The search for a scalable multi-entity accounting software
After researching various software options, Welborn was drawn to Gravity Software for its cost-effectiveness and native integration with Microsoft. Gravity Software provided the flexibility The Sunray Companies needed, allowing them to manage different general ledger codes for each division while still maintaining a shared chart of accounts. This enabled them to have both uniformity and specificity in their accounting processes.
Gravity Software's ability to handle intercompany transactions was revolutionary for the team. Maureen Okerstrom, a partner at Cumulus Applications Corporation and an experienced ERP systems expert, worked closely with Welborn to develop a module that facilitated the settlement of intercompany transactions. This module simplified monthly intercompany reconciliations, creating bills and invoices for each company much faster than she could previously.
“(Before, managing intercompany transactions) was a grueling process for me,” Welborn said. “I was going balance sheet to balance sheet. Now it might take me 30 minutes to settle (transactions for) 47 entities in a company, where before it would take me days.”
Updating vendor information is just as simple; Wellborn can change it once and have it automatically updated across all entities. She can also select which entities share vendors and keep vendor information separate from others if needed.
“Tracking renovations at the hotels or our other facilities was done on spreadsheets and was very time-consuming,” she said. “With Gravity’s job costing software, we can easily track the estimated and actual costs. When we enter an accounts payable voucher, we can easily tag it to the job and work type, avoiding double entry and saving time. Now we can quickly see if we are under or over budget on our renovations.”
The ease of use and efficiency of Gravity Software allowed Welborn’s team to focus on more important tasks, such as reviewing financial statements and closing the month quicker.
In addition, Gravity Software's Microsoft Power Apps Platform made it easy for Cumulus to create automated integration with other operational systems, such as the point of sale at the spas, tans, and hotels, which eliminated manual data entry. Previously, The Sunray Companies received daily cash reports from their locations through email PDF documents. With Microsoft Power Automate, Cumulus devised a method to scan these reports and create journals or vouchers using AI technology. This allows the company to have a daily update instead of waiting until the end of the month to see the sales across all locations. They have plans to implement further automation, such as integrating an expense management solution and reading PDF invoices, to streamline their processes even more.
