Trussville Gas and Water Amps Up Efficiency with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

CHALLENGES

Former on-premise ERP Solution Was Cumbersome and Undependable

Trussville Gas and Water’s accounting and purchasing staff dealt with the headaches of manual processes and lack of data accessibility with their former ERP software.

According to Chief Financial Officer Tony Riley, “Getting information out of the old system was one of our biggest challenges. It was really hard to navigate through the general ledger and various accounts. It was not user-friendly.”

He explained that navigating the general ledger, accounts receivables, or account payables required opening multiple windows at the same time and going back and forth between sections of the system. That would often cause the system to crash.

Moreover, because the software was housed on an internal server, several departments (like purchasing) located away from the main office had to access the system via VPN or remote desktop sessions every day.

“It was clunky and inconvenient,” said Riley. “It was a real pain.”

Pam Brannum, who manages cash and accounts receivables at Trussville Gas and Water, shared that she and her team had to deal with a lot of physical paperwork with the old system. “To search for invoices, we had to go through paper records in the AP department.”

Brannum shared that she struggled with finding the data she needed for reports to the company’s Board of Directors. That required going to multiple sections within the system, which was time-consuming. Also, she had to do most account reconciliations manually.

Also, from a purchasing and inventory perspective, Purchasing Manager Mike Cardwell found the former system didn’t help his department work productively. “We had to physically bring paper vendor invoices to the office for approval and processing.” This involved a daily drive across town from their Operations facility to their Main Office, a process which was eliminated with the introduction of Business Central.

As Trussville Gas and Water began making efficiency improvements in other systems within the organization, Riley said it became apparent their accounting system was creating a bottleneck. “The software had become outdated and was holding us back. Also, I learned that our software would no longer be supported in the future.”

SOLUTIONS

Streamlined Accounting & Robust Reporting With Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central & Power BI

Frustrated with his previous software vendor’s lack of transparency about costs and pushy upsell approach, Riley did a Google search in late 2020 to find Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central partners. He had already decided on transitioning to the Business Central platform, but needed a partner who could help get his team through the change. 

“Cargas came up in the search as the top partner,” said Riley. 

After talking with Cargas’s sales representative Ryan Butzer, Riley was quickly pleased with the interaction. “Ryan was transparent about the hours the implementation would require and a good communicator from the start.”

In Spring 2021, the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Power BI solution implemented by Cargas went live.

Riley mentioned that everyone they’ve worked with at Cargas during implementation delivered an excellent customer experience — Ryan Butzer, Harmony Fertig, Tyler Lambert, Tim Ott, Jeremy Patterson, Charlie Savko, Katie Graham, David Smith, Antoine Woodard, Jeremy Yoder. 

“I never felt out of the loop for a minute through the entire process — with other vendors, that can be a major issue,” said Riley.

Highlights of Trussville Gas and Water’s Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Power BI Solution:

• Cloud-based software accessible in real-time to all users at all locations
• Automated workflows set up for batch approvals: POS, vendor invoices, ACH payments, check payments
• Simplified navigation for accessing information in the system
• Streamlined audit process
• Enabled upgrades to their payment portal
• Dynamic reporting capabilities and deeper data insights

“Cargas does the best job of communicating that I’ve ever seen and are knowledgeable, patient, and easy to work with.”

~ Tony Riley, Chief Financial Officer at Trussville

BENEFITS

Time Saved, Enhanced Business Performance Insight, Reliable Software Support

Riley, Brannum, and Cardwell all agree the move to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central has transformed their operations. It has streamlined sharing of information across departments. They no longer have to physically pass paperwork from one department to another. 

According to Riley, “Before we didn’t do a good job of capturing approvals, AP would have stacks of paper to approve, and every purchase order would have to be taken manually between locations.” 

He shared that the audit process is easier, too, thanks to having a cloud-based financial solution. With their former accounting software, they had to pull 50 to 100 invoices during an audit. “Now, we can give our auditor access to a copy of the system, and they can pull what they want.”

While Riley said he hadn’t before considered Power BI, Microsoft’s interactive data visualization software product, they added it to their system at Cargas’s recommendation. 

“It gives us dynamic reporting and connects seamlessly to Business Central. We use it for our board presentations,” he explained. “We can look at past financials and drill into old accounts payables, review key metrics, and use dashboards.”

Another improvement is that with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central the company gained ACH payment capabilities. “Before, we paid everyone by check, and now most get paid by ACH.”

Riley also said that the solution has helped make Trussville Gas and Water’s online portal more streamlined because they can bring in files more easily. 

Brannum added, “We can get all of the information we need in one place with Business Central. We have so much at our fingertips that we didn’t before.”

She explained that the solution has eliminated the need to search through paper files for invoices and bank statements. Now, she simply scans or downloads them into the system, where she can retrieve them later. The ability to download bank statements into the system has helped eliminate much of the manual effort involved in reconciliations. 

“It’s much easier now,” she shared. “We can find more information with just one click because of how data is housed and the way the reporting is. We don’t have to move from section to section to section like we used to.”

Cardwell said the system has created “a lot less work” and reduced purchasing and inventory management errors. “Finding purchase orders was aggravating with the old system. But now I can find POs and item numbers easily,” he said. “And when we do purchase orders, it won’t let us proceed if it’s not right. It flags it and won’t allow it to go through if it’s incorrect.” 

Riley disclosed there was some anxiety among long-time staff about moving to a new system. “People were used to the old system, so there was some anxiety of the unknown. Cargas did a great job at being patient and alleviating some of that.” 

“I was terrified,” admitted Brannum, who has been at Trussville Gas and Water for over 25 years. “The Cargas team was wonderful, though, in helping us. They kept us updated every week, and when we needed more time to get comfortable with our understanding of the new processes, they were very helpful. When we got to the live system it was wonderful.”

Cardwell shared that he, too, was nervous about the change at first. But he said although the system was something new and different, they got the hang of it quickly with Cargas’s help. 

“I was very nervous at first — it was kind of like teaching an old dog new tricks — but Cargas made the process easy for me,” he said.

In addition to the efficiencies their company has gained, what Riley, Brannum, and Cardwell like best about the Cargas solution is the ongoing support and responsiveness they get from the Cargas team. 

Riley added, “Cargas does the best job of communicating that I’ve ever seen and are knowledgeable, patient, and easy to work with. ” 

“When we ask a question, we get an answer — usually within five to ten minutes, we get confirmation that they received our request and are working on it,” shared Brannum. “You all have a great team, and I love that your company invests back into your community.”

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