Solution
Overview Industry Independent Service Contractor Microsoft
Business Solutions Partner Omnios, LLC Scenario Disparate
systems, inefficient processes and data re-entry were decreasing efficiency
and profits at Czarnowski Display Services. Company
Profile Czarnowski
Display Services provides a wide range of services to satisfy the needs of
trade show exhibitors. Benefits Microsoft
Business Solutions has reduced the sales cycle, streamlined job processes
and eliminated redundant data entry. Software
Used Microsoft Business Solutions–Solomon Financials Inventory
and Order Processing Professional Services Automation Microsoft
Windows® 2000 Server Microsoft
Windows NT® Demographic Information Annual
Revenue: $80 Million USD Number
of Employees: 400 Number
of Sites: 12 Number
of Users: 50
Czarnowski Story:
A recognized leader in
the trade show display industry, Czarnowski Display Services needed a
completely customizable solution that could efficiently handle more than 9,000
jobs per year. Using Microsoft Business Solutions as a foundation, the company
tailored the system to cut project planning time by 90 percent and reduce the sales
cycles from months to weeks.
For more than half a century, Czarnowski has served the needs of trade show exhibitors and built an industry-wide reputation as the nation’s premier independent service contractor. With a commitment to maintaining long-term relationships with clients, Czarnowski is known for providing high-quality service that provides customers with a hassle-free exhibit experience.
Improving Business Processes
Czarnowski’s previous business solution was unable to keep pace with the company’s rapid growth. To continue providing reliable labor, knowledgeable supervision, attention to detail and 24-hour in-house support services, Czarnowski needed a software solution that would streamline billing processes, automate tasks, and consolidate and centralize data. Implementing Microsoft® Business Solutions–Solomon brought substantial changes to business operations:
Billing
processes: Czarnowski has trimmed approximately
three to six weeks from their billing process by using Transaction Import to
automate expense reporting. Daily downloads
from American Express are accumulated weekly and used to create expense reports,
which are then combined with project and task information and processed. In the past, it was necessary to wait for the
monthly American Express statement before beginning this process.
Job processes: Czarnowski has reshaped the high volume
of job processing (9,000 projects during 2001) to simplify and automate many
tasks. Operators are able to do their work with very few keystrokes and
complete tasks much more quickly.
Data
processes: Previously,
Czarnowski used three separate systems to process job-related information,
billing, financials and payroll. Redundant
data entry has been virtually eliminated since moving to Microsoft Business
Solutions. The previous system required separate databases for each location,
resulting in an inability to provide consolidated results. The new business solution provides for
much-needed information consolidation.
Customizing the Solution
Though implementing Microsoft Business Solutions ensured improvements to business processes, the company had project planning and billing demands that required a customized solution. The flexibility of Microsoft Business Solutions, along with superior service, made that possible.
Today, the Czarnowski system includes three major
enhancements. Designed by Microsoft Business Solutions reselling partner Omnios
and Czarnowski staff, the customizations were written by the
·
The front-end Job Entry module reduces
project set-up time, distributing master-file set-up information to project and
task tables and establishing budgets, contracts and billing set-up.
· The Transportation module provides for transaction entry of freight and handling transactions. The creation of billing items based upon pre-determined schedules releases these entries to the purchase order, accounts payable and project controller modules.
· The Pre-Allocation Processor captures allocation batches and prepares them for automatic processing by Project Allocator, enabling Czarnowski to significantly augment the standard allocation process.
In addition, the company’s client-specific Web site has
been customized to allow exhibitors to view pictures of their inventory and
order changes to exhibits. Orders move directly through the Web site to Microsoft
Business Solutions. Czarnowski is the only company in the industry that
currently offers this option to their customers. By consolidating and
integrating the company Web site, Czarnowski has used innovation to increase
market share and customer satisfaction.
Return on Investment
Since the move to Microsoft Business Solutions, Czarnowski has experienced greater productivity, improved accuracy and timelier processing of financial statements. Other benefits include:
Increased
efficiency: Project set-up time has been reduced. Automated job processing enables
end users to complete tasks in a few keystrokes.
Shorter, more accurate sales cycle: A project sales
and billing cycle that once took four to six months now takes three to five
weeks. Job data analysis is readily
available, permitting accurate planning estimates for future jobs.
Improved customer
service: Efficient processes and enhanced availability of information have
improved customer service both internally and externally.
Centralized
information processing: Redundant data entry has been eliminated.
Information is accessible across departments and yields consolidated results.
Future plans for the solution include enhancing the billing entry
capabilities, integrating the job entry with the company Web site and
increasing utilization of the system. Czarnowski is confident Microsoft
Business Solutions will be able to help further grow the business.