Onefire’s business apps could not communicate with each other and QuickBooks Enterprise couldn’t keep up
The company had been utilizing an outsourced accounting firm who was trying to use QuickBooks Enterprise (QBE) to financially manage 17 entities. Different applications could not exchange data or otherwise cross-communicate. Individual company files had to be closed before different companies' files could be accessed, meaning staffers sometimes relied on paper sticky notes to track important details. The multiple reports vital to Onefire Holding Company's (Onefire) record-keeping were time-consuming and difficult to complete, and because QBE isn’t cloud-based, users couldn’t work off-site. In essence, QBE was simply the wrong choice for a business involving so many disparate businesses with different functions.
Gravity Software’s cloud-based, multiple-company consolidation capabilities
The decision was made to bring all accounting in-house. To alleviate the extreme frustration to its accounting staffers, Onefire execs began shopping around for an affordable, cloud-based accounting software that could integrate the workloads of multiple companies without slowing everything down. Products like Sage Intacct and PeopleSoft were deemed way too expensive for the midsized firm. Then the powers that be found Gravity Software® (Gravity). After checking out its interface, they discovered its capabilities exactly fit their needs — especially after it was fully personalized with key modules aimed at providing optimal value to Onefire. During the transition phase, Gravity personnel were able to respond to questions and solve any reported issues within 24 hours.
Increased efficiency by 50%, gained real-time insights, and created financial savings
Thanks to Gravity’s extreme efficiency, the screen time needed to complete Onefire’s accounting functions has since been reduced by a full 50%. That means employees have been able to reallocate their time, energy and brainpower to other key tasks within the department. “Gravity Software has been a lifesaver for me,” reports Robert Everman, Onefire’s Chief Operating Officer. “I’m 100% in its camp. It’s so much easier, so much better and so much more efficient. The training provided before the actual implementation was fantastic and comprehensive; it gave us the opportunity to ask questions, get answers, really dig in and find how things were going to work when we were actually in.”
Completing end-of-month financial reports for the firm's board of directors and the Tribal Council is now automatic. While users previously had to pull together 17 different balance sheets for 17 different entities, a push of a button now produces a comprehensive report that presents vital information on all the organizations involved. The process that used to be an almost month-long endeavor can now be accomplished within a few days. Further, templates are used to automatically collect and upload monthly journal entries from the firm’s various property managers, so the report can be compiled as needed.
“We’re now able to get our (previous) months closed by the fourth day of each month, with all reports printed and everything ready to go. It’s just a tremendous savings in terms of screen time and effort. I can get those done way ahead of time, get them planned...then just jump from one to another and get them closed. It’s almost automatic,” states Everman.
To the delight of accounting staffers, since Gravity can be accessed any time through any internet portal, those who previously needed to drive into the office for their jobs can now work from home as needed. Everman says, his ability to work from home now allows him to avoid the lengthy commute that kept him away most weekday evenings. “Because of Gravity I only have to be in the office two to three days a week,” he explains. “It’s really brought me my family back. I’m so happy about the way things went, and very encouraged for the future of this organization.”
