Businesses across industries are doing their best to respond swiftly to the challenges the pandemic is inducing. On the healthcare sector especially, the impact of this crisis has been unprecedented.
For instance, healthcare companies have been compelled to hastily manage rising workloads to meet escalating customer demands. To overcome this, and other challenges, several healthcare companies have been adopting faster and better technology by accelerating their digital transformation efforts.
The Iowa-headquartered Health Enterprises found itself in a similar situation. Established in 1983, Health Enterprises offers various programs and services to support community-based healthcare and supply chain services. Its services include:
- Anesthesia services
- Group purchasing
- Mobile services
- Pharmacy services
- 340B pharmacy services
What Microsoft Dynamics GP challenges was Health Enterprises experiencing?
Apart from the COVID-19 pandemic, Health Enterprises was also dealing with the impact of the devastating Derecho storm, which had forced employees to work from home. This was when the inefficiencies of working with an on-premises system like Microsoft Dynamics GP became more apparent. The key problems Health Enterprises faced while working with Dynamics GP include:
- Business continuity being threatened by the work-from-home arrangement:
In 2020, along with the pandemic, businesses across Iowa were adversely affected by the Derecho storm. In this scenario, the primary challenge for Health Enterprises was to sustain its business continuity. As it was working with Dynamics GP, an on-premises ERP, every time there was a technical issue, a technician needed to visit the site personally. This increased delays in processing and caused accessibility problems. - Software loading speed delaying vital processes:
As Health Enterprises was working with two databases, opening and processing with them increased the software loading time. It also led to the batches getting locked, which needed the user to do a batch restore process. This crippled the processing speed and decreased employee productivity. - Frequent processing errors impacting speed:
A higher count of processing errors surfaced after the organization shifted to remote working. Users encountered more SQL errors which caused delays in crucial processes. - Disruptive events threatening system security:
While the Derecho storm forced employees to work remotely, restricted access to physical on-premises systems catapulted security concerns. As the system needed physical security, it increased manual dependence and overall costs.
Selecting the right Dynamics GP migration to Dynamics 365 Business Central service provider
After identifying its on-premises ERP as the root cause of the challenges it was facing, Health Enterprises decided to migrate from Dynamics GP to Business Central. The first step they took in this direction was to search for the right service provider who could facilitate this migration. An exhaustive evaluation resulted in Columbus being selected to spearhead this project
“After thoroughly researching several consulting firms, we concluded that Columbus had the necessary resources, experience and expertise to support multiple ISVs and ease the migration from Dynamics GP to Business Central. The Columbus team has been professional and supportive and has always prioritized our unique business needs. We would recommend Columbus to other companies in the healthcare industry.”
– Karen Pierson, Executive Director – Finance
How was the migration performed?
As Health Enterprises served a crucial industry that could not afford delays or breaks in the workflow, it needed this migration to be done within a strict timeframe. The Columbus migration team collaborated with Health Enterprises at every step of the implementation to take an accelerated approach and finish the migration successfully. Here are the various steps of the implementation process:
- Understanding requirements thoroughly
- Migrating data and different applications
- Training Health Enterprises’ employees
- Extending post-migration services
What impact did migrating to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central have on Health Enterprises?
After Dynamics GP migration to Business Central, Health Enterprises noticed these changes in its system:
- Improved data processing speed:
As decline in processing speed was one of the primary reasons for Health Enterprises to migrate to Business Central, it experienced significant improvement in this area after migration. For example, users had to wait for at least 10 minutes for two databases in Dynamics GP to process. But now with Business Central, they can do it within a few seconds. - Enhanced process accuracy:
Working with Dynamics 365 Business Central helped Health Enterprises minimize processing errors which considerably increased the accuracy of vital business processes. - Reduced incidents of technical errors:
By almost eliminating all kinds of technical errors, data discrepancies and system loading delays, Dynamics 365 Business Central has enhanced the efficiency of Health Enterprises’ business processes. - Enabled efficiency and productivity despite working remotely:
Migrating from Dynamics GP to Dynamics 365 Business Central maintained strong business continuity for the organization. The new system also offered better accessibility to vital business applications. - Better transparency and financial visibility:
Health Enterprises gained better financial visibility with the help of the ‘Dashboards’ feature in Dynamics 365 Business Central. This helped the company’s management to get real-time information, facilitating strategic business decision making. - Accelerated customer service:
Getting real-time customer account status helped Health Enterprises provide quick and real-time updates to its customers. Pierson recalls an incident in these words — “I had a customer contact me for their current balance. I was able to give that information to them with a copy of invoices and statements within a few minutes. A proactive service like this provides great value to our customers.”
