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Market Data Analysis Provider Streamlines Operations and Improves Data Quality
With Microsoft Dynamics and HSO
Company overview
This global consulting firm transforms data into unique insights and recommendations that help organizations optimize their supply chain operations and sell products more profitably.
Growing pains
The company has grown from humble beginnings in the US to a global enterprise operating around the world. Their ERP had seen them through years of major growth but was outdated, highly customized, and began to show its age; it was taking weeks to close the books, the data it produced was not dependable, and it could no longer scale with the company’s growth.
Finding a replacement
With its current ERP out of support, the company knew it needed to move to a new system that was mature and scalable enough to handle operations in different countries using common processes and common data.
"We do a lot of software development and are highly Microsoft-centric, so we consider ourselves to be a strong Microsoft organization," said their Finance & Operations Executive.
The company considered newer versions of its current ERP as well as Salesforce but found them insufficient for their needs.
"And then we looked at Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance," said the Executive.
The combination offered a scalable financial platform that supported the marketing communications, business development, and relationship intelligence the company sought.
Immediate results
The company implemented Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance across all its global offices, which has resulted in improved efficiency, better data quality, and smoother operations.
"It was a very large project, but the ongoing support from HSO has proven invaluable. We consistently get monthly closes completed in five days, which used to take several weeks."
The Executive continued: "In addition, we have found ways to increase the data quality. We might have multiple dimensions tagged onto every transaction. Now, when we export transactions out of the system or do reporting, we don't have to assign a lookup or pivot table manually. The metadata we need to perform reporting is already in place, and it's just a matter of organizing and sorting."
According to the Executive, automation has helped the company improve monthly close times, data quality, and audit processes. "We found places to automate, such as accessing data more efficiently and creating automated workflows for tasks we used to perform manually."
"Through the improved accounting processes and data that come out of the system, our year-end audits go much more smoothly and are completed much more quickly and, therefore, cost much less than before," continued the Executive.
Looking forward
The company is looking to utilize the platform's automation further to streamline billing and payments and refine its data analysis for clients.
"It can be a challenging process to go through, but once you're through that process, there's a better world on the other side that comes with better software, better processes, and better data."