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SAGE INTACCT CASE STUDY:

Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate to Sage Intacct Construction: Upgrading to Cloud Accounting Software

How an accounting system upgrade made it possible for a premier design/build firm to process 30% more revenue without a change to staffing

Neil Kelly is a multi-faceted design/build remodel and home improvement company serving communities in the Northwest. They have divisions specializing in remodeling projects, exterior renovation, and custom homes. Known in the industry for their environmentally friendly practices and commitment to sustainability, Neil Kelly also offers services in solar energy, and home performance improvements.

Since its start in 1947, Neil Kelly’s innovative approach toward finding new ways to add value for their clients has led to the company’s continuous growth and expansion of services. However, one aspect of their business remained unchanged for 20+ years - their accounting software.

THE PROBLEM

Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate

Neil Kelly’s CFO, Emily Porter, started her career at the company 2.5 years ago as a controller. Once she began work in their Sage 300 CRE software, she found she had inherited an outdated and cluttered system, whose lack of automation caused inefficiencies in their accounting practices.

Before Sage Intacct, technical issues required an IT technician on site, leading to forced downtime and frustrating stopping points in Neil Kelly’s daily business operations.

Large Amounts of Data Requiring Manual Transfer Across Multiple Systems

Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate’s inability to integrate with the company’s payroll and timekeeping systems required employees to manually transfer data from one system to another. “IT had built us a few tools but nothing talked to each other.” Emily recounts. Without automation, this time-consuming process necessitated an employee solely focused on ensuring the downloading and uploading of invoices functioned properly with each of the company’s software systems.

Module System’s Reliance on IT Support led to Downtime

During the company's use of Sage 300 CRE, any technical issues experienced on the system required an IT technician to fix the system in person. This forced downtime led to frustrating stopping points in their daily business operations. “If a computer lost power, we had to rely on IT support to get us back on the module system,'' Porter explains.

Difficult to Access System Remotely

In order to remotely access any data located in Sage 300 CRE required logging in to the company’s remote desktop. Because of this, accessing the module was slow and often required maintenance and updates on system reports. This downfall of using a non-cloud solution was amplified when many employees began working from home during the COVID pandemic.

THE SOLUTION

Sage Intacct Construction + Sockeye

Realizing Sage 300 CRE’s inability to serve the needs of their multifaceted construction business, Neil Kelly decided to switch to a cloud accounting software. Emily stated that for them, “It was a really thoughtful decision based on where we wanted to go.”

Having established/identified systems in place to handle the company’s non accounting business operations, they wanted a system that would be used for accounting only. Neil Kelly ultimately decided to make the switch from Sage 300 CRE to Sage Intacct Construction in January 2021.

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THE IMPLEMENTATION

After choosing Intacct, the next step was selecting an implementation partner. “[Sockeye] came heavily recommended by Intacct," Porter remembers, “I don't recall shopping for anyone else. They came with a recommendation and it was a great one.”

Neil Kelly's onboarding process with Sockeye began quickly, and by March 2021, they made the commitment to go live to Sage Intacct Construction.

Immediately, Porter felt like she was “working with real people," and receiving more than just technical support from her implementation team. “The advice and honest conversations established a trust where we could easily make decisions and move forward efficiently.” Learning a new software requires time, and in construction time is money.

Emily recounts other implementations where she ran into roadblocks due to the lack of communication among her assigned support team. “With Sockeye, I just felt like I had to explain a process once and the whole team knew it. It didn't matter which member I was working with.”

How Sage Intacct Construction Solved Their Old System’s Limitations

Data Flows Seamlessly Across Multiple Systems

Neil Kelly’s keeping of records goes past the distinction of different types of products. The company is accustomed to tracking costs on a granular level, which their payroll and timekeeping systems were not equipped to handle by default.

To fix this, Sockeye set up custom integrations within Sage Intacct to ensure accurate transferring of reporting information from one system to another.

Up-to-date Project Financials accessible from anywhere

Configuring an integration with Sage Intacct and Neil Kelly’s CRM, Salesforce, allowed for the delivery of updated client information to be accessed in real time.

The ability for their business users, project managers and heads of department to be able to view contracts and billing data on-site, was something not possible with their previous system.

THE OUTCOME

An Intuitive System Designed To Keep Up With Their Construction Business

The team no longer feels restricted in how they can collect and distribute their cost reports like they did with their previous system. Now, Neil Kelly is in full control to set up their data reporting exactly the way they want, and without the need of an IT Team in order to make it happen.

My favorite part about Sage Intacct is where we’re going with it.

Emily Porter | Neil Kelly CFO

System Automations Resulted in Substantial Time Savings

After the initial resistance from the Neil Kelly team to make the switch, they saw what was a clunky process before in Sage 300 CRE become more intuitive with Sage Intacct.

Their CFO adds, “I was probably the most skeptical, but I saw it worked and that it saves my team a lot of time not having to manually merge information from other systems, the time spent each day manually uploading invoices into Sage 300 is gone.”

This new found time can now be spent on what Neil Kelly loves - innovation. With all of the customizations available in Sage Intacct, the accounting team can work to perfect their reporting practices and distribution.

Sage Intacct’s Seemingly Limitless Integration Opportunities

During the implementation of Sage Intacct Construction, the team saw the system’s ability to integrate with their established software systems and the customizations that are possible. With this knowledge Emily feels that, “Intacct has allowed us to thoughtfully shop for other softwares to do meaningful integrations with in the future”.

Positive results obtained from Intacct’s system continue to be seen as Porter and her team explore Intacct's full reporting potential. “As we're getting farther down the road, there's just more and more available that makes our life easier.” Having the ability to plan ahead on what can be accomplished with their system was one of the main reasons they chose Sage Intacct.

Finally, Neil Kelly has found an accounting solution that can adapt to fit the needs of their constantly evolving construction business.

The impact of upgrading to Sage Intacct Construction for their accounting software is best summed up by Emily, “We've increased revenue and throughput substantially … and we haven't grown in size!”

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Company Overview

Neil Kelly is one of the largest design/build remodeling firms in the country, with more than 30,000 projects completed in Oregon and Washington. Their range of services include design build remodeling, custom construction, handyman services, energy retrofits and solar power. For over 70 years, this family owned business has been nationally recognized for their award-winning design, innovative practices, outstanding craftsmanship and community engagement. Learn more about Neil Kelly by visiting neilkelly.com.

Previous Software

Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate

Results With Sockeye

Substantial Time Savings from automated data entry across their timekeeping and payroll systems

Provided custom integrations needed to track job costs at a granular level across all systems

Granted remote access to contracts and billing data through real-time financial dashboards

case study: Neil Kelly & Sage intacct

How an Accounting System Upgrade made it possible for a remodeling company to process 30% more revenue without a change to staffing

Download, view, or share the PDF version of Sockeye's case study on Neil Kelly's switch from Sage 300 CRE to Sage Intacct Construction.

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SOCKEYE + SAGE INTACCT CONSTRUCTION

Let us help you upgrade to a cloud accounting system built specifically for the construction industry

Sockeye is the only Sage Intacct Premier Partner that specializes in serving construction companies. We’ve helped hundreds of general contractors, sub-contractors, trades, and real estate companies take control of their project financial management. We’re constantly discovering new ways to streamline our clients’ workflows and sharing those insights across our portfolio.

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