CASE STUDY PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

I could walk into a regional office before the new system, and

every desk was stacked high with physical files.

The new system means we no longer have to wade

through masses of paper to produce reports or

respond to an enquiry.

NICK MCKISSACK CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

TE TUMU PAEROA

TE TUMU PAEROA

Fast, accurate information in a complex world

THE SITUATION

Property management is a demanding job at the best of times, but how would you like to be Te Tumu Paeroa? It has 2,000 properties in its care, each one with multiple owners, the number of whom increase with each generation. What’s more, each owner may have multiple contact details and ownership in more than one property.

Among Te Tumu Paeroa’s many tasks are:

» Collecting payments from lessees and other debtors

» Managing property maintenance

» Investing income on land owners’ behalves

» Distributing revenue to land owners

» Managing financial records and compliance issues such as GST

» Providing accurate and regular reports to land owners

THE PAIN

With a 20 year-old legacy system, it was becoming increasingly difficult for Te Tumu Paeroa to meet its complex financial management and reporting obligations.

Land management was an issue, too. “For example,” says COO Nick McKissack, “Landcare New Zealand data can shine a powerful light on the potential of land. But the system didn’t allow us to make the best use of external data that could support that.”

THE TECHNOLOGY

We built a new system that split activities into three segments: Microsoft Dynamics NAV for financials; Microsoft Dynamics CRM for property assets and the land owner database; and Microsoft SharePoint to allow each owner to access information about their land.

An overstretched net

With Intergen staff working across organisations of all

sizes and types, our offerings include portals, content

and collaboration solutions, Microsoft Dynamics financial

and relationship management, custom software development,

management consulting and hosting services.

AUCKLAND CHRISTCHURCH DUNEDIN MELBOURNE PERTH REDMOND SYDNEY WELLINGTON

THE BUSINESS CASE

Te Tumu Paeroa operates in a highly competitive market, and needed a system that would “provide a view of what’s happening in a complex environment.”

The system had to be both efficient and flexible, so that users across the organisation could generate reports and answer customer queries quickly. It had to provide a familiar interface so users could use it with minimal training, and it had to be backed by robust support.

THE BUSINESS VALUE

» The ability to integrate and manipulate information from multiple databases

» Consistent, accurate and reliable reports

» Better customer service

» Real time data available to staff and clients

» The opportunity for better, more sustainable use of land

THE ENGINE ROOM

» Microsoft Dynamics NAV

» Microsoft Dynamics CRM

» Microsoft SharePoint

Collectively, these elements are an integrated “stack”; that is, each can talk with the others, delivering world class ERP, CRM and dynamic data systems on the one hand, and – for all practical purposes – a single system that delivers whatever data is needed in the moment, from a global summary of income to a financial report for an individual land owner.

Microsoft SharePoint allows a client-facing website to draw on property information from CRM. Land owners can now get immediate access to information about their land via a password protected login.

THE GAIN

From within CRM, Te Tumu Paeroa’s staff now have ready access to all property and client data. They can generate customised reports that draw data from both CRM and NAV.

Staff have high visibility of what needs to be done and when, through configurable CRM workflows, many of which generate tasks in queues to facilitate workload management.

One of the most powerful features is the customised “dimensions” capability built into Microsoft Dynamics NAV. This allows a set of consolidated books for all properties and investments, along with individual records for each property. Traditionally, this would require setting up 2000 separate companies within the system; a slow and cumbersome process.

This structure allows Te Tumu Paeroa to do tax returns for each entity with remarkable efficiency. Likewise, the organisation only needs to maintain a single bank account for all client funds, yet Dimensions creates an interface that allows Te Tumu Paeroa to give each entity statements showing all of their transactions. For all practical purposes, it’s as if each entity really does have a separate account.

THE DELIVERY

For unavoidable reasons, the project was undertaken as Te Tumu Paeroa was restructuring and introducing new business processes. “Intergen were consistently creative in problem solving and willing to offer new solutions,” says Nick. “I was able to talk to directors, account managers – people at all levels. That meant we were able to find a way to make it work.”