Customized Multi-System Integration Delivers Results

The client had been successfully managing its online subscription services for years. As the company reached over one hundred million dollars in annual revenues, it was time to evaluate and potentially switch to a system that could more fully integrate subscriptions with financial reporting, tax collection, B2B sales, and more. The main challenge was ensuring that the selected provider could grow with this company’s ongoing explosive growth.

After identifying multiple opportunities for improvement, The Acelerzi team determined the client needed to move away from its internally built proprietary system. Acelerzi selected Zuora to fit the bill. Zuora’s Relationship Business Management (RBM) system is leading the way for subscription businesses and powering some of the most cutting edge companies including Box.net, Time Inc., and DocuSign, Inc.

Multiple Channel Support: The client’s former system was limited in its ability to manage different types of sales channels. The Zuora system integrated by Acelerzi improved the sales pipeline, including:

• An Improved Quoting Process. Freeing up time for the sales team to focus on selling rather than getting buried under quoting/estimating paperwork.
• Streamlined Customer Accounting and Billing. Its bears repeating…freeing up time for sales to focus on selling rather than invoicing.
• Online Portal Purchases. Allowing B2B purchases to be more self-sufficient, when they know what they want and just need an efficient system to purchase licenses for their employees, students, customers, etc.

Systems Evaluation: Acelerzi’s team thoroughly evaluated the client’s legacy system to determine what was working and what simply was not. From there, the team evaluated the client’s business processes to completely understand everything from the sales cycle to pricing structure to both consumer and business customer billing and payments to overall customer service. The lessons learned paved the way for a well developed technologically sound, functionally improved process design.

Architectural Design: A detailed functional, technical and process design document was created to ensure all facets of the client’s business was accounted for and improved upon where necessary.

System Selection and Integration: Acelerzi has years of experience vetting and working with best practice providers for subscription business clients with special expertise in developing customized integration solutions between multiple vendor platforms:

• Zuora, a cloud-based leading provider of services for subscription businesses, was tapped as a replacement to the client’s current proprietary system, due to Zuora’s powerful analytics and ability to seamlessly integrate with Vertex.
• com was integrated into the client’s business processes to assist with customer service and improve sales workflow.
• Litle & Co. and Vertex, leading authorities in online payment processing and tax solutions respectively, were added to the client’s financial systems to ensure accurate payment and tax collection.
• Informatica was the middleware provider selected to ensure smooth data integration between the client’s entire infrastructure – hardware, software, databases (customer, financial and product) and operating systems.

System Deployment: Not only did Acelerzi identify the best systems that will continue to grow with this client, the experts at Acelerzi ensured the entire process was handled from start to finish, including:

• Providing full service project management
• Managing engagement and expectations with new vendors
• Data migration oversight and execution
• Developing a comprehensive disaster recovery plan
• Writing a flawless transition day plan to move from the legacy systems to the new and improved systems

Within a few months the client began seeing marked improvements in efficiencies and sales:

• Organizational Efficiency. Departments such as customer service, sales and finance are more efficiently working together and are better able to see the impacts of their departments on the entire company.

• Revenue Recognition. Improved analytics now help to identify specific revenue streams, allowing the sales team to pursue the best opportunities.

• Company Growth. Better business data allows the client to gain valuable insights into its growing business, providing for better controls-enabled acquisition and strategic company growth.