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A Seamless Conversion from Sage BusinessVision Delights Window Film Systems

“When you’ve used an accounting product for so long you naturally become comfortable with the features and reports. I wasn’t willing to see the company to take a step backward”, says Daphne Buono, General Manager. The decision to purchase the Connected Accounting and ERP Software was the right move for the company. “The conversion process was seamless and I would do it again.”

– Window Film Systems

Based in London Ontario, Window Film Systems (WFS) has been the national distributor of high performance window films since 1978. With the increasing awareness of the damage caused from UV rays the company was experiencing rapid growth that their obsolete computer hardware couldn’t keep up with.  The decision to change from the PC platform to a Mac environment was met with nervous skepticism from the accounting department.

“We relied on Sage BusinessVision (BV) and I was very concerned about transitioning to a new system,” says Daphne Buono, General Manager.  “When you’ve used an accounting product for so long you naturally become comfortable with the features and reports. At a minimum, the new system had to provide the same functionality – I wasn’t willing to see the company to take a step backward.”

The decision to purchase Connected Accounting and ERP from Accountek Solutions Inc. has been a step in the right direction for the company that started with a smooth conversion of the financial information in Sage BusinessVision. “I sent my accounting data to Accountek on February 1,” recalls Daphne “and 3 days later they sent me back a Connected Accounting file ready to use. The process was seamless and I would do it again.”

Worried that the implementation of a new accounting system would be disruptive to the business, Daphne was pleasantly surprised by Accountek’s approach. “The training was done remotely which worked great for me. I feel very confident using Connected and continue to be delighted with how responsive the support and development teams are to my requests.”

WFS provides a variety of window film solutions for both  residential and commercial markets including healthcare facilities, banks, schools, corporate offices and famous institutions, namely the Smithsonian, the Louvre and the National Art Gallery. Each customer’s need is unique and Connected’s strong Job Costing module enables the accounting department to manage complex projects simultaneously.

“Years ago customers were looking for solutions to keep their indoor spaces cool and reduce the effects of sun damage. Over time the technology has improved; interior and exterior film has to be energy efficient but now customers also want to improve the esthetic and the safety of the building. We see opportunities for the future, providing custom design services and products that protect people and property.  It’s great knowing that Connected will continue to grow with us.”

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Access to Information – The Key to Success for Chicago Coding Systems Inc.

CCS uses Connected in a cross-platform environment for its accounting and inventory management. 50% of the users running on PC’s while the production and receiving departments are on Macs. “Connected has been running flawlessly for us since the beginning however I’m planning to move the entire company to the Apple platform in the near future”, Rob reports with a smile.

Knowledge is power is the mantra behind the business decisions that have driven growth at Chicago Coding Systems Inc (CCS) www.chicagocoding.com for the past three years. That’s when this respected industry leader for over 50 years made the decision to move their accounting system to Connected Accounting and ERP Software, from Accountek Solutions Inc.

“We had been using Sage BusinessWorks for 15 years,” Rob Weinhoff, Director at the company for 23 years. “Our biggest frustration, and frankly concern, was the dramatic adjustments that were required every year end in order to reconcile our inventory with the physical count. It was clear to us that we were making decisions based on inaccurate reporting from our previous accounting system.”

The change to Connected Accounting and ERP was a natural migration based on Rob’s love of the Apple operating system. “You wouldn’t expect to find as many Macs in a fast distribution company like ours, but after I started using an iPhone and we were seeing more and more iPads coming into work, I saw the value of a platform that made people more productive.”

CCS provides unique solutions for each customer, from adhesives and labels to high end label printers for heavy duty industrial use. The company prides itself on providing quality service and products – a system that provides easy access to the configuration records for each customer is a ‘must have’ for success. It hasn’t always been easy to find information quickly within the manual records that used to be kept. “While we’re not a paperless operation yet, I can see that it can happen and Connected is instrumental in helping us to get there. Our sales, support and service teams no longer have to search for quotes, orders and contracts but instead can rely on a centralized solution that gives them a complete picture of our customer. Being able to see an electronic copy of the quote and the unique specifications for the order has saved us a lot of time.”

CCS uses Connected in a cross-platform environment with 50% of the users running on PC’s while the production and receiving departments are on Macs. “Connected has been running flawlessly for us since the beginning however I’m planning to move the entire company to the Apple platform in the near future”, Rob reports with a smile. “Over the past four years many of our competitors have dropped out while we’ve experienced growth. It makes sense to me to invest in what’s working for our business.”

There have been plenty of unexpected benefits from implementing Connected. When Rob made the decision to move to Connected he knew that CCS was going to get a system that provided better controls for the three companies he manages. After the first year, while there was an inventory adjustment necessary, the amount was not as substantial as in the past. “In the beginning we were getting our business in alignment with Connected and understanding the numbers in ways that we never could before.” The last inventory adjustment that was required was $10,000 the lowest ever in the history of CCS. According to Rob, “I was delighted.”

What also delighted CCS’s management team was Connected’s strong manufacturing features that enabled the company to track mistakes and waste. Previously these details weren’t traceable in the accounting records – now CCS has accurate costs at their finger tips, resulting in improved profitability. “We didn’t know until we started using Connected that we were missing reclaiming good ink. Once this cost was indentified we saved $16,000. Connected’s reporting allowed us to find waste in our processing. Now we purchase scrap materials for the setup phase of testing and reserve the good material until the job is ready to go. This change in our approach saved us $20,000.”

Rob’s enthusiasm for CCS and their customers spills over to Connected. “The folks at Accountek have been great to work with. They have been very helpful and responsive to suggestions about new features. We are definitely in a position to continue growing and value Connected as an essential component to our business.”

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DC Battery Specialists

“Connected has become integral to our business and we are confident that we would not have been able to grow this past year without it.”

– Dave Koenig

A little over a year ago, Dave Koenig, owner of DC Battery, a leading Miami based battery wholesaler, decided to upgrade his Insight Accounting software to Connected. The expansion to multi-user, detailed inventory tracking, and the ability to catch a thief are just some of his highlights with Connected so far. The following testimonial outlines his experience to date:

“After a decade of using Insight as my accounting software, my company grew while Insight increasingly diminished in its ability to satisfy my accounting needs. After arduous research I decided to commit to a conversion to Connected.

“After 14 months of use I have concluded that this was my best choice. Connected, with the inventory module for my wholesale business, has proven to be a thoroughly competent manager of receivables, payables and inventory. Additionally, the start-up conversion went smoother then expected due to the broad import facilities offered in Connected. Connected’s network software has performed flawlessly and the security password features allows me to let anyone use the system on their own client machine while controlling their degree of access.

“In addition to offering accurate A/R and A/P accounting and reports, I find that in an inventory intensive business such as mine, Connected precisely tracks inventory from Purchase Orders to Sales and in many instances will not let you make a mistake. In my business, the inventory control offered by Connected uncovered a pattern of loss. This promoted an investigation which later uncovered theft, which would have continued without the close scrutiny of Connected, thus saving my company thousands.

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Bryant Products Inc.

“Connected’s excellent manuals and comprehensive import routines let us transfer two years worth of data out of our old system with almost no manual entries…”

– Fred Thimmel

Many small businesses build their first accounting system with a product purchased at their local Apple store.  That’s often enough to get started, or even to last for many years—but for those businesses who need more, Connected Accounting & ERP, a suite of accounting solutions from Accountek Solutions, Inc is ready to help.

“As our business grew, we needed a fully integrated accounting package,” recalls Fred Thimmel, President of Bryant Products, Inc., a Wisconsin manufacturer of mechanical components. With growth exceeding 20% annually, the family-run firm searched for an accounting package that echoed the easy-to-learn, easy-to-use nature of the Macintosh. The first product they tried fell short of expectations: it didn’t reflect the Mac’s intuitive interface and led to system crashes, data loss, and too much downtime.

Thimmel was determined to find a better solution. “We’re a Mac-powered business, and I wanted something that played up the strengths of the Mac,” he recalls. He struck pay dirt when he learned about Connected. “They understood the damage of so much system downtime had caused and our need for reliable, prompt technical support. And they even helped us with customized outputs to match our business needs.”

The people at Bryant welcomed the change. “Connected’s excellent manuals and comprehensive import routines let us transfer two years worth of data out of our old system with almost no manual entries,” Thimmel recalls. “The learning curve was minimal, letting us cross-train our folks and get at least two people deep in every functional area.”

Since Connected went live, Bryant has enjoyed unprecedented productivity. Thimmel shares the credit with Connected. “We’ve had only one system crash and have never had to revert to a backup. We’ve gone from 2 days down per month to less than four hours total in the first five months with Connected.

“We can close out a month and have accurate, detailed financial statements in a day. The ease with which we generate reports has improved all facets of our business. Inventory has decreased and is in better balance. Our Customer Receivables aging has reached an all-time low. Payables and cash management has improved greatly. We provide on-target information to field sales and have improved our knowledge of the customer base.

“We love Connected software, but send top praise to the support staff,” Thimmel concludes. “They are pleasant, helpful and have a genuine concern that the software is truly functioning to our satisfaction. Using Connected has been a wholly positive experience.”

To learn more about Bryant Products please visit their web site at www.bryantpro.com.

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