Anago
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From safety net to strategic tool: Why trust is the real barrier to leaving Excel behind

This blog explores the quiet role trust plays in financial planning systems and why building confidence, not just capability, is the key to moving forward.

In our conversations with MAT finance teams, we’ve found a pattern emerging.

As they roll out a new budgeting system, Excel , despite all its flaws, often remains quietly open in the background of their processes. 

Not because anyone really wants to use it, but because it’s familiar. And sometimes, it’s the only thing people truly trust when the pressure is on. 

This isn't about being slow to change. It's about experience. Finance teams have lived through the complexity of budget cycles, shifting roles, last-minute staffing changes, and department-level nuances that most platforms simply can’t accommodate. So, Excel stays open, just in case the new system doesn’t quite deliver.

At Anago, we get that.   

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The Trust Gap in Finance Technology 

A lack of trust in planning platforms doesn’t always show up in surveys or product feedback forms. It shows up in behaviours. Like double-checking numbers in a spreadsheet after entering them into a system. Or doing a quick manual export from HR data to see if the platform’s numbers really line up. 

This kind of shadow reliance on Excel can eat away at the efficiency that a new system is supposed to bring. It creates a layer of redundancy that slows everything down, not to mention the added risk of manual error. It also signals something important: the solution in place might not be built with the real-world complexity of multi-academy trust finance in mind. 

That’s the gap that Anago is built to close. 

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Learning from ROC van Twente

Take ROC van Twente, one of the largest vocational colleges in the Netherlands. With 200 cost centres and a deeply complex staff structure, their finance team was buried in spreadsheets. Multiple slow-moving manual updates, disjointed HR exports, and hours lost hunting down inconsistencies were all accepted as part of their process.

By 2019, ROC’s finance team reached a point where Excel simply couldn’t keep up. It was then that they made the switch to Anago, integrating the solution directly with their HR system. The result? Real-time accuracy, less duplication, far fewer errors, and more time for strategic conversations. 

They even managed to restructure their team, replacing a retiring business controller with a Power BI specialist. Now, the dashboards created in Anago feed directly into meetings with team managers and directors. The shift wasn’t just operational – it was cultural. 

As Ronald van de Munt, CFO at ROC van Twente, puts it: 

“The numbers we generate in Anago feed directly into the dashboards used in discussions with team managers and directors. It has raised the level of financial conversation throughout the organisation.” 
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Moving from "Just in Case" to Confident Planning 

When a system works, trust follows. And with trust comes a fundamental shift from firefighting to forward planning, and from spreadsheet insurance policies to actual strategic partnership. 

This is what Anago brings to the table. A solution specifically tailored to the complexities of education finance, with integrations and workflows that align with how teams actually operate. Our goal isn't just to remove Excel from the process. It’s to make sure finance teams feel comfortable without it.

Curious what that could look like in your organisation? 

We’d love to show you.

Contact us