the entire first week exporting data from Fortnox and our transport system, copying it into Excel templates, updating pivot tables, and sending the reports to different recipients. It takes 15 hours per person per month. That is 60 hours in total per month on something that should be automatic.”

Specific problems:

1. Manual data retrieval – Export from Fortnox to Excel (30 minutes) – Export from the TMS to CSV, import into Excel (45 minutes) – Copy data to the right tabs in the report templates (1-2 hours)

2. Risk of errors “In March I copied data from the wrong month. The report to the board showed February figures when they thought it was March. Embarrassing and dangerous.”

3. Several versions in circulation “The CEO forwards the report to the board. At the same time I have sent an updated version to the CFO. Now there are two versions with different figures in circulation. Which one is right?”

4. No real-time data “When the CEO calls and asks ‘How are sales going this month?’ I cannot answer until month-end. I have no current data.”

5. Dependence on individuals “Only a colleague and I know how all the reports work. When we were both sick at the same time in February, everything came to a standstill.”

Business impact: – Delayed decisions (waiting for reports) – Resources spent on the wrong things (reporting instead of analysis) – Risk of wrong decisions based on incorrect data – Stress and overtime at month-end

The goal: Automation and real-time data

We scheduled a mapping meeting with Emma, the CFO and the CEO.

Defined goals:

Primary: 1. Reduce manual reporting work from 60 to <10 hours/month 2. Ensure that everyone sees the same figures (single source of truth) 3. Give management access to current figures daily

Secondary: 4. Faster month-end closing (from 5 days to 2 days) 5. Enable the CEO and sales managers to see data on their mobile phones 6. Free up time for analysis instead of report production

Success measures: – 80% time saving on reporting – 90% of the management team use dashboards weekly – Zero reports with “wrong version” problems – Payback within 12 months

The solution: 3 Power BI dashboards

After the mapping we identified that the 12 Excel reports could be replaced with 3 Power BI dashboards:

Dashboard 1: Financial overview (for the CFO and controller)

Content: – Revenue (month, YTD, compared with the previous year and budget) – Costs broken down by cost centre – Gross margin per service – Liquidity and cash flow – Accounts receivable and accounts payable

Data sources: – Fortnox (via API export to SharePoint every night) – Excel budget file on SharePoint

Refresh frequency: Daily at 06:00

Dashboard 2: Operations dashboard (for the CEO and management team)

Content: – Revenue and profit (brief overview) – Number of deliveries per day/week/month – Delivery precision (share on time) – Top 10 customers (revenue and margin) – Staff turnover and sick leave

Data sources: – Fortnox (accounting) – TMS (delivery data) – Excel (HR data, updated manually each month)

Refresh frequency: Daily at 06:00

Dashboard 3: Sales dashboard (for the sales team)

Content: – Quotation statistics (number, value, conversion) – Sales per salesperson and region – New customers vs existing customers – Pipeline (quoted but not yet won deals)

Data sources: – TMS (quotations and sales) – Excel (pipeline updated by salespeople every week)

Refresh frequency: Daily at 06:00

The implementation: 10 weeks from start to full operation

Weeks 1-2: Mapping and design – Workshop with key people – Took stock of existing reports – Designed the three dashboards on paper – Approval from stakeholders

Weeks 3-4: Data source connection and pilot – Installed Power BI Gateway on a server – Connected Fortnox via export to SharePoint – Connected the TMS via CSV export (automated with a PowerShell script) – Built the first dashboard (Financial overview)

Week 5: Validation Emma and her colleague validated all figures against the existing Excel reports.

“We found some discrepancies the first time. It turned out that the Excel report had actually been miscalculating for two years. Power BI calculated correctly. It was an eye-opener.”

Weeks 6-7: Build the remaining dashboards – Operations dashboard – Sales dashboard – Formatting according to the company’s graphic profile

Week 8: Training – 2-hour workshop for the whole management team – 1 hour for the sales team – 4-hour technical training for Emma and a colleague (they should be able to make minor adjustments themselves)

Week 9: Pilot period – Ran in parallel with Excel for 2 weeks – Power BI + the old Excel reports – Collected feedback, made small adjustments

Week 10: Launch – Phased out the Excel reports – Power BI became the official source – Link to the dashboards on the company’s intranet page

Result: 52 hours saved per month

Three months after launch we measured the results:

Time savings

Before Power BI: – Emma: 15 hours/month on reporting – Colleague 1: 15 hours/month – Colleague 2: 30 hours/month (responsible for more reports) – Total: 60 hours/month

After Power BI: – Emma: 3 hours/month (updating HR data, quality control) – Colleague 1: 2 hours/month (quality control) – Colleague 2: 3 hours/month (updating pipeline data) – Total: 8 hours/month

Saving: 52 hours/month = 624 hours/year

At SEK 500/hour in salary cost: SEK 312,000/year in savings.

Faster month-end closing

Before: 5 working days from month-end to finished reports After: 2 working days (many reports update automatically on day 1)

Business benefit: Management makes decisions 3 days earlier.

User adoption

Measurement after 3 months: – 10/10 management team members open dashboards at least weekly – 8/10 salespeople use the sales dashboard daily – 25 of 80 employees have been given access and use dashboards

“The CEO checks the dashboard on his phone every morning. He no longer calls and asks about figures – he sees them himself.” — Emma

Improved data quality

Before: Different reports sometimes showed different figures (depending on when the data was exported and which version of the template was used).

After: Everyone sees the same figures from the same source.

“It has raised trust enormously. Before, people doubted the figures. Now they trust the dashboard.” — CFO

Unexpected benefits

1. Better insights > “We saw in the profitability dashboard that we had three large customers with a margin under 5%. We did not know that before. We renegotiated contracts and increased the margin to 15%. That is money earned directly thanks to Power BI.” — CEO

Estimated value: SEK 200,000/year in increased margin.

2. Faster answers to the board The chairman of the board can log in and see current figures at any time. Fewer questions to management.

3. Recruiting advantage > “When we recruit a new controller we show the Power BI environment. People are impressed. It signals that we are modern and data-driven.” — Emma

Cost and ROI

Total project investment:

Excel Department consulting services: – Mapping and design: SEK 30,000 – Implementation (10 weeks): SEK 90,000 – Training: SEK 25,000 – Total consulting: SEK 145,000

Internal work: – Emma’s time (25% for 10 weeks): about SEK 55,000 – IT time (Gateway setup, support): about SEK 20,000 – Total internal: SEK 75,000

Licences (year 1): – Power BI Pro: 25 users × SEK 70/month × 12 = SEK 21,000 – Gateway: Runs on an existing server (SEK 0 extra) – Total licences: SEK 21,000

Total cost year 1: 145,000 + 75,000 + 21,000 = SEK 241,000

Savings year 1: – Time savings: SEK 312,000 – Increased margin: SEK 200,000 (estimated) – Total savings: SEK 512,000

Net year 1: 512,000 – 241,000 = SEK 271,000

ROI: (512,000 – 241,000) / 241,000 = 112%

Payback: 241,000 / 512,000 × 12 months = 5.6 months

Year 2 and onwards: – Ongoing cost: SEK 21,000 (licences) + SEK 40,000 (maintenance 5 hours/month) = SEK 61,000/year – Ongoing savings: SEK 512,000/year – Net: SEK 451,000/year

Lessons learned: What worked and what was challenging

What worked

1. A pilot period with parallel running Running Power BI and Excel at the same time for 2 weeks gave users confidence. They could compare and verify for themselves.

2. Management commitment The CEO took part in the kick-off and used the dashboard from day one. That sent the signal that “this is important”.

3. A simple first version We focused on replacing existing reports, not building advanced features. That gave quick results.

4. Training for everyone It was not just Emma who learned Power BI. The whole management team was trained in how to read dashboards.

Challenges

1. TMS integration The transport system had no direct connection. We had to build an automated CSV export with a PowerShell script. It took 2 extra weeks.

Solution: Accept that not all systems have perfect integration. Workarounds work.

2. Resistance from a salesperson An experienced salesperson refused to use the new system. “I’ve done it this way for 15 years.”

Solution: The CEO made it clear that everyone would use Power BI. After a month he adapted.

3. Initial confusion with filters Some users filtered the dashboard and forgot to remove the filter. They then saw only part of the data and became confused.

Solution: Added a text box at the top that shows active filters in red. Problem solved.

What would they have done differently?

Emma reflects:

“If we were to do it again I would have wanted to start earlier. We waited too long. Every month we waited was another month-end of unnecessary manual work. Start as soon as the decision is made.”

“I would also have involved IT earlier. We met them only in week 3, but the Gateway setup could have started in week 1.”

What happens now?

6 months after launch the company is planning:

Phase 2 (Q2 2026): – Dashboard for vehicle efficiency (utilisation rate, empty running) – Connection to the GPS system for real-time tracking – Forecast dashboard (predictive analysis for the coming months’ sales)

Long-term vision: – The whole company data-driven – All decisions based on current data – Power BI as a central part of the company culture

“Power BI has changed how we work. From reactive (what happened last month?) to proactive (what is happening right now and what will happen?). It is night and day.” — CEO

Is this relevant for your company?

The logistics company in this case resembles many Swedish mid-sized companies: – 50-150 employees – Existing business systems (accounting, operations) – A lot of Excel for reporting – Time-consuming manual processes

If you recognise yourself you can expect similar results.

Next steps for you:

1. Map your Excel reports How much time is spent on manual updating?

2. Calculate the potential saving Hours × Salary cost = Saving potential

3. Book a consultation We can make a similar assessment for your company.

Excel Department can help you: – Mapping and ROI calculation (free initial consultation) – Implementation (like this case) – Training for your team – Ongoing support

Book a free consultation (30 minutes) to discuss your situation.

Read more: – Power BI for business: Complete guide – Power BI implementation: Project plan – Migrating from Excel to Power BI – 5 Power BI dashboards every CFO needs

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Contact Excel Department: – Phone: 010-264 20 20 – Email: info@exceldepartment.se – Address: Slottsbacken 8, 111 30 Stockholm – Google rating: 5.0/5 (26 reviews)