APC takes control with Greentree

Whilst the system had changed over this period, APC felt it no longer suited the company and they needed more functionality, particularly in terms of GST compliance and reporting. APC decided it was time to look for alternatives. Sharyn Hovey, Administration Manager explains: “We just got to a stage where our old system was holding us back. The software was not keeping up with our level of growth and our GST needs.”

APC employs over 500 staff proving industrial and residential services throughout Australia, and also has branches overseas in New Caledonia, Norfolk Island and Fiji.

APC identified three key prerequisites it needed from a new system, namely GST capability, customisations and reporting. Firstly, their previous system did not provide them with automated GST processing and did not easily provide the necessary information to complete the Australian BAS Statement.

Very, very accurate

With substantial penalties for inaccurate tax returns, APC needed to feel secure that their tax returns were completed correctly. Sharyn says, “For the first year after GST was introduced, we had to manually administer our GST, and this was always a long, drawn-out process. Our old system was not flexible and could not be modified to our franchise business set-up.”

Another motivation for change was the need for better tax and business reporting. APC realised too much time was being used to generate reports, and needed a report writer to be a standard part of the system and to run tailored reports. Sharyn explains, “APC required more advanced reporting. The old system could not deliver; it just was not keeping up with the growing demands of our business”.

Very, very on-budget

Greentree was chosen over two other systems, as it met these prerequisites. Sharyn says, “It was clear from the initial demonstration that Greentree was not only going to meet our budget requirements, but promised to be flexible and easily customised. The GST functions and the integrated report writer really made Greentree stand out for us.”

Very, very swift implementation

Since a swift implementation, APC has seen an impact on the business. Sharyn believes, “Greentree has fulfilled our expectations and actually has exceeded them. We were waiting to see some pitfalls from the many promises made, but it has delivered and keeps on delivering.

“GST was the overriding consideration. We needed to comply and save time manually processing our quarterly accruals,” Sharyn continues. “Greentree has proven its strength and flexibility with regards to tax reporting to be excellent. Our audit trail is now very simple; before it was such a struggle.

“Greentree has helped the company get up to speed with its GST returns and be GST-compliant. Greentree provides a flexible tax structure that not only complies with existing legislation to complete the Australian BAS Statement, but also provides for possible changes in the future.” APC has made use of the tax reporting, available at both a summary and detailed level to assist with account reconciliation.

Having the Greentree Report Writer as a standard part of the system, which can be easily tailored to suit their particular requirements, has really helped APC. Sharyn says, “The reporting capabilities in Greentree have really surpassed our old system. The integration with Microsoft products makes reporting quick and easy, and has vastly improved the types of reports we can get from the system. We are now more informed about APC.”

Very, very user-friendly

Reflecting on the Greentree experience, Sharyn Hovey says, “The level of consultancy from the Greentree Partner has been excellent. They were able to explain the system, making it really relevant to all levels within our business.” She concludes, “We only needed minimal training and find Greentree very user-friendly. Our users are very happy with it.”