Dynamics 365 Business Central empowers finance and operational leaders at Midland Mencap

Solution

With Xpedition as its partner Midland Mencap implemented Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central to support its finance functions. Currently a team of four, extended access was provided for managers to facilitate the approval of invoices and expenses. Following the successful go live, additional functionality has since been deployed to develop automation of key activities.

Klara explains, “We now have a finance system that is more responsive and a true partner for our business managers, enabling them to take decisions quickly and easily, based on real-time data.”

Business Central allows Midland Mencap to rapidly set up new services, complete with budgets and management cost forecasts, speeding up the on-boarding process and ensuring that managers can engage with commissioners with more confidence. Work is continuing to consolidate the mini budgets created for each service into a company-wide budget figure.

“Previously managers may not have had the necessary information to hand when negotiating funding for services, but they are now equipped to respond to seasonal requirements and rapid changes in the marketplace,” continues Klara.

Reporting is now timely and complete, removing the need to compile data from different sources, providing a snapshot of the business at any time from any location. “Cloud access is a game changer for us as users can now access real-time information without having to be in the office,” says Klara. “They can now monitor spend against budgets from any location, making our workforce truly mobile.”

Business Central reporting also enables finance to identify problem areas more easily and the drill down capability allows Midland Mencap to examine individual invoices and expenses to implement solutions promptly.

“Our operations managers have been very eager to engage with the new system,” explains Klara. “They can see the benefits it brings to their day-to-day activities, as well as to Midland Mencap’s clients.”

All invoice approvals are now carried out in Business Central, using the Power Automate function. “This is one of the most visible benefits of the solution as we have been able to do away with paper copies for many activities,” explains Klara. “The approvals workflow is quick, easy and can be done from any location.” As one manager put it, “I no longer have to check emails as Power Automate routes anything I need to approve directly to me, wherever I am.”

Significant savings are already being delivered in the periodic tasks, such as month end processing, where a week has been shaved off the time taken to process the figures. This was an early benefit delivered by Business Central and is continuing to reduce processing times month by month.

Business Central has delivered a firm foundation for finance at Midland Mencap and has brought finance and operations closer together, creating a more effective and efficient organisation.