Sage 200 & Salesforce Connector Module
Equipment provider improves functionality by using Solutions Connector Module to integrate Sage 200 with Salesforce.
A Customer Success Story
Project background
The client
Founded in 1982, Van Walt’s 40 years of expertise make them leaders in equipment innovation.
Their team are located in 5 offices across 3 continents and design, source, install, supply, rent and repair equipment for environmental research.
Their goal is to provide best-in-class equipment for soil water and groundwater monitoring and research.
This has predominantly been achieved through the development and expertise of their own team and ensuring a deep understanding of their clients’ needs.
Greater financial control
The challenge
Van Walt had been using TAS as their core financial system for over 30 years and the software had run to the end of its life which meant that it was no longer being supported. Whilst they felt happy with their package, they didn’t want to run the risk of problems occurring with the system that they would not be able to recover from. As the business operated with multiple currencies in different countries, they needed a more robust and scalable platform that would provide them with long-term flexibility.
In addition to a new financial system, the company were also looking to implement a new CRM as they were facing limitations with their current software. One of the key driving factors for the new system was that Van Walt needed to streamline their Quote to Order processes. Prior to integrating their systems, the company would have to create quotes outside of their CRM and then re-enter order details into their accounting programme. Not only did this manual processing and duplication of data place a huge burden on the finance team’s time, it also ran the risk of costly mistakes occurring due to inevitable human error.
Furthermore, the company was struggling to produce the reports they required from their current CRM system. Originally, Van Walt had been using four separate databases (one for each of their geographically dispersed businesses), which meant that their data was disconnected and held in multiple locations. They needed a system that would enable the quick production of reports on key business metrics and eliminate a reliance on the use of Excel to collate all this information.
It was also important for the organisation to have the ability to set up new users and access rights within the system. Previously, Van Walt ran a very open system which gave everyone within the office access to all data. This could lead to duplication of work and often made it difficult for members of the team to focus on key tasks, and prioritise their duties efficiently. Finally, with staff in multiple locations the company required a solution that would allow them to centralise data but provide access to their globally distributed workforce as it grew. In achieving this it was also going to be necessary to control infrastructure costs”
An innovative approach
Our solution
Following extensive research on several different systems and providers, Van Walt’s joint Managing Director David Van Walt reached out to Solutions for Accounting and CRM. A consultation exercise was carried out with Solution’s experts who felt certain that Sage 200 was the right system to match the company’s needs for robust and scalable financial management. Given the requirement for a new CRM system as well, the team at Solutions also recommended Salesforce and the ‘Solutions Connect’ Module to integrate the two systems seamlessly.
When discussing why he chose Solutions for Accounting and CRM, David Van Walt said:
We don’t have the experience to migrate business management systems in-house, so we were going to need help. We found Solutions for Accounting and CRM who explained the benefits of Sage 200 and Salesforce, and their ‘Solutions Connect’ module which would enable data to flow freely between the two systems. Having the ability to integrate our finance and CRM operations wasn’t something that we had necessarily considered at the start but after speaking to the team at Solutions we could see real value in connecting the two systems and centralising data.
David Van Walt, Joint Managing Director
As Van Walt operates in different countries using multiple currencies, they needed a system that could automate some of their processes such as generating customer accounts, ensuring that the correct currencies were always applied. By using the Solutions Connect module to integrate Salesforce and Sage 200, any new accounts created in CRM would automatically be populated into Sage 200 as well. These accounts would then be prefixed with the correct country alpha codes which would help save time by eliminating the need to manually prefix each new customer account. Furthermore, the connector module operates 24/7 to ensure that orders are still pulled through even when created in different time zones.
The Solutions Connect module would also help Van Walt minimise manual processes and eliminate data entry errors by enabling staff to create Quotations in Salesforce, convert them to Orders and then push them directly through to Sage 200.
As product details including pricing and stock levels are synchronised from Sage 200 into Salesforce, Van Walt Sales users would be able to build quotations for their customers by drawing on accurate real time data, reflecting current pricing trends and the availability of products. At the same time, sales teams would have access to customers’ financial status in Salesforce before accepting an order or raising a quote.
Another issue for the business was that they needed to consolidate performance information from each of their operating companies in a single centralised reporting environment. Salesforce is particularly strong in this area with robust reporting tools and dashboards which would provide Van Walt with greater flexibility in terms of how they could present their data.
Furthermore, by connecting Salesforce with Sage 200, the company would be able to cross reference Sage 200 financial data from within their CRM. This would help improve efficiency by assimilating KPI data from across the business, providing rich and meaningful insight to day-to-day performance and also supporting strategic decision making.
Streamlined and efficient
The outcome
Subsequent to the successful implementation and integration of Sage 200 and Salesforce, Van Walt have been able to embrace the functionality of a more efficient system to bring about transformational business process improvements.
The company are now able to generate customer accounts and reports quickly and easily in different currencies without the need to consolidate their data from various spreadsheets within Excel. Transactions and critical business data now flows seamlessly between Sage 200 and Salesforce. This provides staff with real time visibility of all customer information, empowering them to provide a better level of service to their customers.
Combining the 4 original Act! databases into a single Salesforce CRM that supports the entire global business has helped create a more scalable, dynamic and collaborative working environment.
The company have been able to focus their teams’ attention where it’s needed, improving productivity by providing users with the visibility that they need. This enhanced focus has given Van Walt’s employees the ability to effectively prioritise their own key duties and ensure that tasks are neither duplicated nor forgotten. This has helped them streamline their processes and save significant time on business operations that had previously been manually intensive.
When discussing how the new software has benefited Van Walt and its processes, David Van Walt comments:
Connecting the two systems together enables all our teams to have access to information which is relevant to them. Financial information is visible within Salesforce, and Sales Orders can be passed seamlessly to Sage 200. We can also run very specific reports that help people understand how the business is performing, both at a local level and globally. Beforehand, we were running old, clunky software and we’ve now brought in a more modern system enabling our teams to become more efficient and effective, and to support our business through its next phase of growth.
David Van Walt, Joint Managing Director
Solutions Sales Director, Will Ingleby, has said:
Working with David and the team has been a rewarding experience. It was clear from the outset that Van Walt’s senior management had a vision for the future development of their business. This was underpinned by centralisation of data relating to their global operation and improved operational efficiencies. These aspirations aligned perfectly with the Salesforce and Sage 200 playbook, so we knew from day one that it was a great fit! Our consultants formed a project team with key stakeholders from David’s staff and together they did a brilliant job in delivering a solution that looks set to deliver real business value for Van Walt.
Sean Graham, Operations Director at Solutions for Accounting
If you are interested in finding out more about Sage 200, Salesforce or the Solutions Connector Module, then please contact our experts today.
