Together

Together is a national charity working alongside people with mental health issues on their journey to leading fulfilling and independent lives. By working intensively with each and every service user, focusing on their hopes and needs, Together supports them in building a positive and meaningful future for themselves – however long it takes.

Together works with around 4,000 adults a month, the majority of whom are building a positive future for themselves whilst living with complex and recurring mental health issues, in more than 100 different projects.

Together remains true to the principles of its founder in 1879, whilst constantly adapting to meet changing needs and aspirations.

Working with SunSystems

In 2004, Together selected Sun Systems to replace Sage line 100 as its primary financial package. Together has 10 licences for SunSystems and 8 for Vision. 14 members of the team share this access fluidly throughout the day. SunSystems is predominantly used at the main headquarters, but the system is also accessed remotely by home workers "and it operates at the same speed for them which is great" commented James Goodman, Management Accountant for Together.

"It is easy to use SunSystems and as it's a pretty intuitive solution" said James, "We do not require formal training for new users as they are able to effectively learn on the job".

On the functionality of SunSystems James said: "Reporting is in line with the sector in terms of timeliness; we are confident that as the management information comes straight from the ledger it will reconcile with our statutory reports. Audit review times are not extensive, and a less efficient system would be an impediment. Real accounting department goals are facilitated by SunSystems."

He went on to say "We are very happy with the performance of SunSystems, and also with the help that we get from Sapphire; the Support provision is very good and is key to us sticking with both Sapphire and SunSystems: we have had good experiences and are very happy. We can easily contact people on the Desk and they can solve issues pretty quickly. The Support Desk at Sapphire is a significant factor in my recommendation of the company - the support that we received with our last solution left a lot to be desired."

Advice to others

To others looking to implement a new back office system James counsels: "I would say that it is important to be interested in the standard features of the products that are available – for example, you would want to see how the product works in other organisations in the standard working format. In our sector, where value for money is a priority, you should seek standardised proven functions and products rather than attempt customisations when the need is not clearly understood."

What's next?

Together has not yet integrated SunSystems with any other solutions, but "we are likely to invest in a few more products from Sapphire in the next 12 months" said James, "We are considering an electronic purchasing system, which would be a big expansion for us."

Conclusion

"The positive experience we have working with Sapphire would be a key reason for my recommending the SunSystems solution. Plus there is easy integration with Microsoft Excel and straight forward report writing" said James, concluding, "There is no need for us to even consider moving to another product: all of us have had experience of poor support desks and are keen to avoid them in the future. Whilst other financial accounting solutions are fine, good support is a big factor to consider and switching would be risky and unnecessary."

Media contact: Victoria Park +44 (0)20 7648 2008 Victoria.park@sapphiresystems.com