Located on the Gold Coast, the three parks, and the Sea

Transcription

1 Microsoft Customer Solution Case study Microsoft Business Solutions Navision Keeps Australia s Favourite Theme Parks Running Hot We wanted a modern product based on Microsoft Windows that had a lot of flexibility and was easy to use Ben Graziani Manager Accounting and Information Systems, Warner Village Located on the Gold Coast, the three parks, and the Sea World Nara Resort, are jointly operated by The Warner Village Theme Park Group, owned by the US-based Time Warner (now part of AOL) and Melbourne entertainment operator, Village Roadshow. The parks attract around 3,000,000 local and overseas visitors to Queensland s southeast corner every year and employ up to 3,000 staff during peak holiday periods. The annual combined revenue including Sea World Nara Resort is $175 million. Each theme park is a distinctive destination with new attractions added regularly. Sea World is famous for its dolphins; Movie World transports the action of Hollywood to the Gold Coast; Wet n Wild is Australia s only world-class water theme park; while the Sea World Nara Resort is a four-and-ahalf-star resort with 405 rooms. With a fast-moving operation covering scores of divisional outlets from ticketing to merchandising, restaurants and the hotel, Warner Village Theme Parks required a new financial management system that could successfully monitor the company s theme park business. CUSTOMER PROFILE BUSINESS SITUATION SOLUTION BENEFITS Warner Village Theme Parks manage three of Australia s most popular theme parks Movie World, Sea World and Wet n Wild as well as Sea World Nara Resort on the Gold Coast. The theme parks attract around 3,000,000 people each year and employ up to 3,000 people during holidays. With a fast-moving operation covering scores of divisional outlets from ticketing to merchandising, restaurants and the hotel, Warner Village Theme Parks required a new financial management system that could successfully monitor the company s theme park business. The Microsoft Business Solutions Navision financial management software is being used to record and monitor the operations of some of Australia s most popular and successful tourist attractions the Sea World, Warner Bros. Movie World and Wet n Wild theme parks. Stability Flexibility allows easy access to data Ability to link to other operational systems thus delivering cost savings & quicker flow of information into the accounting system E-commerce & CRM functionality

2 Microsoft Navision is very flexible and has allowed Warner Village Theme Park staff and executives to have easy access to the large mass of operational data they need to measure the performance of the company s theme park businesses. Flemming Beisner Managing Director of Microsoft Business Solutions Australasia Chartered accountant and Chief Financial Officer for the Warner Village Theme Park Group, Graham McHugh, said the company had looked for a system with the potential to evolve with its changing business needs. The previous system which we inherited wasn t working for us and we looked to replace it with one that had future development opportunities, Mr McHugh said. The major problem with the legacy system was that, while it was an American product recommended by Warner Brothers in the US, it was not supported adequately. According to Warner Village s Manager Accounting and Information Systems, Ben Graziani, the system was unstable and very raw. We struggled with the system for about eight months. It was continually crashing and didn t come with a standard report writer so we weren t able to generate audit trails and financial reports for a three- to four-month period, Mr Graziani said. A third-party report writer had to be brought in to get the reports out but, by then, there was a large backlog of work and staff were feeling the pressure of having to deal with a system that wasn t working well. As a result of this, senior management, including Ben Graziani, Graham McHugh and CEO, John Menzies, moved to resolve the issue. Ben Graziani: Trying to remedy a situation like this is always difficult because you either have to fix the system if possible or scrap it and start again: neither is easy to do and the costs involved are enormous. After discussing the options available with their IT services provider, Dialog Information Technology, Warner Village decided to migrate its financial operations to Microsoft Navision. Headquartered in Brisbane, Dialog is one of the Microsoft Business Solutions most experienced partners. The company employs 500 people at ten offices nationwide and is now the largest privately owned IT services company in Australia. Microsoft Navision was an ideal fit because it offered advanced financial management capabilities plus integrated functionality to support future development in supply chain collaboration, e-commerce, customer relationship management (CRM) and service management. We wanted a modern product based on Microsoft Windows that had a lot of flexibility and was easy to use. Obviously, it was critically important that it was a robust system that was totally reliable. We also required drill-down capabilities which allows you to go from the summary level to details underneath, Mr Graziani said. By the time the decision was made to install Microsoft Navision, it was May With the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) just two months away, it was critical to have Microsoft Navision implemented as quickly as possible. Mr McHugh said a close working relationship between customer and service provider helped to ensure the project was completed on time and to a high standard. A project team headed by Ben Graziani worked with Dialog implementation staff using certified methodologies to agree on the scope of the project, customisations and training. A major and time-consuming requirement for Dialog was the transfer of all the data history from the previous system that was used for eight months into Microsoft Navision. This was by no means an easy task but, to Dialog s credit, every single

3 record was captured successfully. Key users and staff from the Accounts Department were invited to a group forum to identify specific requirements. From here, Dialog worked against the clock to have the Microsoft Navision solution installed as quickly as possible. Microsoft Navision went live at the Warner Village Theme Park Group in August 2000, in time to facilitate the accompanying backlog of monthly financial reports. Two years on, Mr Graziani said Microsoft Navision had proved to be an excellent financial management system. It s reliable, fast, easy to use and very flexible. The way it is designed means it s easy to move from window to window and you can drill down to get your information. The reporting is straightforward and, from a financials system point of view, it meets all our needs, he said. Stability The stability of the Microsoft Navision software is a major advantage, according to Mr McHugh. We ve improved our system here with further development, he explained. It s a robust solution that can grow with our organisation over time. It s a good mid-tier product for organisations like ours. Flexibility Allows Easy Access to Data Flemming Beisner, Managing Director of Microsoft Business Solutions in Australasia, said the Microsoft Navision financials suite was well-placed to meet the needs of organisations with a high transaction volume and complex reporting requirements, such as Warner Village. Microsoft Navision is very flexible and has allowed Warner Village Theme Park staff and executives to have easy access to the large mass of operational data they need to measure the performance of the company s theme park businesses, Mr Beisner said. In July 2002, Microsoft acquired Navision, one of the world s leading suppliers of integrated business software solutions for mid-sized companies. Microsoft Navision is now part of Microsoft Business Solutions which also includes the businesses of Great Plains and Microsoft bcentral and offers a wide range of business applications designed to help small and mid-market businesses become more connected with customers, employees, partners and suppliers. Mr McHugh said he likes Microsoft Navision s global commitment to research and development (R&D) that ensures the technology is always leadingedge. He said he appreciates Microsoft Navision s high standards in adapting this software to suit local conditions. When changes are made overseas, Microsoft Navision s team of programmers here in Australia customise it for the Australian market. They are fast and efficient. For example, it was the first system in Australia to be GST-compliant. Linkage to Operational Systems Linking other operational systems to Microsoft Navision is top of the development agenda for Warner Village over the next 12 months. The company plans to work with Dialog to build interfaces between Microsoft Navision and the company s ticketing, food and beverage and merchandise pointof-sale systems. This development will provide access to important operational data which was previously unavailable. It will also provide a greater whole -of-business picture. For example, queries and reports can be run to facilitate a snapshot of departmental results and compared against budget at any time throughout a given month. It is also It is easy to build interfaces with Microsoft Navision and doing this will speed the flow of business information into the accounting system and deliver cost savings as well. Graham McHugh Chartered Accountant & Chief Financial Officer, Warner Village Theme Park Group

4 expected to enable more timely month end reporting. It is easy to build interfaces with Microsoft Navision and doing this will speed the flow of business information into the accounting system and deliver cost savings as well, Mr McHugh said. The three sites were running stand-alone versions of Microsoft Navision; however, since June 2002, the three separate systems have been consolidated into one system servicing the various businesses. The Microsoft Navision solution is run over a network using Citrix Metaframe Thin Client which allows the central system to be accessed by remote users. Mr Hugh said, This has been a most beneficial development as it has saved us a lot of doubling up and is very useful for our large number of remote users, Mr McHugh said. It provided an excellent opportunity for us to integrate our locations. E-commerce & CRM Functionality Since attending the Microsoft Navision Asia Pacific Customer Conference on the Gold Coast in March this year, Warner Village s interest in using Microsoft Navision s e-commerce and CRM functionality in the future is even greater than before. Mr Graziani said the Marketing Department was driving the company s e- commerce initiatives and would be closely involved with investigating this further. Our Marketing division is keen to have an Affiliates-type loyalty program developed. Many people may not realise that about 75 percent of our sales are driven by resellers such as Qantas Holidays, travel agents and motoring associations like the RACQ. At the moment, it s all done by pen and paper where they fill out a voucher that the customer later on presents to the cashier at one of the admission gates for redemption and entry into the parks. For our credit based customers, the voucher is our authority to invoice them. What Marketing would like to do is streamline the above process, use a form of e-ticketing and, ideally, have customers (the public) buy tickets directly from our Web sites, Mr Graziani said. The Microsoft Navision CRM and e- commerce functionality now available also has exciting potential to assist the company s extensive e-commerce marketing activities planned for Our Marketing team tried to get a CRM system off the ground last year but it didn t work. They are aware of the value of this type of system. The advantage with Microsoft Navision is that the functionality already exists and it is integrated with financial management. This is great because it means I don t have to build another interface, Mr Graziani said. Microsoft Business Solutions, which includes the businesses of Great Plains and Microsoft Navision, offers a wide range of business applications designed to help small and mid-market businesses become more connected with customers, employees, partners and suppliers. Microsoft Business Solutions applications automate end-to-end business processes across financials, distribution, project accounting, electronic commerce, human resources and payroll, manufacturing, supply chain management, business intelligence, sales and marketing management and customer service and support. Globally, Microsoft Business Solutions has 3,800 team members, 4,500 partners and more than 260,000 customers using their range of products in 132 countries. In Australia and New Zealand, Microsoft Business Solutions has a growing base of 70 partners and more than 1,200 customers across a diverse range of industry sectors.

5 Microsoft Business Solutions Navision Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 using Citrix Metaframe Thin Client connections Partner Dialog Information Technology Software for the Agile Business For more information in Australia, call the Microsoft Information Centre on To access information using the World Wide Web, go to: For more information about Microsoft Business Solutions go to: For further information please contact Vannessa McCamley, Marketing Communications Manager Microsoft Business Solutions 1 Epping Road PO Box 91 North Ryde NSW 2113 M: vmccamle@microsoft.com 2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. This customer solution is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY. Microsoft, BizTalk, Visio, Visual Studio, SQL Server and Windows are registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.