Synoptek

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Alliance for Audited Media is a member association made up of print and digital publishers throughout Canada and the United States. We audit the print and digital publisher circulation claims so that there’s reliable information for transacting with trust in the advertising industry. I am the vice president of information technology and innovation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Indusa?

We were replacing an old custom accounting system with a new commercial accounting inventory system. We were using another vendor that was implementing Microsoft Dynamics, but the project wasn’t going well.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Indusa helped us take a fresh look at how to go about implementing the technology with the business processes that we’ve documented. They did the whole design and implementation for us, with a few of our team helping them. Indusa did training for our users and did cross-training with our IT development team. They also automated the accounting and finances pieces of the tool. Together, we implemented some employee self-service modules. We engaged them with another project, this time for the implementation of our CRM online. There were a couple of times that we had one of their staff come to the US, which allowed us to get to the know them and provide hands-on training.

How did you come to work with Indusa?

We searched for vendors in the space and they did a marketing call during that time. We had a good conversation with them, met some of their team, and realized it was a good match. After seeing some of their work, we did a reference call with one of their other clients. Indusa listened to what problems we were trying to solve. They learned our business model to understand how we needed to implement dynamics and the customizations that were needed.

How much have you invested with Indusa?

We’ve spent between $200,000 and $1 million over the course of our relationship.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in February 2015 and we continue with ongoing projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The project was successful. Before, we spent an enormous amount of time programming the old system. With the new system, the capabilities are directly in the hands of the user community. They can now run their own reports.

How did Indusa perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a great job. We set budgets from the beginning and they managed through detailed project management to stay on budget. They always met the deadlines. We communicated through phone and email, as well as having some meetings onsite. There was a time difference but we just held our meetings in the morning.

What did you find most impressive about Indusa?

They understand the product really well. They’re very personable. They take the time to listen and understand the business.

Are there any areas Indusa could improve?

The weekly status reports could’ve been more thorough.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the vice president of information technology for Champion Home Exteriors. Our company is a manufacturer and retailer of home replacement windows, entry doors, roofing, and vinyl siding products. Our headquarters are in Cincinnati, Ohio.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Indusa?

We have been attempting to implement a Microsoft Dynamics AX ERP [enterprise resource planning] system, driven primarily by the fact that our old accounting system was not integrated with any of our other systems. Our first attempted implementation, led by another partner, failed. We had spent a ton of money, and needed a lower cost alternative in order to salvage the project. Another complexity that we faced was that we had a very decentralized user base. We needed to implement this system in all of our retail stores. We have 52 retail stores located throughout the country, and each is set up as a separate legal entity, or separate company.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re providing technical and functional consulting services to implement the product. We started by changing the strategy and decided to implement only the financial functionality to replace Champion’s legacy accounting system. Indusa helped me implement that general ledger, accounts payable, and accounts receivable functionality for all 52 stores. They helped with the configuration and setup, testing, training, and implementation. Since we went live last summer, Indusa has also provided ongoing production support. They continue to help with the implementation of the manufacturing and supply chain functionality. We’ve also asked them to help with the implementation of Dynamics CRM and a business intelligence platform based on Microsoft Power BI.

How did you come to work with Indusa?

When I was hired, I needed to find a lower cost alternative to the firm Champion had been using before. I searched on Google for an offshore partner and found Indusa. I invited them to Cincinnati. I had a good feeling about them and knew they were our last hope to finish this implementation.

How much have you invested with Indusa?

We’ve spent between $250,000 and $500,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in August 2015 and the work is ongoing. The relationship has worked out well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I measure the success by the fact that we were able to bring on 52 separate stores onto the system successfully, on schedule and at a reasonable cost.

How did Indusa perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project managers stay in touch with me on a regular basis and even visit periodically. We have weekly phone meetings and they produce weekly status reports. We agree on a project schedule. Anytime we had issues, they were responsive and fixed things in a timely manner. Since this was the first time we’d engaged an offshore partner, I was concerned about the time difference and communication. However, they’ve been accommodating to our needs, even working in the middle of the night. They go overboard to mitigate any communication issues by doing an excellent job of documenting their work.

What did you find most impressive about Indusa?

They do what they say they’re going to do and they do it at a reasonable cost. They are extremely responsive, flexible, and easy to work with. The previous firm didn’t push back if they felt we were making the wrong decision. Indusa took a direct path to complete the project. They deliver what they say they’re going to deliver and they do it in a timely fashion. They take their commitments seriously.

Are there any areas Indusa could improve?

I can’t think of anything. They’ve added some US-based resources, which is something I was hoping for.