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Cambridge Group of Clubs Pumps Up its Financial Management and Reporting Capabilities with CRGroup & Microsoft Dynamics GP

Cambridge Group of Clubs Case Study Logo

Customer
Cambridge Group of Clubs

Products/Services
Dynamics GP

Industry
Health & Recreation

Location
Canada

Overview

By implementing Microsoft Dynamics GP, Cambridge Group of Clubs was able to more efficiently and effectively support the increasing complexity of the organization. The new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system provides an enterprise-level solution that delivers both financial and business management support. The partnership with Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, CRGroup, ensured the implementation went smoothly and was completed on time and on budget.

Situation

Cambridge Group of Clubs (CGC) is a fully integrated wellness and hospitality company that manages, operates, owns, acquires and redevelops health, fitness, and recreation environments which serve professionals in the business sector in select North American cities.

To manage its finances, Cambridge Group of Clubs was using an accounting module included within its member management system. However, due to a lack of sophistication, there were often accounting related issues to be resolved and reporting was a manual process based on spreadsheets.

Late in 2013, the company implemented a new member management system which did not include a finance module. The company’s CFO, Karen Malone, recognized the opportunity to shop for a new accounting system for the organization.

Malone realized that to continue to meet current demands and achieve future goals, the company needed an enterprise-level solution that could deliver both financial and business management support.

“With our old system we were limited solely to basic bookkeeping functionality and we couldn’t get the range of business management functionality that we needed. We often encountered a lot of accounting errors and one-sided entries,” said Malone. “As our organization has grown significantly over time, we needed a new system that would fit us – and one that could be deployed quickly and cost-effectively.

Solution

Malone considered several business solutions that would meet the needs of CGC’s size and complexity and determined that Microsoft Dynamics GP was the best fit. “I looked at all of the main players but, in the end, it came down to value. I had used Microsoft Dynamics GP in a previous position and knew it was a robust system that could handle our unique requirements,” says Malone.

 

Putting the Right Infrastructure in Place

To ease the deployment of Microsoft Dynamics GP across her organization, Malone turned to Microsoft Gold Certified Partner Corporate Renaissance Group (CRGroup), a global provider of innovative solutions that improve business management and performance.

“I had worked with a local partner before, and it didn’t go very well,” says Malone. She found CRGroup by doing an online search and after speaking with representatives from the company on the phone, she felt confident moving forward with them.

CRGroup worked with Malone and her team to transfer CGC’s finances into Microsoft Dynamics GP efficiently and cost-effectively. “CRGroup came in with a very competitive price and was able to work within our tight deadlines,” says Malone.

CRGroup normally incorporates a review of an organization’s chart of account structure prior to moving a client to a new ERP system. However, this step was not required because Malone had restructured the Cambridge Group of Clubs’ chart of accounts the previous year.

Although CRGroup’s head office is located in a different city than Cambridge Group of Clubs, there were no delays or issues, both during implementation and after.

“We have over 27 years of experience working with clients in different cities – and in different countries around the world. We never let geography get in the way of providing excellent customer service to our clients, and our reputation precedes us wherever we go,” says Doug Hum, Director of Business Development at CRGroup.

 

Implementing a Core Accounting Solution at CGC with Dynamics GP

CGC took advantage of Dynamics GP’s core accounting tools; including its general ledger, accounts payable, and reporting functionality. This has given the Cambridge Group of Clubs the core accounting capabilities needed to operate effectively.

 

“The transfer into Microsoft Dynamics GP went very quickly and smoothly,” says Malone. “The project included onsite training – although the system is so easy to use it was painless! There have been no problems, and the support that we have received from CRGroup during and in the months after our implementation has been incredible.”

Benefits

Streamlined and Integrated Business Management

Cambridge Group of Clubs can now manage all back-office operations for its various member clubs with much less effort than before. CRGroup completed an integration with the company’s new member management system so journal entries and revenue from invoices are transferred automatically into Microsoft Dynamics GP. This streamlines the process and also eliminates the possibility of errors.

“Microsoft Dynamics GP is a reliable, stable system, that doesn’t mess up the reports like our other system. It’s so nice to work with a system that has no issues!”

 

Enterprise Functionality Achieved

In the old system, the financial data for CGC’s three clubs and head office were all stored in separate databases. Now it is all in one place, and managers can report on different locations using Management Reporter.

“Management Reporter has made our lives a lot easier,” says Malone. “The club managers like the self-serve aspect. They are now able to drill down into specific line items to get a deeper understanding of what is happening at their club. We also like being able to review the performance of our clubs against one another, so we can apply best practices across the organization.”

 

Support Future Expansion

Microsoft Dynamics GP offers CGC the ability to easily budget and report at a club level and at a corporate level. “As we continue to grow, Microsoft Dynamics GP will give us the flexibility and capacity we need to do so.”

Malone looks forward to continuing to work with CRGroup to further customize the software for their needs in the future.

“We have enjoyed working with the team at CRGroup. They are very knowledgeable – which makes a huge difference. And the support is great. We get the help we need right away, whenever we need it.”

Upgrade Your Accounting & ERP System with CRGroup

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