Strong Systems Gained Better Insight into Company-Wide Results with NetSuite Allowing Them to Make Informed Business Decisions Faster
Strong Systems
Strong Systems International is a leading North American systems integrator of security systems and network communications.
HEADQUARTERS
Atlanta, GA
INDUSTRY
Technology
CUSTOMERS
Serves over 2,000 customers and handles approximately 8,500 calls per month with remote technicians.
WEBSITE
strongsystems.com
Introduction and Challenge
Strong Systems International provides system integration services bringing together security and network technologies and ensuring those technologies perform to expectation. They protect businesses by limiting their liability, improving processes and profitability, and enhancing employee and public safety.
For 30+ years, Strong Systems has provided customized technology solutions for clients by listening to their unique business situations and needs. So, it was easy for them to recognize when their own accounting system was no longer working for them. They were using QuickBooks with custom integrations; it was only covering the accounting basics and was holding their business back.
“Our accounting was accurate, but we didn’t have access to financial details in a timely manner, so we couldn’t make informed business decisions quickly. Anytime we needed more insight or functionality from QuickBooks we built a solution ourselves, which cost us time and money — resources that would have been better spent on running our business. We realized we needed a more comprehensive financial management solution that didn’t require custom work for every issue we encountered,” said Chris Verch, President of Strong Systems.
The NetSuite and Strategic Integrated Solution
NetSuite’s cloud-based, comprehensive financial and business management platform was a perfect fit for Strong Systems. With all the features they needed already built into NetSuite, they no longer had to write code for workarounds. “NetSuite’s built in functionality has saved our team tremendous time. By automating many functions through NetSuite, we’ve experienced increased efficiencies in our financial processes, allowing us more time to focus on the business,” said Chris.
Like Strong Systems, Strategic Information Group specializes in helping companies improve processes and profitability through integrated technology solutions, but on the financial management side of the business. “Having similar philosophies, we felt Strategic was the best firm to implement NetSuite for our business. The Strategic NetSuite team has been a great partner — not only do they understand NetSuite, but they have strong backgrounds in accounting and business fundamentals,” Chris added.
“Working with Strategic was an easy decision because they clearly communicated the benefits of NetSuite. They listened to us explain our pain points, provided valuable best practice insights, and developed a comprehensive solution to address our unique requirements.”
Richard Verch,
Strong Systems
Company Impact
Access to Real-Time Data
Because NetSuite provides real-time data across the entire business, Strong Systems is able to make informed business decisions faster. “Now that our financial information is tightly integrated across all company disciplines, we can trust the data is accurate, giving us better insight into our company results and allowing us to react faster. We can see which areas of our company are the most profitable and maximize those areas, and on the filp side, make informed decisions about areas that aren’t performing as well,“ said Chris.
Increased Efficiencies Through Automation
To extend NetSuite’s functionality, Strong Systems implemented A/R Toolkit and Billfinity. Through Billfinity, Strong Systems now fully automates their monthly subscription invoicing process and automatically amortizes the related revenue. This process was previously done manually, and it was prone to error.
The A/R Toolkit allows Strong Systems to create consolidated invoices for some customers, automate invoice delivery, and automatically follow up on outstanding invoices. A/R Toolkit has helped Strong Systems decrease the time invoices remain unpaid and has removed many previously manual processes.
Cloud-Based Benefits
NetSuite’s cloud-based infrastructure allows Strong Systems’ project managers, who are located across the U.S., to access real-time client account information from any computer at any location. “With 2,000 clients, our project managers need to be able to access specific project related information while in the field to effectively manage their client load. Through NetSuite permissions, we can give our employees access to the information they need while keeping confidential company data private,” said Chris.
On-Going Support
“NetSuite is a robust software, and after implementation, Strategic was always there to guide us through our challenges and provide quick solutions and training when we needed it. Now that we’ve used NetSuite for several years, we are more comfortable with the day-to-day, but we still rely on Strategic for help with advanced tasks and special projects. We appreciate the long-term relationship we’ve built with their experienced and knowledgeable team,” said Chris.