Helen Spring, Head of Finance at professional recruitment consultancy Broster Buchanan, shares some insights into her journey with Percipient and Sage Intacct and highlights some tips for those starting their adventure.
Any new software deployment can be daunting. In my previous role with Denbighshire Leisure, I was tasked with rolling out a new financial management solution, and Sage Intacct was by far the best fit.
With operations spanning food service outlets, theatres, and sports facilities, we needed a view of costs/profit in each area so that adjustments could be made and anomalies investigated. Sage Intacct meant we could access greater intelligence and insights to deliver a more comprehensive view of the business.
When I moved to my current role as Head of Finance at Broster Buchanan, my positive experience at Denbighshire meant that I had no hesitation in selecting Sage Intacct again. Despite some cultural challenges, I felt much more confident about the process this time, knowing Percipient was there to guide me through it.
I suppose what I wasn’t aware of at the start of my Sage Intacct journey is the extensive value that comes with working with the right partner, which, in our case, was the very brilliant Percipient.
From the outset, the Percipient team’s knowledge, experience and empathy made every stage easy. They knew all the right questions to ask, pointed out things we didn’t know that we didn’t know, and could evaluate processes which were ripe for improvement, making us feel genuinely supported and confident throughout.
I suppose what I wasn’t aware of at the start of my Sage Intacct journey is the extensive value that comes with working with the right partner, which, in our case, was the very brilliant Percipient.
A Tale of Two Industries
The Denbighshire and Broster Buchanan projects were fairly distinct, but the Percipient team adapted to each and was absolutely unflappable and unstoppable in ensuring we went live on time and in the right way.
Denbighshire is generally a high-volume business, while Broster Buchanan deals in lower-volume, higher-value transactions. Sage Intacct’s ability to integrate and deliver automation and intelligence to elevate the finance team’s value remains consistent across the two business models.
How it supports seamless AP, AR and bank reconciliation makes life so much easier, while its consolidation allows us to track performance and make better, quicker decisions that can drive greater revenue opportunities.
Sage Intacct Advice
At the start of my Sage Intacct journey, I didn’t anticipate how much the system could do. So, looking back and applying what I know now, my advice to anyone at this stage would be:
- Spend time with your Sage Intacct partner to understand the breadth and depth of the system’s capabilities. Percipient has immense knowledge, and the people are great to work with—make the most of this!
- Look at the project with a forward-looking mindset and challenge traditional processes and working methods. Sage Intacct unequivocally brings a more efficient, intelligent, and better way of working.
- The real business value comes from the intelligence within Sage Intacct. Make sure you set up the dimensions to maximise the potential for analysis across as many areas of the business as appropriate. The brilliant Percipient consultants are so knowledgeable about this that it makes the process easy.
Embracing the Onward Journey
As my Sage Intacct journey continues, there is still so much untapped potential, and I am excited to delve further into some of the capabilities to expand the intelligence we’re already seeing. APIs linking Sage Intacct to our other core systems mean that our visibility is improving all the time, and leveraging this to better assess future opportunities is something we’ll be focusing on in 2025.
I’ve been incredibly fortunate and, without wishing to go overboard, privileged in my Sage Intacct journey. The Percipient team is so clever and has the right knowledge that it’s truly been a joy to navigate. Even where we have encountered non-software-related challenges, they’ve been a sounding board, providing guidance and invaluable counsel.
Having a real business partner in this way has truly helped me, not only in getting the most out of the system but also in ensuring the right culture and environment to allow it to prosper, scale, and bring value well into the future.
Multi-Award-Winning Sage Intacct Partner
If you’re looking for a Sage Intacct implementation and support partner you can trust, get in touch or call the team directly on 01606 871332, to discuss your options and learn why you should choose Percipient.
