The short answer
A SACCO moves to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central when it wants members, loans, deposits and the general ledger in one system, backed by a platform that Microsoft maintains, rather than a core system that finance reconciles by hand each month.
One ledger instead of an export
Many SACCOs run members and loans in one system and finance in another. The month ends with extracts, journals and a reconciliation. On Business Central the member and loan transactions post to the general ledger through one posting facade, so the trial balance and the sub-ledgers agree because they are the same data. Auditors can follow a number back to the transaction behind it.
A platform that does not depend on one vendor team
A stand-alone SACCO system is usually only as good as its vendor's small development team. Business Central is a Microsoft product with a yearly release cycle, a large partner network, a developer community and a defined way to extend it without changing the core. A SACCO extension such as SaccoFlow 365 sits on top of that platform, and the platform keeps moving whichever partner you work with.
The Microsoft tools your staff already use
Business Central works with Excel, Outlook, Teams and Power BI. Credit and finance teams can open lists in Excel, publish reports to Power BI from the same data and use the role-based home screens built for each job. That is less to train than a system that has its own look for everything.
Cloud with controls
Business Central online runs on Microsoft's cloud with Microsoft handling the platform, backups and updates. Access is by role, and permission sets control who can see and post what. SACCOs with their own server rooms can compare that with the cost and risk of running their own infrastructure.
What it asks of you
- A partner who understands SACCO operations as well as Dynamics 365.
- Clean member, deposit and loan data to bring across, reconciled to the ledger.
- Time from credit, FOSA, teller and finance staff in design and testing.
- Licences per user, which means choosing who needs a full licence and who needs less.
Those are real costs. They are usually smaller than the cost of reconciling two systems for years, but they are not zero.
SaccoFlow 365 is in preview and is introduced through a pilot with your data. To scope one, book a consultation.
Frequently asked questions
Does Microsoft Dynamics 365 work for SACCOs?
Yes. Business Central can hold a SACCO's members, deposits, loans and ledger together, and SaccoFlow 365 adds the SACCO processes such as guarantors, checkoff, dividends, FOSA accounts and SASRA returns.
Why not stay on a local SACCO system?
You may. A Business Central based system is worth considering when you want one ledger, a platform maintained by Microsoft and room to add branches, channels and reporting.
What does it cost?
Licences are per user, with implementation and support on top. The cost is scoped in a discovery workshop.