CLIENT SPOTLIGHT: THE PROTOCALL GROUP STREAMLINES SUCCESS WITH SOFTWARE UPGRADE

For its software upgrade needs, The Protocall Group turned to ACC Software Solutions

The Protocall Group is a full-service independent and family-owned and operated recruitment and staffing firm that works with personnel in information technology, nursing, allied health, industrial warehouse and administrative support, among others.  Comprised of four corporations, this multi-faceted company demands a software that can integrate its various divisions.

Protocall CFO Fran McGlynn says their current accounting system was outdated.  Accounts payable were being processed separately for each individual company, monthly statements were being manually created in Excel and budgets were manually entered and balanced.

“We needed to upgrade our financial reporting capability, to streamline our processes and integrate with other software applications, all within a multi-user environment,” says McGlynn.  “We also wanted functionality that was expandable, with the ability to integrate with our other software to minimize manual journal entries along with analysis capabilities.”

These goals led them to ACC Software Solutions (formerly ACC Accounting Solutions), a South Jersey-based software consulting firm that partners with some of the most well-known business-related software names in the industry.

Sean Atkins, the founder of ACC, says Protocall came to them as experts in the process. “Protocall shared with us how their existing software needed stronger financing and their back office payroll system needed integration to a general ledger and superior reporting,” says Atkins.  “They saw how we could take an out-of-the-box system and easily customize it to their needs.”

McGlynn says the new system met all of their requirements and there was an immediate improvement over Protocall’s previous software in key areas, such as processing accounts payable one time each week within one company and the software system manages the company posting; utilizing capabilities for financial reporting by branch, company and combination; and integrating with other applications to import data like revenue and costs and as a basis to create budgets.

This solution was recommended by ACC only after they met with the Protocall team to gain a comprehensive understanding of their needs and to discuss their options.  “You want to make sure the software matches how their company works,” says Mary Lou Dorson, who was the project manager on the Protocall account. “Every implementation goes through a business process, starting off with a conference room pilot where we take what we’re proposing and make a sample of the system with their data so they can feel it.  Is it exactly what they’re looking for? If so, we work on planning a date to go live.”

But ACC doesn’t just hand everything over and leave a company stranded.  After the pilot, ACC trains the employees who will be using the system module by module, role by role. “Each employee signs off on an agreement that it matches their needs based on their role,” says Atkins.  “It’s so important to make sure that the system isn’t only what the owners want, but also what the employees are looking for.”

When it’s ready to go live, ACC is on site for several days, answering questions, making sure everyone feels comfortable and self-sufficient.  At the end of the month, ACC will also come in to help close the books for the first time. “We like to be there to make sure the data reconciles from the transfer of the old system to the new one,” says Atkins.

This local presence was a big factor in Protocall’s choice to partner with ACC.  “Having a technology partner that is local was a true advantage in our decision-making process,” says McGlynn. “Sean and ACC were always available to answer any of our questions in a clear and concise manner.  We received top-notch customer service throughout the process and they continue to help with our business process to utilize all the features of the system.”

Onsite training is still offered on a monthly basis through ACC’s training facilities, another local advantage.

For ACC, the personal touch is standard. “We believe in following up.  Throughout the project, Protocall knew what we did, what we were doing that week, and we gave weekly updates,” says Atkins.  “It’s important for them to know we were there for them.  It was their system, they bought something and it was our job to help implement and acclimate it to the way they work.”

McGlynn adds, “I was confident in their [ACC’s] approach, their local presence, their responsiveness and their creative solutions.  Also, ACC provided a clear work development plan and understood our needs prior to providing a proposal which ultimately met our needs and stayed within our budget.”