Financial Automation for a Canadian Professional Services Firm
A growing Canadian professional services firm had invested in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central — but they were not getting the value they expected. The system was live, the data was in it, but the processes around it were still manual. Invoices were processed by hand. Approvals were paper-based. Bank reconciliation was a monthly spreadsheet exercise. And month-end close took 12+ days of manual work by the finance team.
The ERP was underutilized. The problem was not the software — it was the implementation. The original deployment had configured the basics but left the automation, reporting, and workflow capabilities untouched.
Underutilized ERP
Having Business Central is not the same as using Business Central. This firm had a modern ERP but was still processing invoices manually, reconciling bank statements in spreadsheets, and producing financial reports through Excel exports. The system was live but the value was locked.
Optimization Approach
Econix was engaged to unlock the automation and reporting capabilities that Business Central offers — transforming the firm's finance operations from manual processes to automated workflows.
Zetadocs Deployment
Implemented Zetadocs for Business Central to automate invoice capture, approval workflows, and document management. Incoming invoices are now captured electronically, routed through configurable approval chains, and posted automatically — eliminating manual keying and paper-based approvals.
Financial Dimension Rebuild
Rebuilt the chart of accounts and financial dimensions to match the firm's actual service line reporting needs. The original implementation had used a generic structure that did not support the management reporting the firm needed. Dimensions were restructured for service line, cost center, and project-level P&L analysis.
Automated Bank Reconciliation
Implemented Power Automate workflows connected to Business Central's bank reconciliation module. Bank statement feeds are imported automatically, matching rules apply suggested entries, and the finance team reviews exceptions rather than processing every line manually.
Power BI Financial Dashboards
Built 15 Power BI dashboards replacing manual Excel reports. Real-time financial visibility across service lines, project profitability, cash flow, AR aging, and budget variance — all connected directly to Business Central data with no manual export or refresh required.
Results
- 12-day month-end close
- Manual invoice keying and paper approvals
- Spreadsheet bank reconciliation
- 15 manually maintained Excel reports
- No real-time financial visibility
- Generic chart of accounts
- 3-day month-end close
- Zetadocs automated capture and approval
- Power Automate bank reconciliation
- 15 live Power BI dashboards
- Real-time drill-through reporting
- Service line financial dimensions
Optimization Impact
The same Business Central system — but completely different outcomes. By deploying Zetadocs, rebuilding financial dimensions, automating bank reconciliation, and replacing Excel with Power BI, Econix transformed a 12-day close into a 3-day close and gave the finance team real-time visibility they never had before. No new ERP purchase. No migration. Just proper utilization of the platform they already owned.
Is Your Business Central Underperforming?
If your organization has Business Central but is still running manual processes, exporting to Excel, or struggling with month-end close, the problem is likely not the software — it is the implementation. Econix specializes in optimizing existing Business Central environments to deliver the automation and reporting value you expected.
Book a free ERP Health Check → or schedule a 30-minute assessment call to assess your Business Central utilization.