Catering for better business decision making with Dynamics AX
Catering specialists Bacchid Benevolency Ltd had significant
data integrity, reporting and quotation process issues with their
legacy accounting software, and turned to Olympic and Microsoft
Dynamics AX for a solution.
Named after the Greek god of wine and based on campus at
Auckland University, Bacchid Benevolency Ltd provides specialist
catering and student services through its four businesses. From
Absolute Catering (university-based and outsourced catering
services), Romfords restaurant and function centre, and Shadows
on-campus bar, through to the national tertiary students'
StudentCard discount scheme; Bacchid offers a range of services to
a wide variety of discerning clients.
The Challenge
Bacchid's issues were simple, but significant. Their legacy
accounting software, could no longer manage their diverse and
demanding businesses requirements. Staff reported constant data
integrity issues as account balances failed to agree with
transaction information. Key sales and operational data were
unavailable; meaning sales forecasting and management reporting was
based on gut feel and guesswork, instead of reliable information.
And many tasks around the customer quotation process had to be
performed manually; which not only wasted time, but created
confusion around which quote version was the most recent.
Curan Loh, Bacchid's General Manager, describes the tipping point
as being the company's laborious, protracted month-end financial
reporting. "By the time reports were finalised, 2-3 weeks after cut
off," Loh remembers, "it was far too late to react to the
situation". This delay and the company's resulting inability to
respond in time to potential issues, was a pivotal reason for
seeking a new system.
The Solution
Bacchid's Financial Controller at the time had an existing
relationship with Olympic Software, and had suggested approaching
them for their take on the issue. Loh reports being impressed with
Olympic's proposal to replace the existing accounting system with
the flexibility, efficiency and functionality of Microsoft Dynamics
AX, and integrate the new system directly with their stock
management system, Wincheck. "Olympic had clearly put a lot of work
into identifying exactly what our main issues were, and what kind
of solution we could have within our budget.
Additionally, Loh mentions, they were particularly struck with just
how familiar and easy to understand the Microsoft Dynamics AX
interface was. "Our team was already familiar with Microsoft
Windows XP and Microsoft Office", he continued, "So AX's
Windows-based format was a huge selling point for us."
Implementation
Olympic supplied the Dynamics AX software, installed it, set up
all integrations, and trained Bacchid staff in how to use the new
software. And despite a change in Financial Controller immediately
before Go Live, reports Tanya Bragg, Olympic's project manager for
the implementation, the project unfolded "smoothly due to the
excellent communication and collegial atmosphere within Bacchid".
And Loh agrees wholeheartedly. "The transition to the new system
was fairly seamless, and while a few small matters needed to be
ironed, they were quickly and easily sorted between both
parties."
Results
Two months after going live, Bacchid has already noticed that
the time required for previously manual processes like entering
creditor invoices has halved. And the automated customer quotation
process has not only increased accuracy and efficiency - it's also
increased staff morale and customer satisfaction.
But it's in the area of financial reporting, says Loh, that the
greatest gains have been made. "The combination of Microsoft
Dynamics AX and the easy-to-use financial reporting add-on, FRx,
has ensured we can produce a variety of accurate monthly financial
results at the push of a button", he says. That means Bacchid
executives can now make informed decisions based on actual KPI and
sales data - and make them quickly enough to act-on in an
ever-changing environment.
Highlights
- Catering services providers, Bacchid Benevolency Ltd,
discovered that their existing financial software was creating data
integrity issues, as well as preventing the management team from
accessing critical operational KPIs, and impeding the customer
quotation process.
- Bacchid's Financial Controller, who'd been involved in a
successful implementation and ongoing strategic partnership with
Olympic in a previous role, approached Olympic for their
advice.
- Olympic recommended implementing Microsoft Dynamics AX ERP
software and integrating it to the existing Wincheck stock
management system.
- Despite the challenge of a change in Financial Controller just
before Go Live, the implementation and rollout proceeded
smoothly.
- Two months after going live, Bacchid can now receive timely and
accurate financial information to make informed business decisions
based on actual KPI and sales data; as well as spend less time and
effort manually entering data, and produce consistent, traceable
customer quotes.
