Sage Accpac Simplifies Accounting for Child Welfare Agency

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West Region Child and Family Services, based in Manitoba, Canada, had reached the point of no return with its computer systems. The entire configuration, including hardware, software, and Intranet design, was outdated and needed a complete overhaul. West Region provides child and family services to First Nation people of Manitoba. In 2006, the agency faced a double challenge - they wanted new financial management software that was flexible enough to address the unique needs of their organization, and they needed to implement and customize it affordably and quickly.

"We were at a point where we needed to do a major upgrade of both our hardware and software systems," recalls Carolyn Bohdanovich, Director of Operations. "Our old systems were starting to fail and our software was outdated. We had no option but to upgrade everything."

Outdated and Inefficient Accounting

Upgrading the accounting software was one of the major components of the project. The agency had been using an older DOS version of Sage Accpac for many years, but it was no longer practical. "We had several modules at different office locations and would have to zip files to transfer batches between them. Plus, upgrades and new tax tables for the DOS system were being discontinued," relates Bohdanovich.

West Region didn't have to look far to find the right experience to support their Sage Accpac upgrade. The staff had been working with 21st Century Systems, a Sage Software Authorized Partner based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, since 1990. "We had a great working relationship with Stuart McKelvie, the owner, and trusted his expertise," asserts Bohdanovich.

With the help of McKelvie and his team, the agency began to identify what was needed from their accounting system. "We wanted to increase efficiency as well as take a step towards creating a child welfare cost tracking system that would provide us with information on the cost associated with each child in care," Bohdanovich explains.

With McKelvie's guidance, the agency chose to implement Sage Accpac again, with its latest functionality and Windows based architecture. "Sticking with Sage Accpac was the right choice for West Region Child & Family Services," recalls McKelvie. "Their staff was already familiar with the software, and with the upgrade they could enjoy a range of flexible, customizable features that would adapt readily to their unique needs."

Integration Promotes Efficiency

The functionality and adaptability of Sage Accpac allowed West Region to take full advantage of today's technology to save both time and money. The upgrade streamlined standard accounting procedures, including payroll and financial reporting.

Kelly McKay, West Region's Finance Director, now updates the General Ledger in less time. "The need to do journal entries for payroll and bank entries has been eliminated because all batches are created automatically," McKay relates.

Sage Accpac automates and simplifies complex processes, enabling the West Region team to spend more time on analysis and planning. "Year-end no longer requires us to juggle and balance two sets of general ledgers. It's now an almost seamless transition from the old year to the new year," says McKay.

Sage Accpac allows the accounting department to change some procedures and provide management with current financial information whenever they need it. "We are able to post on a regular basis rather than waiting until month end. This provides more up-to-date and accurate financial information."

In addition, upgrading to the current edition of Sage Accpac allowed the agency to incorporate all of their financial records into one centralized database. "Looking up information is a lot easier because it is in one location. You don't have to go in and out of separate modules. You can drill down to the original source document from one screen," explains McKay.

User Friendly Reports

The reporting features of Sage Accpac make it easy for the agency to find and share financial figures. "Once reports are created, you can look up information through the report using the drill down function so you can figure out what transactions make up an amount on the statement," McKay explains. "Reports can be created through Excel, and this lessened the impact of the change because Excel is one of the most-used programs by our accounting department."

The reporting functions save the staff time and money. Staff members can effortlessly send reports through e-mail instead of printing paper copies, and refer to electronic versions stored on the system rather than search through file cabinets.

McKay sees the benefits of Sage Accpac everyday. "I would say my job has definitely gotten easier. I don't know how I got by before the upgrade."

Tailoring Sage Accpac to Unique Needs

Sage Accpac allows West Region to customize reports and track costs in a unique way that is specific to their mission as a child services agency. "We use optional fields to track costs by child and distribution codes to track costs by type of cost," explains Bohdanovich.

21st Century Systems played an integral role in implementing Sage Accpac and customizing its functions and reports. Bohdanovich appreciated the support and knowledge of McKelvie's staff. "Monique was particularly helpful in assisting us in setting up the systems and working with Kelly to develop ways to track costs. She also helped us fine tune a process to create a batch to pay foster parents. We simply import an Excel spreadsheet into Accpac to initiate payment via direct deposit."

21st Century Support

After the implementation of Sage Accpac, 21st Century Systems provided training and ongoing support to ensure that the West Region staff would be able to enjoy the full benefits of their new software. 21st Century Systems conducted some of the training remotely, making it possible for the accounting staff at the Rolling River office to learn Sage Accpac without having to travel. "It was helpful to have them connect remotely and walk us through various processes," Bohdanovich emphasizes.

West Region plans to add even more value to Sage Accpac by implementing the Human Resources Module in the near future. They are also considering the benefits of CRM. "We would like to develop a child welfare case management system using CRM, as well as expand the cost tracking system for children in care," shares Bohdanovich.

Bohdanovich would recommend 21st Century Systems to anyone looking to upgrade Sage Accpac. She plans to continue working with McKelvie and his team to find new ways to take advantage of Sage Accpac functionality. As West Region Child and Family Services continues to search for greater efficiencies, Sage Accpac, with its versatility and wide array of add-on modules, will continue to provide a reliable accounting system that adapts to the agency's changing needs.