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ERP Upgrade

Controllers: How to Make the Case for an ERP Upgrade

Making the case for an ERP upgrade can be a daunting task.  Below is our cheat sheet on how to know when you are ready, tips for making your case, and what to expect once you have the approval to move forward. 

 

How to Know When it is Time for an Upgrade 

There are different types of “key experiences” you can have that would signal it is time to upgrade your software solution. Being able to recognize these signals early on will save your company money, time, and keep you ahead of your competition. Read below about the different signals that show it’s time to make the case and present it to your executive team.  

 

  • When your close is taking too long– When your end of month close is taking 6-15 days causing your executive team to work off “old data”. Real-time data is key to growth for a company. Decision-makers within a company need data almost instantly in this technology-driven time.  
  • When the manual processes become too much– It is time to upgrade when manual data entry is taking up too much time, leaving your finance team constantly behind. Also, manual entry becomes a problem due to data entry errors. 
  • When it takes too long to understand your data- Your data should work for you. Reports should be easy to create based off dimensions you set. In a cloud-based ERP solution, you can slice and dice your data any way you need quickly to make decisions and create dashboards to quickly find key indicators that drive critical business decisions. 
  • You are adding new entities (additional locations or brands/product lines)– Being able to have granular insight into all locations as well as consolidated reporting is key to being able to grow. 
  • When you are adding new staff and want to limit their access to certain sensitive data- a cloud-based ERP will allow you to restrict user access to specific entities and allow you to control their permissions to perform certain tasks or view types of sensitive data such as payroll.    
  • You are expanding to multicurrency– When you are adding an additional currency you will need to evaluate if your system allows more than one currency and if so, does it have the capabilities to produce the consolidated reporting you need? When evaluating the capabilities of your current system, look for the ability to automate conversions for transactions or reporting. Also, having the choice on which currency reports will be produced in is important 

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How to Make Your Case 

The best way to make your case for an upgrade is to show your executive team the time you can save, the money they can save, peace of mind they will have by having a more secure system, and the impact of adding capabilities that will help them make decisions that can grow their business 

For time savings, show how you can cut your closing time in half by having data available almost immediately. You can also demonstrate how you and the finance team will be able to cut down on manual processes through automation, freeing up time for new, value-add projects all while limiting the need to hire more finance employees in the future.  

Money savings are key when asking your executive team for an upgrade. The right cloud-based ERP solution can save money by cutting down on manual processes, improving employee engagement and growth, the ability to do more with a smaller team, and cutting closing time in half. 

Security for your data is extremely important as your company is growing. With Sage Intacct, the days of worrying about loss of data are over.  You also have the flexibility to restrict user access from viewing sensitive data.  User permissions can be set for only what a team member needs to access User permissions are granular with options down to letting a team member view but not edit or edit but not delete. This allows for peace of mind, and complete data security. 

Upgrading to a cloud-based ERP solution means that it is cloud supported with automatic upgrades multiple times a year. You will be able to operate with a lean team and your IT staff won’t have to complete or test system upgrades/changes for you. This helps cut down on time spent in-house trying to solve problems and empowers your finance team.  

Lastly, and an important part of getting approval is showing how the system will give your executive team better insight, better data, and flexibility. With a cloud-based solution, the executive team would have access to their own log-in that show cases Dashboards built specifically to their needs with real-time data that can be accessed from anywhere. With Sage Intacct, you have the ability to see your full customer experience from end to end. You can connect your CRM such as SalesForce, into Sage Intacct. This gives complete visibility for your sales team and improves your customers’ experience with your company.  

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After Approval to Move Forward 

Once you have received approval to move forward, the next critical step is finding a consulting firm that will meet your needs. At rinehimerbaker, we strive to identify your pain points during our discovery session and find solutions to make your life easier. Listening to your needs, helping identify areas or processes that are holding you back and finding solutions is what we are all about! 

Following the discovery session, we typically schedule a time for a live demonstration so you can see first-hand the functionality and just how easy it is to use Sage Intacct.  As your trusted partner, ensuring we meet all the requirements outlined during discovery is critical. After discovery and demo, we will document an implementation plan that works for you including what you can expect before and after go-live.    

At rinehimerbaker, we are dedicated to understanding your business so we can help you move faster with greater clarity.  


Sage Intacct user Permissions

Sage Intacct User Permissions Give Companies’ the Ability to Scale 

Sage Intacct’s User Permissions is one of the key benefits of the software that gives companies the flexibility and security they need as their business grows.  Permissions allow a business to maintain the integrity of the financials by giving their team access to only the functions of the system that are necessary to do their job. An example is an accounts payable (AP) team member who could have access to create and pay bills but not have access to create vendors. Or perhaps you have a team member that needs to view bills within AP but not have the ability to edit or delete.

Sage Intacct’s permissions allow companies to easily build out their system and their users’ accessibility to their exact needs and use. 

Why Would You Want Permissions? 

There are many reasons why but a primary reason is to segregate duties and define a user’s role. While many companies start with one employee that fills many roles, as you grow and add staff you can deploy user permissions to define access rights and limit the functionality available to them within the system. This keeps the employee focused on their job and gives peace of mind that you have the system security in place to protect your financial data.

Permissions can also be used to set thresholds for approvals. For example, a user may have the ability to approve a transaction up to $5,000 but would need their manager’s approval for all transactions greater than $5,000. Approval permissions are customizable and can have multiple levels.
Companies that have more than one entity can give users access to one location, all locations, or a combination of locations. This can be very useful when you need to allow users to work across multiple companies, but don’t want them to access unnecessary or sensitive information.

The benefits of permissions aren’t limited to carrying out tasks. They can also help streamline the reporting process. An example would be giving your leadership team access to the departments they need on their dashboards. This limits their view to the specific information they need without filtering through unnecessary data. Easy access to granular insights will allow your team to make quick decisions with real-time data without an intense, manual process.

Sage Intacct’s permissions provide you with the flexibility and security you need to control access to your system financials. Permissions are managed through an easy to use user interface and provide a complete activity log of all changes.

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What are the Different Types of Permissions? 

Sage Intacct allows for complete customization with user permissions. You can allow team members the ability to create lists, view, add, edit, delete, reverse, and reclassify as well as giving them access to different entities and modules. The capabilities within Sage Intacct’s user permissions are far superior to their competitors which generally only gives you the option to grant total access to different modules instead of the options for customization based on position. The user permissions are vast and allow for extremely customized user portals even with multiple entities set up.

One unique type of permission is reclassify which allows a user to reclassify a transaction while maintaining an audit log. An example is if you have cleaning service bills that have been coded as outside services, however, there is a separate account for cleaning services you can easily change the coding without having to re-enter the whole bill or enter a reclassifying journal entry. Each reclassification is tracked by Intacct and easily auditable via a pre-built reclassification report allowing you to keep up with changes that have been made in real-time.

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How Do User Permissions allow You to Scale? 

With Intacct permissions, your company can scale with one ERP platform. Imagine the below situation and think about how permissions quickly go from an afterthought in a startup environment to a critical need in a growing, mid-market business.

As with most startups, you begin with one user that has complete access to the accounting system. As the company grows so does the accounting team, often from one person doing everything to three or four people touching different areas of the company’s finances. Now the company is likely going to have a controller or CFO with complete access, but will also likely have an AP and/or AR clerk(s). Now the company starts worrying about permissions on a high level, like restricting their AP clerk to only AP functions in their accounting software (I.e., not able to access financial reports, book journal entries, etc.) After another few years of growth, the companies finance team is now 6 or 8 people, with three team members dedicated to just AP. All three need access to the AP module, but team member one (AP clerk) needs to only enter bills (not delete or reclassify), team member two (senior AP staff) needs to add/delete/reclassify bills and approve payments up to $500, and team member three (AP manager) needs full access (approve all payments, access all reports). This is a very common example of a high growth company that went from no immediate need for user permissions to user permissions being mission-critical functionality. Sadly, many companies wait until user permissions are already mission-critical to address the need. With Intacct, user permissions are ready when you need them and can be quickly deployed within a matter of minutes.

Take A Tour Of Sage Intacct Now

Overall, user permissions allow your company to scale while giving your team access to everything they need to be successful in their roles. It provides robust security for your company’s data that is in such high demand in today’s digital world. Lastly, it mitigates disgruntled or bumbling employees from being able to damage a business’s financial information.  

Download “3 New Approaches for the Data Driven Finance Leader” by filling out the form below, and find out more about how Sage Intacct can help you scale.


 

Sage Intacct Advantage

Why you should attend Sage Intacct’s Advantage: Never-Ending Imagination

Sage Intacct’s Advantage is an educational, inspirational, and engaging conference that is leading the way in cloud solutions. You and your team will walk away with knowledge on how to use your cloud ERP to the max of its ability. Advantage provides an opportunity to connect, network, and become a leader in your company.  

  

When you attend Advantage, you can choose from a diverse collection of product, industry, and hands-on sessions. There are 172 sessions and 203 speaker opportunities. The sessions are broken into different tracks including admin/developer, business leadership, CFO summit, financial services, hands-on learning, healthcare, inventory/distribution, nonprofit, software, product innovation, project and services, and more. You can mix and match tracks to learn new skills and stay competitive. The sessions range from introductory workshops to advanced training. CPE credit is available through select hands-on training courses. Pre-conference training is also available for those looking to advance their Sage Intacct knowledge as well as newcomers to the Sage Intacct world.   

  

Sign Up Now to Attend

  

Advantage is also host to a large marketplace expo that showcases everything from tax software to time and expense solutions, all of which have seamless integrations into their ERP solution. These partners are here to show you how you can continue to automate and move your solutions to the cloud resulting in faster closing, and your ability to do more every month. The expo opens every day at 9 am and stays open throughout the day with multiple schedule breaks as well as a cocktail hour to allow you plenty of time to check out it out. These marketplace partners include ADP, Workforce Go, Nexonia, Avalara, Avidxchange, Expensify, Adaptive Insights, and more. If you need help deciding who to prioritize, we would love to chat before you go! Our team can advise you on what would be the most beneficial for your company.  

  

One of the top reasons to attend Advantage is the time you will be able to spend with your partner. At rinehimerbaker, we send our team members to take interactive workshops, advanced training, and to meet with our customers. When you register, email our team directly and we will set up a meeting before and during the conference to offer guidance on how to get the most out of their mix and match tracks. Please contact ccottingham@rinehimerbaker.com to set up your appointment.  

  

If all the sessions, upgrades to seamless integrations, and a connection with your partner doesn’t do it for you then I have one thing left. It is in Las Vegas and Sage Intacct knows how to throw a party! From the cocktail hour in the marketplace expo to the final night themed party that is sure to wow. You will regret not going, and with this conference, not everything stays in Vegas. You will impress everyone at your company with the knowledge you will bring back to get more out of your ERP.   

 

Sign Up Now to Attend

 

Now that I have convinced you below are a few great tips to keep in mind when planning your trip: 

 

  • The earlier you register, the better deal you will get on your registration fee.  

 

  • As soon as you and your team are registered go ahead and make your hotel reservation. That way you can ensure in staying at the same hotel as the conference. 

 

  • Purchase any pre-training events you would like to attend, as well as guest passes for the night time events. 

 

 

  • Back comfortable business casual clothing in order to get around the MGM hotel. 

 

  • Don’t forget business cards to share as you network with other attendees and at the expo. 

 

Sign Up Now to Attend

 


rinehimerbaker’s Year-in-Review

Take a glimpse at rinehimerbaker’s year-in-review as we get ready to take on 2020.

rinehimerbaker’s Year in ReviewMade with Moovly


Managing a Cultural Shift in the Cloud

Company Culture’s Role in Successful Cloud-Based Software Adoption Part 2: Leading the Charge

“Company culture is either the number one catalyst or inhibitor to progress.” This according to Brian Solis, who has been a leader in the digital transformation movement, is one of the biggest reasons that you need to change the way your people think if you hope to have a successful cloud journey.

In the first part of this blog, we explored the connection between culture and cloud readiness. Today, we would like to look at some of the steps you need to take to lead your change initiative as you work to transform your business.

Managing a Commitment to Change

Influencing—and inspiring—culture change across your organization requires a concerted effort amongst company leaders to adapt their communications to align with the transparency, flexibility, and agility afforded by your new technology. Before managers can help employees/users learn their new responsibilities, processes and procedures, they have to participate in a “global” initiative to set a positive tone and trajectory for the technology project—and keep the momentum going.

Here are best practices to consider as you take your journey of digital (and cultural) transformation:

Set and share a clear vision. What values do you want your employees to embrace—and personify—as they adopt new technology tools and resources? Formalizing your intentions to serve as a guide will prepare your leadership team, and eventually employees, to embody an innovative, tech-driven culture.

Start from the top. Support from the C-suite is critical—and not only because you need their sign-off to purchase your new technology. Their ongoing partnership is essential to creating a culture that values technology, is willing to evolve with changes, and looks forward to learning new ways of working.

Establish a multi-departmental team. While selecting technology solutions and preparing for the change—not to mention rolling out the changes—it’s helpful to depend on the talents and influence of leaders and power users across the company. These “champions” can help you anticipate areas of potential resistance, collect feedback, and communicate changes and project updates with their respective teams, making for a smoother transition for everyone.

Select the right solution(s). If you implement a solution that doesn’t match your requirements, any enthusiasm you’ve built up around the change will fall flat. It’s so important to get the technology “right” from the very beginning—and working with a trusted technology consultancy is often your best route to success.

Send frequent communications. Keep employees informed on organizational goals and technology project timelines and milestones. Depending on the communications preferences of your workforce, share information with them over different channels and formats so you’re sure to effectively connect with everyone. Your messaging should lead with benefits (e.g. increased productivity, 24/7 system access and mobility, enhanced collaboration) and always provide next steps for learning more or providing feedback.

Depend on your implementation partners. When it comes to securing training materials, user support, and all of the other resources you’ll need to drive ongoing change, your third-party partners will have you covered. Experts in the technology you’re implementing and experienced with deployments, they can help you and your entire workforce stay the course—and always moving forward.

At rinehimerbaker, we know what it takes to successfully introduce game-changing technology and bring your company culture along for the exciting ride. Contact us to learn more.

Don’t miss:

3 Things Keeping Your Finance Team From Unlocking Their Potential

Meet the Expectations of Top Financial Talent with Cloud-Based Software

Building a Cloud Focused Culture

Company Culture’s Role in Successful Cloud-Based Software Adoption Part 1: Understanding the Cloud Culture Connection

If your organization’s digital transformation includes introducing your employees to a cloud-based business software solution, you can’t afford to underestimate the role company culture plays in the process. Take it from Brian Solis, who claims “company culture is either the number one catalyst or inhibitor to progress.” By now, the cloud-culture connection is practically conventional wisdom, as digital innovation and success go hand-in hand.

Business leaders are eager to practice culture-change management alongside technology implementation—but no one says it’s easy. In fact, Gartner’s recent Chief Data Officer Survey reveals that “cultural challenges to accept change” is the top internal roadblock to the success of chief data officers today. It’s a roadblock that can most certainly be overcome.

While you can implement a cloud-based business system without addressing company culture, why not take the opportunity to do so? Read on for insights and best practices for achieving employee buy-in, successful uptake of new technology, and other indicators of a successful technology-inspired culture change, whatever these might be for your organization. In part two, we will explore the process for managing change as you head to the cloud.

Understanding the Cloud-Culture Connection

On the surface, introducing new technologies to your workforce might look like a simple shift toward automation, cost-savings, and increased productivity—and it is! Consider the far-reaching impacts of adopting a cloud-based financial management and accounting solution. But it also represents a new approach to data management, a new approach to decision-making, a new approach to achieving a competitive position in the marketplace, a new approach to customer service, and a new approach to managing employees and their responsibilities—and this is just for starters.

Introducing new technologies sends a clear message to employees—it tells them you’re committed to business growth through digital innovation—and your new approach requires new thinking: a new mindset for everyone from the C-Suite and beyond. If “innovation” my means of technology isn’t already one of your company’s core values, it’s time to undertake a culture change.

Consider how the Institute for Digital Transformation describes the result of a culture change:

  • A culture of an empowered team passionately engaged and invested in the long-term success of the business.
  • Everyone is focused on pro-actively eliminating non-value-added activities and their costs on an ongoing basis.
  • The vision and direction of the organization are clear to all, and every individual understands how to best contribute to the achievement of the goals of the organization and is empowered to act.
  • Every employee is engaged in watching the startup community, other industries, your customers, and your competition for new developments or uses of technology that might be adapted by or against your business.

Indeed, your new cloud-based business software (and other technology) is going to contribute to the long-term success of your business—but there’s a learning curve that needs to be addressed first. Your employees need to become “one” in a mindset that drives the progress-yielding behavior change. Everyone needs to understand why change is necessary, how it will be introduced, and what the new approach asks of them. In other words, simply having the technology and processes in place isn’t necessarily going to lead to the results you’re hoping for.

When It Comes to the Cloud, Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast

Bringing your business into the cloud is a challenging process, no matter how many benefits exist. As you make the move to the cloud, it’s important to lead the charge at your organization with an effective plan. In part two, we will discuss the process of managing change, offering advice on how to lead a cultural shift.

Sage Intacct Partner of the Quarter

Sage Intacct Names rinehimerbaker, llc Partner of the Quarter Q4 2017

Some big news from the team at rinehimerbaker. Earlier this month, we were named the Sage Intacct Partner of the Quarter for our strong sales performance and high levels of ongoing customer satisfaction. Learn what this means for our prospects and customers below. Read more

Lure the right talent with cloud ERP

Meet the Expectations of Top Financial Talent with Cloud-Based Software

The benefits of cloud-based software are usually cited as lower costs, process and workflow optimization, and scalability. But the attraction and retention of key finance and accounting department personnel is another benefit of implementing the best-in-class technology—one that’s not included in the “top 5 benefits” lists, but should be. The reality is that today’s top financial talent—and tomorrow’s leaders—operate in a digital world, where 24/7 access, insight, and productivity reign. Read more

strategizing Accounts Payable Automation

Overnight Success? Let Strategy Guide Your AP Automation Expectations

Every day, more finance leaders at growing companies buy into the value prop of best-in-class, cloud-based financial management and accounting software. But that doesn’t mean they’re ready to put their money where their mouth is—not yet, anyway. What they have is a chicken-and egg situation: They want to “get strategic” and know they need to make the investment to get there, but they’re afraid the implementation of new technology won’t yield game-changing results fast enough.

They’re probably right, especially if they go into the endeavor with such lofty expectations. Overnight ROI isn’t realistic, but the ROI will appear—and, at some point, it will “take off” to the delight of all stakeholders, thanks largely to the strategic insights it affords finance leaders. When introducing game-changing technology that will eventually live up to its name, success is often dependent on a well-considered plan of attack.

It Takes A Strategy to “Get Strategic”

As we’ve discussed, The Biggest Benefit of Accounts Payable Automation is the strategic value it delivers to your finance and accounting organization—and to the business at large. This value is achieved by improving AP processes, reducing manual workloads, attaining operational efficiencies, enhancing data collection and reporting, and more. The quality of work goes up along with the volume of actionable insight. With more to bring to the table, CFOs and their teams are able to contribute to the strategic conversation and impact the company’s growth in new ways.

Strategic prowess is key—it’s where technology is taking finance leaders. But before they can get down to the business of strategizing they need to take care of other business first. It’s business that can be taken care of, however, by implementing the right technology. Yet consider these findings from Grant Thornton’s 2017 CFO Survey:

  • CFOs’ biggest priorities are increasing cash flow (45%), reducing costs (41%), and strategic planning (40%).
  • 46% believe that their IT platforms lack the ability to operate effectively and require future investment.
  • The barriers standing in the way of future technology growth include managing costs (51%), maintenance of legacy systems (41%) and seamless business integration (40%).

If upgrading their IT environments and adopting technologies like cloud computing and advanced analytics is what it takes to increase cash flow, reduce costs, and “get strategic,” then what’s the hold-up? Decision-makers might need some additional guidance on the matter. 

Get Help Pressing “Go” on the Investment

Recognize that increasing cash flow and reducing costs requires a new approach to accounting processes—it requires technology-driven automation. Deloitte’s assertion, presented in their Strategies for Optimizing Your Accounts Payable report, boils down to the fact that optimizing working capital requires accounts payables optimization! It takes management commitment—yes, a strategic commitment and investment in technology—to:

  • Centralize accounts payable processing and reporting
  • Move the organization toward a paperless processing environment
  • Enable more robust governance practices
  • Improve supplier relationships
  • Create management workflows
  • Strengthen purchasing approval processes

As these processes and workflows improve, your finance and accounting teams will gain the time and insights they need to focus on strategic initiatives. But how long will this take? When will these results be seen?

You should partner with a technology vendor who can help you customize your approach—so you can start seeing results.

  • Set up your software to to work with your existing systems and processes
  • Show you how to use the technology and tools in the effectively way
  • Grow with the technology as gain efficiencies, and growth into future.

Get in contact with us to learn more.

Financial Services and Cloud Accounting

Focus on Customers Drives Cloud Computing Adoption in Financial Services

Remember the “no-internet policy?” It wasn’t so long ago that companies were keeping their employees from exploring the world wide web on company machines. But as all-things-internet have become ubiquitous, including mobile devices and, yes, cloud computing in the workplace, hopping online to get things done—to perform essential professional tasks, let alone browse favorite website—is commonplace. No wonder Gartner reports that by 2020, a corporate “no-cloud” policy will become as rare as a “no-internet” policy is today. Read more