Built to scale, easy to use: Why WoodGreen Community Services chose Concur Invoice

When your existing software is being sunset and you have limited time to find, evaluate, and deploy a replacement, without disrupting the finance operations that keep 80 sites running across a city, there is no room for a slow or complicated implementation.

That was the reality facing WoodGreen Community Services, one of Toronto's largest social services agencies, when their accounts payable platform reached end of life. With thousands of monthly transactions, a multi-entity organizational structure, and a non-negotiable need for ERP integration, WoodGreen needed a solution that could meet complex requirements and go live fast.

They chose Concur Invoice, and it delivered.

The challenge: No margin for error

WoodGreen serves thousands of individuals and families across the Greater Toronto Area through programs spanning affordable housing, employment services, financial empowerment, childcare, seniors care, and developmental services. Behind that mission is a finance operation that processes well over a thousand invoices every month, and it needed to keep running without interruption.

The requirements were demanding:

• Multiple legal entities requiring distinct management within a single platform
   
• High invoice volume driven largely by WoodGreen's affordable housing portfolio
   
• Seamless ERP integration with Microsoft Dynamics Great Plains, a non-negotiable
   
• An intuitive user experience that staff could adopt quickly with minimal training

"We didn't really have a margin of error to get this one wrong. Our current tool was being sunset and we were given very little notice. We needed to move quickly and decisively." — Jesse Kirkey, Chief Digital Transformation Officer, WoodGreen Community Services

Why Concur

After evaluating multiple vendors, three factors made Concur Invoice the clear choice.

Multi-entity architecture: Concur's ability to manage multiple legal entities within a single platform instance, without major tradeoffs, set it apart from competing solutions that struggled to accommodate WoodGreen's structure cleanly.

Transaction-based pricing: Seat- and license-based pricing models from competing vendors would have been cost-prohibitive at WoodGreen's scale. Concur's transaction volume-based model was a far better fit.

"If we have hundreds of users, it just becomes cost prohibitive and limiting operationally for us. That was actually a big compelling point with respect to taking on Concur." — Jesse Kirkey, Chief Digital Transformation Officer, WoodGreen Community Services

A trusted partner network: With a tight timeline, WoodGreen needed confidence in the implementation. Concur's established ecosystem of implementation partners, and the support of a dedicated Account Executive from day one, provided exactly that.

"We felt more confident doing that with Concur than some other competitors because of its implementing partner network. We did it in just a few months from start to finish." — Jesse Kirkey, Chief Digital Transformation Officer, WoodGreen Community Services

The solution: Concur Invoice with Wipfli ERP integration

WoodGreen implemented Concur Invoice for accounts payable and expense management, integrating it with Microsoft Dynamics Great Plains through the Wipfli connector. The project was led by a Business Systems Analyst and WoodGreen's Financial Controller, working closely with their Concur implementation partner, and completed successfully within months.

The Wipfli connector was implemented and tested in less than a day's work, delivering the plug-and-play integration WoodGreen needed.

"If we had to repost transactions between our AP solution and our ERP for every transaction, there's a pretty high chance we would not have gone with Concur. It was relatively easy to set up, and it's been working well with no complaints." — Jesse Kirkey, Chief Digital Transformation Officer, WoodGreen Community Services

Five benefits that made a difference

1. A faster, more intuitive user experience: Staff across WoodGreen found Concur easier to navigate and adopt than the previous solution, reducing the need for hands-on training.

"We train our staff less than we used to with Concur because most staff can just figure it out by themselves for our standard transactions when supported by Concur's learning site and QuickStart guides." — Jesse Kirkey, Chief Digital Transformation Officer, WoodGreen Community Services

2. Mobile approvals for leaders on the go: Senior leaders responsible for approving dozens of invoices daily can now review and approve from their mobile devices, a capability WoodGreen did not have before.

"Literally just yesterday I approved several invoices from my mobile phone. I couldn't do that before. The app design is simple with everything fully visible and clearly laid out." — Jesse Kirkey, Chief Digital Transformation Officer, WoodGreen Community Services

3. Meaningful processing efficiency at scale: Incremental improvements in processing speed add up quickly when you are managing well over a thousand transactions every month.

4. Simpler reporting and data access: Accessing and analyzing invoice data is more straightforward with Concur, reducing the friction associated with financial reporting and day-to-day data queries.

5. A smooth implementation despite real complexity: Managing multiple legal entities, migrating under a tight deadline, and requiring ERP integration from day one, and still landing a smooth go-live, is a testament to what the right platform and partner network can deliver.

"There is value to going with these known entities because it's a higher likelihood of being a smoother implementation. That's something I'm taking with me to future projects." — Jesse Kirkey, Chief Digital Transformation Officer, WoodGreen Community Services

A foundation for what comes next

WoodGreen is already leveraging Concur Invoice's AI-embedded technology for data capture and is looking ahead to deeper use of Concur's reporting and analytics capabilities as the next step in their digital transformation journey.

For CFOs and CIOs navigating similar pressures, whether managing a complex deployment, a multi-entity structure, or a compressed timeline, WoodGreen's experience offers a clear and encouraging message.

"While the project itself was complex and required a great effort for all involved, it was not as difficult to implement as we were concerned it might be." — Jesse Kirkey, Chief Digital Transformation Officer, WoodGreen Community Services

Read the full case study to learn how WoodGreen Community Services modernized its accounts payable operations with Concur Invoice.