From its inception in 1994, Boyer has been a die-hard fan of Microsoft Dynamics SL. Our first sale was for SL. Our first implementation was for SL. Even our own ERP solution was SL.
As we added other ERP offerings and started migrating our clients to the cloud, we remained on SL. We were generally happy with the project-based software and saw no need for an ERP cloud migration.
An internal ERP cloud migration
Last year we decided it was time to pull the trigger and make the very move we’ve been suggesting our on-premise clients make: We moved to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central in the cloud.
Boyer has helped dozens of our on-premise clients migrate off Microsoft Dynamics SL, GP and NAV over the past five years. Moving those clients to the cloud gave us a great idea of what to do and what not to do.
Actually taking that journey ourselves was still a process. As with any software implementation, we had a couple minor data migration challenges, but we were able to resolve them quickly. We went live with Business Central in December 2023.
Including ERP Connect add-ons — such as Invoice & Statement delivery — within our cloud ERP migration was a given. We also implemented Project Operations to enhance that capability and Customer Insights — Journeys to assist our marketing efforts. With each piece of our internal project, we infused aspects of the Power Platform and Copilot wherever applicable.
‘A breath of fresh air’
Anyone who has been a Boyer client for any length of time knows Carol Simonson, Boyer’s Customer Service & AR Specialist. One of our Dynamics SL superusers, she was at first hesitant to learn an entirely new system.
“I really didn’t think I would love it as much as I do,” Simonson said. “I was kind of like, ‘OK. I’ve been in my comfort zone for 22 years and now I have to learn something new.’”
That reluctance quickly changed when she started experiencing the benefits of Dynamics 365 Business Central.
“My first day was, ‘Wow, this is awesome!’” she said. “It’s a breath of fresh air.”
Even the appearance of Business Central is nicer, she said. The cloud ERP is much more colorful and easy to personalize. A user can set up a personalized dashboard to feature the items they care about most depending upon their role. They can also color code and set thresholds to quickly highlight any items of concern, such as overdue payments or outstanding invoices.
“I wish we would have switched over a lot earlier. I’m all about Business Central.”
Carol Simonson, Customer Service & AR Specialist
Simonson said she didn’t realize quite how painful working within SL was until she started using BC. She said the cloud ERP is much more user-friendly than its on-premise counterpart.
“I think BC is easier. It’s just very user friendly. I think it’s very Carol friendly. It speaks my language, and the more I’m in it now I understand why it does this and that,” she said.
Some former SL users who transition to BC mistakenly assume that the new system can’t do a particular task. Simonson said to just ask — The likelihood is that the capability exists, just through a different process.
Saving time with every little task
“Time savings — that I think is the biggest thing because it’s so few other clicks that you have to do, and it’s fast,” Simonson said of the benefits of Business Central. She’s thrilled with the automation capabilities, from recurring invoices to posting invoices.
Those “quick little things,” she said, are saving her time with every transaction. For example, typing up a multi-line invoice used to take 7-8 minutes in SL. That time is cut in half thanks to the simple capability in Business Central to duplicate a line rather than rekeying all the data.
That’s just one example. Many other tasks that took several clicks in SL are simplified as well, such as sending a copy of an invoice or issuing a credit to a client. Even reversing errors is a much simpler process.
“It’s just a couple of clicks, and it’s done. There’s no rekeying, which is awesome,” Simonson said.
As for SL, there’s no looking back for Simonson or Boyer. We’re happy with the end result of our ERP cloud migration, and our only regret is not having made the move sooner.
“I wish we would have switched over a lot earlier. I’m all about Business Central, let me tell you,” Simonson said. “RIP SL, rest in peace.”
