City of Grand Haven, MI
Software transitions can be time consuming and amazingly detailed and Grand Haven’s was no exception. Advance planning with BS&A staff was both comprehensive and process oriented. Splitting our processes between what was “setup work” and what became “ongoing operations” helped us to keep proper focus on the tasks at hand. Data transition went very smoothly and retained all of the data we requested. On-site setup and training was timely and matched the ongoing process as much as possible. BS&A staff was cognizant of the pressure on City staff in the learning environment and timeframes and capably assisted City staff in every aspect of the software installation.
BS&A’s staff was well-prepared from the outset, knew their software, the training process timeframes and matched our operational needs exactly. Where more training and review was needed, we already had built in additional time to get that accomplished. Task shifts, when they occurred, were easily managed. Every BS&A staffer we met was highly trained, professional and very approachable. Follow up questions were regularly asked, confirmations of completion were made and everything was tracked closely.
Most of our “basic setup” completed, we are just beginning to review the additional “bells and whistles” that the software has made available to us.
1. In General Ledger, we look forward to adding GASB & F-65 report setups, long range forecasting, timely cash and investment reporting and other features to our growing capabilities.
2. In Payroll, we used BS&A for W-2’s in January, a process that was not seamless at all, but guided very well by BS&A staff.
3. In Human Resources, we will attain new management abilities as we transition paper-bound data into the system.
4. In Accounts Payable and Purchase Orders, we achieved paperless approvals by proper individuals of almost all invoices and PO’s, a process that speeds up the time from initial input to full approval documentation.
5. We have taken a paperbound accounts receivable process and placed it all on computer with BS&A’s Miscellaneous Receivables.
6. In Utility Billing, we now use electronic work orders for DPW staff and add comments to accounts which can be reviewed as needed. We also shifted from printing large reports to storing them as pdf files for later audit reviews.
7. And the best news, those with appropriate access can review their information on our secure systems 24-7 and not have to wait for Finance Office hours or paging through paper files! (I just received a compliment from another City department head, thanking me for choosing BS&A Software. They were doing a report that “took hours” last year, but took “only minutes” this year.)
Are we happy with the software, service, training, support and staff of BS&A? Oh, yes we are!