Sage Freight improves close time by 33% and boosts on-time receivables and financial strength with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

Sage Freight’s rapid growth and 3,000-plus weekly transactions overwhelmed its financial systems. Data integrity issues, delayed closes, and limited performance visibility prompted the need for a scalable, integrated solution.

Sage Freight partnered with Wipfli to implement Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, a scalable, cloud-based ERP that integrates with its industry-specific systems, automates accounting processes, and delivers comprehensive, real-time insights.

Sage Freight cut month-end close times by 33%, boosted on-time receivables by 18%, and gained real-time financial visibility, empowering teams with accurate data and freeing time to focus on customer relationships.

Innovative logistics firm Sage Freight is using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central to streamline operations and strengthen financial reporting, helping it focus on customers’ unique needs. After two years of rapid expansion, Sage Freight was processing 3,000-plus weekly transactions, overwhelming its legacy financial systems and limiting data-driven decision-making. The company worked with Microsoft partner Wipfli to find an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that could scale alongside it.

Now, Sage Freight uses Business Central’s data and insights to accommodate growth, increase performance visibility, and bolster customer relationships. The company’s month-end close time has decreased by 33%, and its on-time receivables have increased by 18%. Meanwhile, the firm’s confidence in its financial data has improved immeasurably.

Seeking scalable systems to support a $165 million operation

Sage Freight began in 2021 as a freight brokerage connecting mid-to-large shippers with carriers, providing customized services at competitive rates. The company’s lean, industry-fluent team helped it grow to $165 million in annual revenue in just a few years.

“Your tools have to give you consistent data to adequately understand your performance or plan for the future. We needed a system that gave us confidence.”

Tyler Watson, Financial Controller, Sage Freight

As weekly transactions ballooned, the company’s legacy financial system struggled to integrate properly with its transportation management system (TMS) and other platforms. Verification and confirmation of data accuracy became a time-consuming task. “Your tools have to give you consistent data to adequately understand your performance or plan for the future,” says Tyler Watson, Financial Controller at Sage Freight. “We needed a system that gave us confidence.”

Merging industry-specific systems with a high-powered ERP

Sage Freight turned to Wipfli, a consulting firm that tailors software solutions for clients in various industries. Wipfli’s expertise integrating enterprise software with industry-specific systems ensured a smooth transition. “We needed somebody to work with us on the technical and back end, not just another generic ERP rollout,” says Watson. “Wipfli’s ability to do that really set them apart.”

Wipfli led Sage Freight to Business Central, a reliable, high-capacity system that would maximize time savings through automation and deliver real-time insights. Business Central also worked seamlessly with Sage Freight’s TMS and Microsoft technology like Excel and Power BI.

“We needed somebody to work with us on the technical and back end, not just another generic ERP rollout. Wipfli’s ability to do that really set them apart.”

Tyler Watson, Financial Controller, Sage Freight

Watson and his team quickly got the hang of Business Central during deployment, which included data rollover, module build-out, employee training, and a back-end integration process. “Because Business Central works so well with our established systems, and because we were already firmly in the Microsoft ecosystem, our team felt comfortable right away,” says Watson. “That familiarity made adoption much smoother.”

33% faster closes, 18% more on-time collections, and comprehensive data from 3,000+ weekly transactions

Since going live with Business Central, Sage Freight has boosted its operational efficiency and accounts receivable. Its financial data is more reliable and accessible. The company can now focus more on needs-based, relationship-driven customer service and future expansion plans.

Sage Freight reduced its month-end close process from as many as 21 days to about 12 with Business Central’s high-level automation and integration capabilities. It now collects about 88% of its receivables on time, up from 70%. The company has more time for the custom services that first set it apart. “The more we automate, the more we can build relationships with customers,” says Watson. “That’s what sets us apart.”

“Expanding our suite of Microsoft solutions will give Sage Freight even more agility and a competitive advantage in a fast-evolving market.”

Tyler Watson, Financial Controller, Sage Freight

More comprehensive data also makes it easier to identify the company’s needs. “Every team can see how its own division is performing, not just the whole company,” says Watson. “That visibility has been a game changer.”

To build on its digital transformation, Sage Freight hopes to explore more services like Microsoft Fabric, which could help create an AI-powered data lake fueling virtual agents and other tools. “Expanding our suite of Microsoft solutions will give Sage Freight even more agility and a competitive advantage in a fast-evolving market,” says Watson.

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