Case Study: Verizon Information Services
How do you merge two very different accounting and finance environments within a tight timeframe while continuing to process more than 7,500 customer transactions? Verizon Information Services did it by utilizing Microsoft Great Plains Dynamics software and turning to The RSC Group for project management and support.

The Company
Verizon Information Services Inc. is a Canadian company with offices in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. It was formed by the merger of Dominion Directory Company, which published telephone directories on behalf of BC Tel/TELUS for more than 70 years, and TELUS Advertising Services, the directory advertising division of TELUS Alberta. (TELUS Advertising services was acquired by Verizon Information Services, the world's leading print and online directory publisher, in July 2001.) As a new company, Verizon has now introduced a national brand called SUPERPAGES(tm)

The Challenge
Dominion needed to move current and historical information from the TELUS SAP application to its Microsoft Great Plains (MSGP) application in a way that was completely seamless to customers while also meeting a 180-day deadline and ensuring the system's functionality.

The project began by defining and testing SAP data extract and MSGP data integration requirements, with live extracts and integrations performed within one month. Information loaded into MSGP included 35,000 customer names and addresses, 29,000 outstanding accounts receivable transactions and 800 sales materials/items as well as all collections information and open contract invoices.

A custom SAP History Inquiry module was installed that allows access to historical information including 395,000 accounts receivable transactions, 197,000 invoices and 3,800 open contracts.

The Benefits
Within just 10 weeks, seven years of accounts receivable information was moved from SAP to MSGP. Verizon is now able to inquire on, produce reports for, and continue the sales process with all of the customers from Verizon/TELUS Advertising Services.

Reflecting on the project, David Heim, Verizon's Manager of Treasury, Credit and Collections, says his only regret is that Verizon should probably have developed a more detailed plan before it began the project with The RSC Group. "For example, we loaded more than 200 different payment terms, but once it was done we realized that the only one we actually use is 30 days."

On the positive side, David notes that, "Once the green light was given, the steps and actions that needed to be done were executed in an extremely efficient manner. A lot of details were taken care of that we didn't have to think about. That's because our consultant Suzan Riedel knows how to listen carefully to what her clients are saying, and The RSC Group knows our company very well."

"Our confidence in the system came through our discussions with RSC. They were confident that MSGP could handle all of our concerns, and my confidence was in the people that I know, and who have built a relationship with us. If we'd been dealing with a new vendor, the leash would have been shorter and the process more excruciating for all of us."

Now that the "guts" of the new integrated system has been created, the next steps for Verizon Information Services Inc. and The RSC Group will be a chart of accounts re-format and change for another integration from the MSGP general ledger to Verizon's PeopleSoft application.