Interview for Glasnik
Company: Bencom
The Abacus business information system, a platform for electronic fiscalization and much more, was developed as an original work under the roof of “Bencom” d.o.o. It is the result of the combined knowledge, experience, and skills of the company’s leadership, expert employees, and IT staff, consisting of young professionals from Herceg Novi.
Our interviewee is Jovana Spaić, a member of the management team and project manager at Bencom, a company that has achieved notable business successes over the past 25 years in the fields of accounting and finance, business, legal, and tax consulting, information technology, and more.
Glasnik: Could you briefly outline the development path of Bencom?
Spaić: Today, “Bencom” d.o.o. has business centers in Herceg Novi, Tivat, Kotor, Budva, and Podgorica, with over 70 highly qualified employees, collaborators, and distributors. Our services are used by more than 700 clients, whose activities are diverse and range from micro and small companies to medium and large enterprises. Additionally, over 350 companies and more than 1,000 active users operate within the Abacus business information system.
Our offerings include services in accounting and finance, business, legal, and tax consulting, information technology, as well as the preparation of business plans, feasibility studies, due diligence reports, and restructuring of companies.
Bencom was founded in 1994 in Herceg Novi. Initially, it operated out of a small office with a single personal computer and only about ten clients—mainly micro firms involved in trade and hospitality.
However, in 1996, we saw an increase in workload and welcomed our first trainees in collaboration with the Employment Agency. We quickly became well-known in Herceg Novi and across Montenegro. From then on, our strategy was clear: train young people, improve quality, provide distinctive service, expand our organizational network, all with the aim of having satisfied and loyal clients. A prerequisite for this strategy was obtaining all the necessary professional certifications, thus enriching the knowledge and skills required for such responsible activities.
Our primary motivation is creating new jobs and ensuring quality working conditions and employee security. We are proud to say that all 250 interns who successfully completed their practice with our company are either employed within the “Bencom” consortium or with one of our clients. Everything we have achieved over the past 25 years is the result of collective effort, which we consider our greatest success.
The most significant turning point in the development of “Bencom” d.o.o. occurred in 2009 when the management made a strategic decision to design and develop our own software. This business information system, initially created for the company’s internal needs, is also intended for sale to our clients and other legal entities. The Abacus PIS emerged as an original work under “Bencom” d.o.o. This software represents a blend of the knowledge, experience, and skills of our leadership, professional staff, and young IT specialists from Herceg Novi.
Glasnik: A new Law on the Fiscalization of Goods and Services Transactions has come into force. How do you view the significance of this law? Do you think the changes it mandates will burden the economy, and is the phased implementation of this act a good solution?
Spaić: Regarding the new Fiscalization Law, we believe that the innovations do not burden the economy and offer an efficient solution for fiscalization. Additionally, we think the phased implementation of this act will yield excellent results and that it is the best approach for the current situation. Given the dynamics of implementing the Fiscalization Law in practice, we believe it will be necessary to extend the deadline by four to five months.
Moreover, the application of this law will allow the Revenue Administration to more effectively monitor and control cash flows. However, we still see an issue with the registration of revenue in cases of cash transactions, where it remains questionable whether taxpayers will comply with the fiscalization of receipts. This is a problem that the Fiscalization Law cannot resolve.
Glasnik: Your company has developed the Abacus business software, which contributes to electronic fiscalization of business operations. Why do you believe that Abacus is a good solution for Montenegrin businesses?
Spaić: We always strive to stay a step ahead of the times, as we believe this is the key to maintaining quality and competitiveness in the market. This is why we were among the first to provide a new solution—an electronic fiscalization module. This process is carried out by the taxpayer for both cash and non-cash payments. Using a fiscal service and a constant internet connection in real-time, data on business transactions is sent to the Revenue Administration.
Our fiscalization module is extremely easy to use, with a highly intuitive user interface. Additionally, it is a very cost-effective solution because it does not require additional expenses and can be installed on existing infrastructure.
The Abacus electronic fiscalization service is intended for all taxpayers subject to fiscalization. Therefore, it can be used by our clients who already operate within the Abacus PIS, as well as clients using other software solutions, and even those who are not required to maintain business records but only need to issue fiscalized invoices.
For the purpose of fiscalization, the Abacus PIS was not changed; instead, an additional service was developed that communicates with the Revenue Administration. It allows invoices to be fiscalized in the most efficient way. All issued invoices, both cash and non-cash, are sent to the Revenue Administration via the fiscal service and internet connection. Upon receipt, the Administration assigns a unique code and sends it back to the taxpayer as confirmation that the invoice has been fiscalized.
The advantage for our clients is the integration of this solution within the Abacus PIS, allowing existing users to operate simply and securely. Another benefit of this service is its compatibility with other software. This allows our clients who do not use the Abacus PIS to successfully utilize the new service. Specifically, we are talking about clients who use software solutions from companies based outside Montenegro. These companies have quickly and effectively built an additional module that aligns with our fiscalization module, facilitating the implementation of the new law. These clients, using our installation guide, independently implemented the solution, which efficiently handles fiscalization. In practice, since January, we have had several cases of successful projects involving large legal entities in Montenegro.
In addition to these features, we have developed a web portal for clients who do not use specific software but still wish to independently create and issue fiscalized invoices. The portal is multilingual and very easy to use. Users can input data about services and partners, which they can later select when creating a fiscalized invoice. This portal can be accessed from any type of electronic device.
Glasnik: You hold the Excellent SME certificate. How does this certificate contribute to the recognition of Bencom’s business excellence?
Spaić: The Excellent SME certificate has undoubtedly confirmed the quality of our long-standing work and certainly contributes to the company’s recognition. A certificate of business excellence is beneficial not only to companies that possess it but also to those seeking partners for business activities. We hope that this certificate will maintain its credibility and continue to be awarded exclusively to companies that truly deserve to highlight it
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