Case Study: PCM

The Background

PCM Systems had been operating Sage Accounts and Sage Payroll systems in tandem for several years. When undertaking a review of office facilities in 2019, the decision was made to investigate the potential for alternative software capable of matching the changing requirements of the organisation in line with planned growth and development. Legacy systems meant that the company was running Sage Accounting and Sage Payroll separately; experience with migrating customers to options such as Xero highlighted the potential for increased operational flexibility, cost reductions and management benefits for PCM.

Implementing smart online accounting

Efficient business systems play a vital role in managing the health and development potential for companies both large and small. Seeking to further increase levels of efficiency and professionalism, the team at PCM Systems undertook a complete review of their own software provision to ensure they were optimising value for money and practicality in use.

Seeking to move forward from the existing Sage accounting and payroll solution, which required updating and investment, the team evaluated a number of systems currently on the market, opting eventually for Xero following a comprehensive online trial. Business critical software needs to be treated with care, and PCM made the decision to move following completion of the year end calculations to give the team time to transition smoothly and without additional pressures.

Migrating the data

Transfer of data from one accounting software system to another requires careful planning. PCM used MoveMyBooks, which proved very straightforward and time efficient, allowing fast and easy data conversion to Xero.

"Of course, some manual data transfer was required to set things up initially, as not everything is moved across automatically, such as products, quotations, purchase orders, fixed assets, recurring entries and accruals. Xero gives you access to templates to import most of the above, although some aspects did require individual settings," stated Ula Gebura-Watroba for PCM Systems. "Most key information could be copied into spreadsheets and transferred across, with no need to input data again which can be time consuming and lead to errors."

PCM also moved the payroll from Sage to Xero, to benefit from having everything in one place. This was completed after transitioning the accounts, giving the team the opportunity to set everything up and test before migrating across.

Reaping the benefits of a Cloud-based system

PCM's decision was a timely one in view of the coronavirus pandemic. "With no reliance on the server, everything in the cloud and accessible to us from anywhere, it has certainly simplified things whilst we have all been working from home," confirmed Ula.

Benefits identified by PCM include ease of use, with all systems linked and easily accessible. Direct debits are simple to reconcile, recurring monthly invoices – a staple for a services company like PCM – are now fully automated, as are payment reminders. Designing reports is fast and intuitive.

Xero brings to PCM reliable data, smart online accounting, real-time updates, easy to view and share interactive reports and budgets, and a customisable dashboard which is modern and easy to navigate. PCM also state that the payroll option was simple and quick to set up and use, linking automatically with accounts and even with the company's pension provider.

Modern, approachable and user friendly

Once everything was in place, the transition was immediate and created no significant extra work. "Using the templates to move data is easy for anyone familiar with using Excel spreadsheets," stated Ula. "We are enjoying and benefiting from Xero's approachable dashboard, clear options, efficiency and accessibility."

As a direct result of the positive advantages of this transition to Xero, PCM Systems are now looking closely at their customers' experiences with accounting and payroll software to identify where these companies could benefit and see greater speed and procedural efficiencies by moving their accounts to this platform.