Delivering Efficiency: How R.A.S. Transformed Their Complex Reporting Process Across the U.S.

The Overview

R.A.S. Logistics Inc., operating in over 18 locations across the Midwest, South, and East of the U.S., specializes in delivering large appliances and furniture for major retailers like Home Depot and Wayfair. Until late 2018, they relied on a combination of QuickBooks, Excel, and various other software for their operations.

A major challenge was the weekly Carrier Settlement report, a complex and error-prone task compiled in Excel from multiple data sources. This report, essential for managing payments to carrier partners, was labor-intensive, often requiring weekend work from two dedicated accounting employees and an additional reviewer. The process, starting every Friday, was to reconcile data for timely carrier payments every Monday, with the final figures sent to various locations for issuing checks.

The Solution

R.A.S. had outgrown QuickBooks, leading them to partner with Crestwood Associates and implement Acumatica for a more sophisticated solution. This collaboration resulted in a streamlined system where each branch can input transaction details and chargebacks for carriers directly into a unified dashboard. Acumatica automates complex calculations and invoice/memo creation, offering a real-time view of each delivery, including associated costs.

Our developers introduced recurring transactions for each carrier, simplifying the process for the Payables team by allowing them to quickly apply standard deductions with a click.

This system also centralizes the check run process at the headquarters, replacing the previous method where each branch issued checks independently. As a result, the period close process, which once took up to three weeks, has been reduced to just 3-4 days.

What was once a labor-intensive weekly project is now an easily generated on-demand report. Decision-makers no longer have to wait until week’s end for a comprehensive overview; it’s now available instantly. The previous rush to reconcile transactions over the weekend for Monday check runs is replaced by an automated system that completes reconciliation by Friday afternoon.

The Outcome

Just two months following the implementation of Acumatica by Crestwood Associates, R.A.S. has experienced significant improvements across their operations:

• Streamlined Data Entry: The need for duplicating data entry was completely eradicated, impacting over 600 transaction records daily.
  Consolidated Reporting: Multiple complex reports were merged into one comprehensive and user-friendly report, enhancing clarity and efficiency.
• Enhanced Real-Time Insights: The system now offers a live overview of revenue and carrier data across all branches. This allows for the generation of daily reports, a task that was previously unfeasible.
• Accelerated Financial Closing: The financial closing process has been drastically shortened, going from over three weeks to just 3-4 days.
• Centralized Accounting Data Access: All accounting information is now accessible from a single system. This simplification makes responding to inquiries about charges or balances from carriers or coworkers both quick and straightforward.
• Elimination of Excel Reporting: The dependency on Excel for reporting has been completely eliminated, removing the need for transferring data between systems.

The Crestwood team faced a substantial and exhilarating challenge in customizing Acumatica to meet the unique needs of R.A.S. The successful outcome of this project is a testament to the team’s expertise and dedication, and we are delighted to see the significant benefits R.A.S. has gained from this investment.