Sage 50 to Sage Intacct

By Heather-Jayne Struthers, Percipient

It’s rare in the Percipient office for a week without our team talking to a Sage 50 user who has outgrown the software. Typically, we see organisations rely on workarounds and add-ons for as long as possible rather than face the perceived upheaval of a new system implementation.

However, financial software has seen exponential change since most of these Sage 50 deployments took place. Modern, cloud-native platforms are changing the game, bringing deep functionality, world-class intelligence and reporting in just a few clicks.

But as a Sage 50 user, what cultural and technical challenges come with adopting such a solution and adapting to a new (easier) way of working?

1. Adopt a Proactive Mindset

A major, arguably the most important, part of the process is adopting an open, proactive mindset. Rather than holding on to how things have traditionally been done and relying on outdated processes, it’s important to take a fresh approach. While it may feel like a leap of faith, it’s important to trust the process and embrace a new way of working designed to save time and improve things.

We recognise it can feel uncomfortable, but letting go of how things have always been done can be incredibly liberating. For example, Sage 50 is notoriously tricky to pull data from and requires people who understand how GL and AR work. Sage Intacct requires none of these skill sets, as background analytics ensure the system presents the data needed to view P&L in a given entity, check a balance sheet, and run a report accordingly.

Embracing a new way of thinking about financial management also opens new avenues and opportunities. For example, making rules on a bank requisition is something you’ll only find in a modern accounting system. Sage Intacct doesn’t present all the background processes you see in Sage 50. It simplifies processes, allowing staff to use intelligence and analytics to be less transactional and more high-level in their roles, resulting in better decision-making overall.

2. Cleanse, Organise & Categorise Data

Any project should prioritise data cleansing as part of the export process. Not only is this crucial in maximising the quality of the data and subsequently the reports in Sage Intacct, but it also provides a window to scope out categories and evaluate suppliers to ensure you get the most out of the system. While it can be tempting to cut corners in the quest to complete the project faster, I cannot emphasise enough the importance of allowing sufficient time in this phase.

3. Tailored Training

Training is often a blanket term for imparting information on how a system works. Our approach at Percipient is different. We listen and engage with all of the team from the outset, picking up on cues, learning styles, and personalities so that we can ensure training is tailored appropriately. Some people have more finance knowledge than others. Some learn better through visual walkthroughs and screen sharing, while others prefer to go away, play with the system, and come back with questions.

Aligning training accordingly is hugely important to ensure each team member leaves fully confident they can hit the ground running with Sage Intacct. We don’t promote a one-size-fits-all model because our goal is to ensure everyone succeeds.

4. Fostering the Right Project Culture

Choosing the right partner to move from Sage 50 to Sage Intacct can make the difference between seamless and staccato. Our approach combines experience, intuition, organisation, clear communications, and transparency. We believe this combination of principles is the best way to open conversations, encourage questions, and ensure a smooth transition. But more than that, this ethos encourages and promotes best practices in the longer term, as the relationships built foster a means of checking in and asking questions on an ongoing basis to optimise performance.

5.  The Last Upgrade You’ll Ever Need

Sage Intacct’s flexibility and ability to scale come from its cloud-native architecture, its near-limitless capacity to add new entities, and its ease of integration. This is because third-party products across AP Automation, Expense Management, and other areas are designed and promoted based on their ease of integration with Sage Intacct.

A Vision for Intuition & Intelligence

Most customers we support on their Sage 50 to Sage Intacct journey have already bought into the vision of modern financial management capabilities and are open to new ways of working. Our expert consultants are highly experienced in guiding and promoting the best, most pragmatic steps to optimise the project, keeping it fresh and encouraging success at each stage.

One of our more recent customer success stories epitomises this ethos, as Tara Hammond, Finance Manager, Proark Accounting Centre, Mercure, explains:

“Because each of the hotels’ General Managers (GMs) has access to Sage Intacct and doesn’t need to rely on the finance team to e-mail reports, they are much more in control of their own destiny. Reporting is on another level, with GMs able to access profit and loss accounts continually to better understand their cash position and performance. The versatility of Sage Intacct is another area which is proving popular, as we can build reports according to whatever KPIs or specifics we choose, whether it’s footfall, energy usage or catering costs, and amazingly, this is possible in just a few clicks. Reporting to our parent company is straightforward, as we have live access to reports in whatever format we select.

Any change or new technology can come with reticence, but this project has proved the opposite, with users stating that they really enjoy using the system and precisely zero whinges.”

Ready to Move Beyond Sage 50?

Outgrowing Sage 50 doesn’t have to mean a complicated move to a new finance system. With the right planning, data, training, and implementation partner, you can transition to Sage Intacct smoothly and give your team a more powerful, scalable way to manage finance.

Talk to our Sage Intacct experts about where you are today, what’s holding you back and what a move to Sage Intacct could look like for your organisation. Start the conversation or call us on 01606 871332.