Charity Case Study
Broadacres Housing Association is a not-for-profit housing association based in North Yorkshire.
Owning over 6,500 homes, Broadacres strives to be the “the best rural housing association in the country” – which they aim for by delivering an outstanding service to their customers.
Broadacres was operating on software coming to the end of its supported life: Microsoft Dynamics GP. The software was not fit for purpose – massively inefficient and well past its sell by date. Broadacres was running into issues such as delays in invoices being paid, limited functionality, no customisation and cumbersome reporting with no real-time option. The quirks of running a semi-public sector business and the lack of adaptability of their old system also led to huge frustrations for colleagues, creating friction and stifling efficiency across the entire business. It was time for a digital transformation, to bring Broadacres financial software into the modern age.
It was integral to find a solution that was easy to train colleagues on, and one that was appealing due to ease of use. Broadacres made the difficult decision to switch financial systems in the middle of a financial year, meaning the solution would have to incorporate data from the previous system for end of year accounting.
Unique quirks of the business, such as homes not being valued at market value, but at the existing value for social housing, meant that customisation was vital to accommodate all of the specific needs of Broadacres. The system would also need to be able to communicate with their housing management system, which was another challenge for TES to help overcome.
Undergoing a tender process, Broadacres was all ears for a customisable solution that met their needs. After hearing a wide range of proposals, Broadacres decided they wanted a solution that utilised Business Central. TES and their Not For Profit (NFP) module stood out – answering a lot of questions for Broadacres immediately, giving them the confidence to go with TES.
Broadacres had concluded that TES’ Business Central package, along with the NFP pack, was the perfect system to meet their needs. The feature set of this package meant that many financial operations could now be automated, and with easy access to data, TES and Broadacres knew that colleagues would find the new software easy to pick up.
The finance team found the new system easy to work with, and highly capable. The biggest improvements are the automation and the ease of access to data. Previously arduous tasks are now automatic, massively reducing colleague workload. The finance team no longer have to go through IT to access the data they need to do their jobs, meaning report writing has become a breeze.
Despite changing systems midway through the financial year, Broadacres passed their audit with flying colours, highlighting the ease of transition from the old system to the new. For the first time ever, the first draft of the financial statements were available within less than five weeks – a huge endorsement of the power and productivity that TES and Business Central can put into the hands of your staff.
“The guided transition experience at Broadacres – we didn’t have to have our hands held. We had complete ownership.
The finance system does exactly what we want it to do. The team appreciates it, and we have seen huge improvements in efficiency. We enjoyed working with TES and their NFP module is spot-on.”
David Smith
Executive Director Resources, Broadacres Housing Associations
Broadacres is delighted with their new system, but the work doesn’t stop there. They have ambitious plans to upgrade their housing management system eventually and continue to train colleagues on all the features available in Business Central. Fortunately, further development with TES can be achieved easily when the time comes.
TES has a strong record of success delivering for public sector and not-for-profit organisations. TES looks forward to working with Broadacres in the future to find the solutions it needs.
The TES Business Central Charity and NFP Finance Accelerator is a low cost, no code finance replacement with an accelerated delivery timeline, allowing your charity and NFP to land with a solution initially to service immediate requirements and provide the opportunity to expand in the future.
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