Global Pro Audio Equipment Rental Company Uses ODT Rentals to Improve Sales Processes and Expand Operations
Trew Audio relies on ODT Rentals in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central to consolidate multiple locations and get accurate data to make revenue-driving decisions.
Product ODT Rentals
Company Trew Audio
Name Allen Trew
Job Title CFO
Role Management
Industry Audio Visual Equipment Rentals and Sales
"I’m now able to look at rental quotes and weighted averages across the whole firm and can plan for the future. Our branches aren’t siloed anymore and the whole team can work together."
PROBLEM
Recognizing the Need for a Rental Systems Overhaul
Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Trew Audio is a well-established business devoted to the art of location sound recording for film, video, and TV production. With branches around the globe, the company sells, rents, and services pro audio equipment to customers in all fifty United States, the Canadian provinces, as well as many other countries.
Trew Audio has a history of acquiring other businesses, combining them with existing operations, and then growing multiple branches. The data struggle arose when newly acquired branches used multiple software systems, including QuickBooks, Peachtree, and R2. Despite trying to function under one entity, they were juggling several general ledgers for different segments of their business, and management was not able to complete any type of consolidated analysis.
“The challenge was taking our footprint of six different entities and combining them into one business,” explains Allen Trew, CFO of Trew Audio. “We were about 20 years late for a system overhaul.”
SOLUTION
Selecting a Solution to Simplify and Improve Day-to-Day Equipment Rental and Sales
Driven by the need for an all-in-one system, Trew Audio decided to implement ODT Rentals with their new Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central system in all locations. Other systems they examined weren’t considered good enough to serve their accounting needs or provide the modern feel Trew Audio was looking for. “We discovered ODT Rentals for Business Central provided the superior functionality we needed to accommodate our day-to-day rental operations,” says Allen.
With over 4,500 fixed rental assets in different locations and in constant motion, Trew Audio decided to partner with Open Door Technology to implement the complete Business Central and ODT Rentals package. The project began in August 2020, and the new system was live and operational in January 2021. During the implementation process, the Open Door team did a great job reacting when requests were made. “The speed at which Open Door got things going was in line with our expectations,” explains Allen. “They managed the timing to reach our goal, and they were quick to respond to our questions. As an example, Open Door staff picked up on an issue with our rounding and fixed assets and ran a tool that smoothly resolved a very time-intensive process for us. By and large, it was a good implementation.”
RESULT
Trew Audio Forecasts Significant Increase in Topline Revenue Growth
Now that ODT Rentals has been implemented with the Business Central system in each division, Trew Audio staff are relieved to be able to work effectively on one centralized system. They now have better real-time visibility into equipment availability and no longer need to call each branch to find an asset. “Having that information in front of us means we can answer customer questions far more quickly,” says Allen. “Our hope is this improvement will continue to free up time for us, so we’re spending less time spinning our wheels on admin-related work and more time renting and selling equipment.”
Another major benefit of ODT Rentals is the improved rate optimization capability, which has led to significant cost savings and put the company on schedule for an increase in topline rental growth this year. They no longer need to devote as much staff time to administration and other time-intensive tasks. According to Allen, “Open Door and the new rental system have helped put us in a position to scale.”
Prior to the software rollout, Trew Audio’s staff initially felt intimidated about learning two different systems for rentals and sales simultaneously in Business Central. However, to get them up to speed while also trying to manage their day-to-day jobs, Open Door was able to provide invaluable user training and support throughout the entire process. “We’re not a massive business, but we have a lot of complexity with sales, rentals, manufacturing, and other side programs and projects,” describes Allen. “It’s not an easy task to manage an implementation project with a customer like us, but Open Door did a great job to prepare us, and we were pleased with the work they did.”
“Having more information in front of us means we can answer customer questions far more quickly. Our hope is this improvement will continue to free up time for us, so we’re spending less time spinning our wheels on admin-related work and more time renting and selling equipment.”