Arbor Research Collaborative Success Story

With NetSuite Planning and Budgeting, Arbor Research Collaborative Remains Rooted in Mission

For two decades, health care providers and their patients have relied on the objective research, best practices and analysis generated by the various experts in medicine, epidemiology, statistics and economics who work for Arbor Research Collaborative, a nonprofit specialising in epidemiological studies. Seeking more visibility, transparency and the ability to analyse its finances to continue to provide life-changing work, the organisation implemented a planning and forecasting tool.

COMPANY

Arbor Research Collaborative

LOCATION

Ann Arbor, Mich.

INDUSTRY

Nonprofit

EMPLOYEES

140

REVENUE

$20 million

SYSTEM REPLACED

Excel

NETSUITE PRODUCTS IMPLEMENTED

NetSuite
NetSuite Project Management
Oracle NetSuite Planning and Budgeting

IMPLEMENTATION PARTNER

NetSuite Professional Services

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“Everyone loves Excel. That’s one of the things our initial planning solution sold us on. Planning and Budgeting feels like Excel too, but it’s able to connect to NetSuite and isn’t a burden to maintain.” Karen L. Crow, VP of Finance, Arbor Research Collaborative

Arbor Examines its Own Operations Within

Initial solution lacked ease-of-use, experienced team: Despite promises of robust functionality and ease of use, the first planning solution Arbor Research selected required one full-time financial employee to maintain the integration with NetSuite. Convinced to re-implement the software, Arbor Research was left even more frustrated when the second team lacked the finance knowledge to implement a set of standard financials.

Planning and budgeting offers rich functionality: In 2018, Arbor Research discovered the NetSuite Planning and Budgeting as a possible solution at NetSuite’s user conference. Working collaboratively, NetSuite Professional Services and Arbor Research used their rich finance and nonprofit knowledge to salvage work already done and successfully implement Planning and Budgeting.

Transparency, visibility drives results: Planning and Budgeting functionality integrated with NetSuite financials, project management and third-party timekeeping software has saved the accounting team of three roughly 40 hours a month previously spent maintaining the integration between two software products, which is now redirecting its efforts towards analysis and delivery.

Knowledgeable consultants bring the project home: Leveraging the NetSuite team’s experience, Arbor was able to get up and running quickly, allowing the accounting team to develop and begin to provide internal users with views of financials relevant to their roles.