All Energy Solar is a Minnesota-based solar installer serving residential and commercial customers. Founded in 2009 by two brothers working out of a van, the company has grown steadily to become one of the top 100 installers in the country. By 2023, it employed nearly 300 people and had a national reach.
Challenge: A Constant Drain on Time and Money
When Accountant Matt Leach joined All Energy Solar in 2021, his first assigned task was to reconcile two months’ worth of credit card statements, each of which took him an entire week to sort through. “It was really laborious because more than half of the receipts were missing,” said Leach. “Nobody had any time to review or control the process. All I was doing was assigning a GL account to each line item, but I couldn’t do any analysis.” Meanwhile, the credit card statements kept lengthening and the problem kept escalating.
“It would take us days to reconcile credit card statements, given all the missing receipts. But we were always on a time crunch, so we could never adequately follow up with cardholders.” –Matt Leach, Accountant, All Energy Solar
Back then, All Energy Solar used bank-issued credit cards and a separate fuel card for expenses, neither of which had a workable interface through which users could submit receipts or classify expenses. So on top of the accounting headaches, managers had no way to see what their people were spending.
Leach researched whether the legacy credit card issuer had an expense tracking solution that might help but was very disappointed with what he found. “The software was convoluted, seemed very out of date, and was surprisingly expensive,” recalled Leach. “Besides, it didn’t sync with [our ERP system] NetSuite, which made it a deal-breaker.” By 2023, it was well past time to find a more efficient way to do things.
Solution: Shining Light on a New Approach
Once Leach found Center, it quickly became the obvious choice for All Energy Solar. “Here was a no-cost, no-risk option for us to take our expense management where it needed to be – with a holistic approach that ties our credit cards directly to the system,” he said. “And no matter how many lines or charges there are in a given month, it only takes me 30 minutes per monthly billing cycle to reconcile and get the data into our financial system.”
All Energy Solar deployed Center in only four weeks, including the time it took to integrate Center with the company’s existing ERP framework using NetSuite Connector. “It was easy and completely painless,” recalled Leach. “Our IT person had access to a dedicated Center deployment manager throughout those few weeks, which was amazing. Then, he only had to have a single half-hour call with Center to complete the final details in the process, so the whole thing was painless for him as well.”
“Center is so easy to use and intuitive that we rarely need support. But when we do, we get quick and useful responses.” –Matt Leach, Accountant, All Energy Solar
Now, All Energy Solar relies on Center for all of its field and fuel expense tracking, seamlessly syncing spending data with NetSuite when necessary. Users easily upload receipts via the CenterCard app and can even specify which GL and/or project numbers to assign them to.
Impact: The Power of a Better System
On top of its other significant benefits, Center has given Leach and his team the gift of time. Month-end credit card reconciliations that used to take several days now take only 30 minutes. “With our previous credit card program, we wouldn’t get our statement until day four, then it took three days to reconcile so we could never close by the ninth of the month. It just put a chokehold on every month-end,” said Leach. “With Center, we reconcile and load on day one, every single month.”
“Now that we have Center, we’ve gained so much time back. I actually have time to do analysis. And now all of us in accounting and management have real-time visibility into what’s being spent, and we can engage in that process.” –Matt Leach, Accountant, All Energy Solar
All Energy Solar rarely needs to call on Center’s support team, given the system’s intuitive nature and admin serviceability. However, if help is ever required, Center is readily available. “I just email the support desk or my account manager and I get an answer to any question I might have. I always know they’ll be responsive,” Leach said.
The cost savings brings it all home. “With Center, there’s no financial risk to us because it’s absolutely free,” said Leach. “Using Center is a total win for us financially.”
“A few of the users in the field were concerned they’d have difficulty adapting to something new. But the transition to Center was so smooth and easy. Anyone with a smartphone can figure it out on the first day.” –Matt Leach, Accountant, All Energy Solar
Center has made a measurable difference in how All Energy Solar handles its financials. Day-to-day operations have been dramatically simplified – for in-office accounting team members as well as the field employees who log their expenses. Perhaps most importantly, Center is a tremendous time-saver for All Energy’s financial and management teams responsible for mapping the company’s strategic future. For Leach, it all comes down to this: “Center gives us control,” he said.
With Center, All Energy Solar experienced:
- A time-saving game-changer. The hours and days once spent on month-end reconciliation can now be devoted to strategic analysis.
- Responsive, on-demand support. Center’s customer care team is available whenever All Energy has questions or needs help.
- The easy-to-integrate, easy-to-use solution. Center integrated quickly with All Energy’s existing ERP, and users adapted easily to Center’s intuitive interface.
- No financial drain or risk. With no credit card or report processing fees, Center is the fiscally responsible choice.
“With Center, we get better results faster, and we now have nearly perfect compliance with our receipt and spend policies.” –Matt Leach, Accountant, All Energy Solar