FortWhyte Alive Promotes nature More Efficiently with
Sage Accpac ERP
Challenge
The organization needed to upgrade their accounting system to improve reporting capabilities and implement an integrated payroll
Results
Now, financial reports are easier to create, customize, and
distribute through e-mail, and payroll functions are handled
internally for better control and cost savings.
Solution
Sage Accpac ERP
FortWhyte Alive makes nature come alive for visitors as they explore 600 acres of prairie, lakes, forests and wetlands in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The facility is open year round and hosts special events and educational programming, as well as tours, conferences, and meetings. There’s year round fishing, canoeing, hiking and bird watching, not to mention the largest indoor aquarium in Manitoba
FortWhyte Alive has depended on Sage Accpac ERP for many years to provide integrated accounting and financial reporting. Recently, the organization upgraded from an older DOS version of the system, to Sage Accpac 5.5. They also switched from an outsourced payroll provider and began processing payroll in-house with Sage Accpac.
FortWhyte Alive worked with 21st Century Systems, a Sage Software Business Partner specializing in accounting and management consulting. FortWhyte Alive’s accountant, Sharon McKay, saw immediate benefits with the upgrade.
“I have been working with Accpac for over 20 years, throughout my career,” she recalls, “The upgrade was efficient. This has brought a lot to our company. It has a lot of things going for it including more comprehensive reporting. The payroll module is really great. We run a few funds through our software. I love Accpac.”
McKay’s staff was able to learn the software quickly. “The Windows version is easy to learn. I have 3 volunteers who provide assistance on a weekly basis. They are just lay people with no Accpac experience. They’ve had no problem picking it up. It’s been very good for them and very user friendly.”
In-House Payroll Delivers Cost Savings and Greater Control
The Sage Accpac payroll module has given McKay the convenience of finding immediate answers and developing individualized payroll reports. FortWhyte Alive had been contracting with an outside payroll provider, but that arrangement presented problems.
"I couldn't access specific reports for individual employees and often, I had to go back through paper reports to find information. It was really cumbersome,” McKay explained. “I like the flexibility that internal payroll provides. I run the full-time direct deposits on the “old” payroll date and I now have a 3-day window to run the part-time payroll cheques. Before, I would be so stressed trying to get the payroll to the provider by a certain time on the payroll run date. I don’t know how I would have survived the summer on the old system.”
In addition, McKay wasn’t able to get the full picture of her employees’ payroll status without access to all of the information. “I realized how much I couldn’t see about our own employees with an outside provider. Some employees were under taxed and owed tax at the end of the year.”
With Sage Accpac integrated payroll, FortWhyte Alive saves $3000 a year and processes payroll more efficiently. "When I need a payroll report on a certain employee, I just run a register and it tells me the cheque number, hours worked, taxes, vacation pay - everything. I'm in control of my own information and have access to the reports I need. It's fantastic, " says McKay.
Sage Accpac reduces manual data entry saving McKay time and making the payroll process much more secure and accurate by maintaining all records in a closed system. “I used to have to create the payroll and send reports to the provider to produce the cheques, and then take their final reports and enter the numbers in our GL. It took me two hours to calculate the GL entry with the payroll register reports from the old provider. Now, when I run payroll, Sage Accpac automatically puts the entry into the right account.”
Centralized Reporting Satisfies Management and Auditors
McKay appreciates the ease of reporting and distributing financial information to management, board members and auditors. “I create monthly financial statements, annual financials, and budget reports. We have an external audit every year, requiring a lot of reports and prep work. Sage Accpac makes it easier because all of the information is centralized in one location.”
One of McKay’s favorite reporting features is the ability to e-mail reports directly from Sage Accpac. “For the budget process, I sent everyone their budget information showing actual revenue and expenses for this year and last year, and I set up a report for each manager showing them revenue and expenses month by month for the entire year. It’s really great.”
21st Century Systems has designed customized reports to help McKay deliver the precise information that management and auditors want to see. “I can get exactly what I need with the customized reports. The people that work at 21st Century are so knowledgeable.’’
The Right Partner is Integral to Success
FortWhyte Alive has worked with 21st Century Systems for years, to support and customize Sage Accpac. The technical expertise and reliable service of the team at 21st Century continues to surpass McKay’s expectations. “I just love 21st Century Systems,” McKay reports. “I cannot say enough good things about them. If my computer crashes today, they will be here to help me. They are really customer-oriented. I’ve even had Stuart, the president, come out to help me because everyone else was out of town.”
McKay has heard stories of bad experiences with other accounting software and conversions, but that’s just not the case with 21st Century Systems. She is impressed with their good work and their service. “I would definitely recommend them to others,” she states.
