Řešení rychlostí světla pro Kontent
Říká se, že obsah je král. Kontent tomu rozumí skrz naskrz, a proto pomáhá firmám po celém světě spravovat jejich obsah. I skvěle fungující podniky ale někdy potřebují pomocnou ruku, a proto máme radost, že Kontent se obrátili právě na nás.
Dnes už všechny pobočky využívají D365 Business Central a můžeme se pochlubit, že celá jeho implementace proběhla za rekordní 4 měsíce! Co Kontentu na ERP systému vyhovuje a co ocenili na naši spolupráci? Jaké vylepšení přinesl přechod z on-premise systému na cloud? Na to, a ještě víc odpovíme společně s Lucií Drobkovou, externistkou na pozici Tax Manager.
Record-Breaking Implementation for
Kontent.ai
They say content is king, and Kontent.AI fully embraces this philosophy by helping businesses around the world manage their content effectively.
Today, all of their branches utilize D365 Business Central, and as their partner, we proudly completed the implementation in only four months.
What does Kontent.AI appreciate about the ERP system, and what aspects of our collaboration stood out to them? What improvements have resulted from transitioning from an on-premise system to the cloud? We’ll explore these questions and more with insights from Lucie Drobková, a freelance Tax Manager.
2022
We begin our cooperation
2023
Transition to Business Central
5
branches in 4 months
New Company, New Business Central
In July 2022, our long-standing client Kentico experienced significant changes. One notable outcome was the establishment of their independent start-up, Kontent.AI, which led to the creation of Kontent Ltd. This new company acquired the Netherlands office and opened additional branches in England, Australia, and America. Given our successful collaboration on the ERP system implementation at Kentico, it was clear from day one that we would partner again for this new venture.
5 branches in 4 months? Sure!
We faced a substantial challenge: managing the implementation across five branches in just four months. We assessed our capacity and were confident we could achieve this goal. However, we encountered time constraints with regulatory approvals and banking arrangements. Before we could implement any branch, we needed to ensure compliance with local legal standards and establish bank accounts. Nevertheless, we wasted no time waiting for these processes to unfold.
“The Advantage of Working with a Local Provider Is the Certainty They Understand Local Accounting“
During our initial meetings, we focused on transferring tools from Kentico to the new Kontent.AI branches. We were essentially “scraping” the system. This involved a thorough examination of all data and resources belonging to Kontent.AI, including financial data, documents from Confluence and Jira, and the complete contents of Business Central. Additionally, we evaluated whether to retain long-unused features and customizations to keep the system as current as possible.
Lucie Drobková explains, “The main advantage of working with a Czech implementer is the certainty that they understand Czech accounting and can accurately assess our needs. This is further supported by their consultants, who possess extensive professional experience in accounting, including Elena Jákobová and Lucie Odehnalová.”
Simultaneously, the new Kontent.AI team and us maintained a structured schedule with regular weekly meetings to keep the client updated on our progress and to agree on the next steps. The entire process was highly dynamic, with some issues resolved on a day-to-day basis. “Perhaps it’s because both Kontent and On Point are based in Brno, which fosters a close collaboration. Whenever we needed assistance or had urgent matters to address, a consultant or developers came to us personally,” Lucie Drobková adds.
Testing Is the Basis for Success
The implementation process followed a similar framework across all branches. We began by creating the initial setup, which included compiling a list of financial accounts used by the company, establishing new dimensions, and setting up a country-specific instance. Following this, development commenced, and our team began programming.
To ensure a smooth transition, we meticulously tested each process that the client would utilize, including:
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Customer setup
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Supplier setup
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Invoice creation
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Bank linking
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Dimensions
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Payroll
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And more
With internal testing complete, it was time to initiate “User Acceptance Training” with the customer. We developed test scenarios and collaborated closely with Kontent.AI’s finance team to fine-tune even the smallest details. The next step was “Go Live.” During this phase, we transferred the initial state of the financial accounts and provided user training, with significant assistance from the client’s external Tax Manager, Lucie Drobková.
“I appreciate the support from On Point. Tickets were responded to quickly, and if anything urgent arose, all we had to do was send an email, and the issue was resolved immediately. Everyone on the team was very willing to help us tackle any problem,” Lucie praises.
Gradually, all countries underwent the same process, and on average, we successfully implemented one branch per month. The exception was the United States, where we had only three weeks. After evaluating our strengths and capabilities, we arrived at a compromise: we implemented the American branch in an on-premise version and worked on its migration to the cloud in May 2023.
In just four months, we achieved success across multiple regions:
Czechia
England
Australia
Netherlands
America
Was It Easy? No Way!
Our biggest challenge was communicating with Citibank regarding the implementation, which could have progressed faster on their end. We waited four months for the API. However, we didn’t let this discourage us; instead, we focused on custom tweaks and enhancements in the meantime.
These included our Bound Dimension extension, which enables clients to link dimensions in Business Central, eliminating the need for users to select individual values from different centers. We also integrated the Pamica payroll system to allow payroll imports in a single file into Business Central, facilitating billing through the financial journal. Other enhancements included a feature for synchronizing data across multiple companies within a selected database and the Attachment Viewer, which allows users to import attachments via drag-and-drop while viewing shared files directly in Business Central.
Additionally, we collaborated with an external vendor to integrate SalesForce’s CRM with Business Central for Kontent.AI, overseeing the entire process to ensure everything ran smoothly and without complications.
The Future Is in the Cloud
Interestingly, we had the opportunity to implement three out of the five entities directly in the cloud instead of using the on-premise version. This decision not only saved the client the costs associated with future migration but also introduced new, valuable features.
“We were initially concerned about the cloud due to our customizations for the on-prem version, and I worried they wouldn’t function properly. However, we recognized that the future is in the cloud, and we received extensive support from On Point to make this transition. Today, I appreciate many features, such as the easier accounting of backups in the Czech instance,” mentions Lucie Drobková. The remaining two foreign offices, in America and the Netherlands, also transitioned to the cloud during 2023.
At On Point, we pride ourselves on our personal approach and our commitment to every project. The implementation required significant energy, overtime, weekends, and even cost us two potential clients. Our existing customers are our priority, so we didn’t hesitate. We initiated the holding without any major problems or setbacks, ensuring the client was never without the system during implementation. They could continually use it at Kontent.AI, including issuing invoices.
If you’re looking for a partner to assist with your transition to Business Central, contact us for a no-obligation consultation.
