From inspections to processing reports to installations, roofing contractors hold a lot of responsibilities. This Acceleration Case Study explores how Kelly Roofing overcame challenges with its accounting system with the guidance of sa.global. By implementing an ERP system, the roofing contracting company was able to redeploy its financial resources, boosting overall business efficiency.
Business Challenge – Understanding How to Modernize Accounting System
Kelly Roofing is a roofing contracting company. After experiencing rapid growth, the company needed a solution for its accounting duties that would integrate with its CRM software.
- So, with the rapid growth of the company, the pain points were evident:
- Inefficient accounting software
- Lack of CRM integration abilities
Previously, Kelly Roofing used Quickbooks Enterprise for its accounting duties. However, the accounting functions made it difficult for accountants to view the performance of individual business units. The accounting team exported data into Microsoft Excel while recreating their formulas from scratch to create detailed reports, which was rather time-consuming.
QuickBooks also didn’t have a way to integrate with its customer relationship management (CRM) software, Microsoft Dynamics 365. This lack of integration forced employees to duplicate information while manually creating invoices for customers. In addition, there wasn’t any collaboration between the customer service department and the sales teams. This only caused additional delays in handling daily operations and in the monthly close process.
- Once they identified the company’s needs, they were able to break down their goals:
- Improve management of rapid growth
- Expedite processing reports and invoices
- Gain control over financial data
- Implement a solution that integrates with its CRM software
Ultimately, Kelly Roofing was searching for a cost-friendly enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to boost business efficiency.
Software Solution – Implementing an ERP System
Kelly Roofing partnered with sa.global and began searching for a new ERP system. They considered using AccuLynx, Nimbus, and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. After careful consideration, the company chose to use Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central for two main reasons: consolidation and to achieve corporate goals.
- Consolidation: Since they were already using Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform for CRM, it would simplify the consolidation process for its back-office functions by using one platform. Microsoft also offered seamless integration with its ERP and CRM products.
- Better Meet Corporate Goals: The company felt that using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central would best help reach its growth plans. Furthermore, it wouldn’t negatively impact its current or future goals.
Although this was one of the very first deployments of Business Central in North America, Kelly Roofing was well-prepared for the data migration. They were flexible in making changes to their financial processes as needed. This further ensured a successful implementation. Using Business Central tripled the number of accounts Kelly Roofing used each month. It also added more controls to help their accountants analyze data to create detailed reports at any time.
Key Benefits
The implementation process didn’t require a significant upfront investment, which led to a much shorter payback period. A few of the key benefits for using Business Central include:
Reduce Expenses
Once they went live on Business Central, Kelly Roofing stopped using QuickBooks Enterprise, further reducing their costs. The company redeployed these resources to focus on more high-value activities rather than data entry.
Boost User Productivity
By using the prebuilt workflows and automated functions of Business Central, employees save a lot of time and effort. Now, accountants are more productive, as they can collaborate efficiently with other departments while delivering more detailed reports with greater accuracy.
Less Work Capital
The company now has much more visibility into all of its financial data. Project managers can quickly identify material and operating costs that were hidden under the previous system. In addition, using Business Central results in more accurate job estimates. This helps the company carry less inventory while still reaching short completion times.
Costs of Using Business Central
One of the main costs of deploying Business Central was the professional services needed for the implementation process. Another cost was the subscription for using Business Central. Also, there were costs behind the amount of time it took employees to implement and train employees to use the new system.
The Results
The ability to better understand financial data became even more critical as Kelly Roofing began to grow and gain more customers. Cost and variance analysis enabled them to make better plans for current and future budgets. Project managers can easily keep up with expenses, revenue, and profitability while using the reporting and analytics features of Business Central. Using this software also allows Kelly Roofing to better manage individual projects by accounting for any hidden expenses that previously delayed projects under the old system.
The cloud-based delivery of Business Central gives Kelly Roofing more flexibility that wasn’t possible under the legacy accounting solution. Additionally, the company quickly realized the benefits of adopting each of its processes by following the best practices recommended by Microsoft. Kelly Roofing decided not to use extensive software customizations. Because it didn’t have support from Microsoft, it wouldn’t meet their long-term plans.
One of the main benefits of implementing Business Central was that it eliminated the expenses of the legacy software while redeploying existing resources to other areas of the company. Additional benefits include improving efficiency by allowing employees to complete more work every month. Overall, choosing to implement Business Central was a worthwhile option for modernizing the accounting system and finance department at Kelly Roofing.
