Chat Board Builds Operational Reporting From the Ground up With Jet Reports

In Brief

• Jet Reports helped CHAT BOARD build its operational reporting from the ground up
• Provided greater visibility into the company’s inventory and supply data
• Gave CHAT BOARD easier access and a better overview of its Microsoft NAV data

Established in 2004, CHAT BOARD’s magnetic and writable glass solutions are internationally renowned as modern Danish design classics. Headquartered in Ballerup, Denmark, CHAT BOARD is proud to carry on the Scandinavian tradition of outstanding craftsmanship and timeless design. Combining function and aesthetics with uncompromising quality, each piece in the company’s continually growing collection has been developed to facilitate creative dialogue in the modern workplace or domestic setting.

Starting at Zero

With a diverse selection of glass presentation boards in a wide array of colors, CHAT BOARD is known worldwide for its unique and stylish products. But when Henriette Jørgensen joined the company as Chief Accountant in 2019, the business was conducting its financials manually using Excel and did not run a single operational report.

“There was no reporting at all,” Jørgensen said. “There was annual reporting each year, but no monthly operational reporting.”

When the pandemic hit in 2020, global supply chains were impacted dramatically. As a result, the business struggled to purchase and maintain inventory, especially as fuel prices continued to soar.

While navigating these challenges, the business has experienced significant growth since 2019. To build its operational reporting from the ground up, manage the company’s inventory, and support growth, Jørgensen knew she needed a solution.

Introducing Jet Reports

The growth CHAT BOARD enjoyed is largely attributed to its strong sales team. Jørgensen noticed they used Jet Reports to generate the department’s sales reports and decided to adopt the tool for operational purposes.

“CHAT BOARD operated manually for a long time,” Jørgensen said. “But when you want to expand the company, you can’t run things manually because it won’t allow you to have an overview of the business. Using Jet Reports allows me to work smarter, not harder.”

To get Jet Reports up and running for the finance department, Jørgensen worked with the company’s partner, Consulendo, an elite partner that works with Microsoft-related services. With Consulendo’s help, CHAT BOARD was able to smoothly implement Jet Reports. “It’s much better when you have an expert sitting next to you,” Jørgensen said of working with the company’s partner.

Jet Reports provided the business with advanced operational and financial reporting within Excel. It empowered CHAT BOARD to generate timely, accurate financial reports with its enterprise resource planning (ERP) tool, Microsoft Dynamics NAV. Jet Reports allowed the business to:

• Pull live ERP data from Microsoft Dynamics NAV into Excel
• Leverage real-time data
• Create easy self-serve custom reports
• Report on multiple data sources
• Automate data prep & formatting

“Jet Reports was the best system for our size of company and provided most value.”

Results

By implementing Jet Reports, CHAT BOARD enjoys better inventory management, a strong overview of reports, and easier to access data. “Manual work is complicated and takes a lot of time,” said Jørgensen. “Jet Reports has given me a more specific and better overview of the reports I’m using instead of extracting information from Excel. When I’d manually export data, something might be missing. But with Jet Reports, nothing is missing. We have better accuracy now.”

• Jet Reports streamline’s CHAT BOARD’s formerly manual processes by:
• Saving five hours every month on manual reporting
• Consolidating multiple reports into one for greater efficiency
• Reducing costs by gaining greater financial visibility
• Nurturing a strong data culture

Improved Inventory Maintenance

Jet Reports helped Jørgensen build CHAT BOARD’s operational reporting from square one. Whereas the company did not have any operational reporting before implementing the solution, it now uses the tool to streamline inventory during a time rife with supply chain complications. “In the past four months, I’ve been keeping a close watch on supply chain. I’ve been helping my CEO, who does the supply chain for our expensive purchases.”

“Jet Reports has helped me a lot.” Jørgensen said. “We’ve created a report to see what’s in an order and bill of material. That can take a report telling me what’s in stock on raw materials and how much we have in a purchase order. I can set this to six months ahead and see whether I need to make a new purchase order for these raw materials. Jet Reports has been a great help by providing us an overview of our stock.”

The company now runs a weekly KPI and revenue report that generate automatically on the last day of every month. “It’s critical for us to have so much glass of each color in stock and in different sizes,” Jørgensen explained. “I use Jet Reports to keep track of inventory. I put in the minimum stock we need, run the report, and see how much we have in stock for the next three months.” Jet reports enables the business to ensure it has the supplies it needs in stock at all times.

“I’ve been happy to use Jet Reports for purchase orders. Just looking at the ERP isn’t enough. Jet Reports tells me what raw materials we need.”

Greater Overhead Visibility

CHAT BOARD’s simplified reporting gives it greater visibility into how the business operates. Jet Reports helps provide instant, simplified access to its Microsoft NAV data. “The tool has given me a better and more specific overview of the reports I’m using instead of extracting information into Excel,” Jørgensen said. “When I’d manually export data, something might be missing. But with Jet Reports, nothing is missing, which gives us greater accuracy.”

With the insight the solution lends to CHAT BOARD, the company can better maintain its crucial inventory while measuring success. “It has changed the way we purchase because we have a better overview of each product categories we need to buy.”

In addition to inventory reports, Jørgensen also runs KPI reports. They allow her to go into granular detail on different categories of boards and sales for each area where the company does business. Jet Reports allows CHAT BOARD a clearer overhead look at the company’s overall health while providing the information it needs to make critical decisions. The tool also allows CHAT BOARD to automate its reporting process. “The Sales and KPI reports run by themselves. All I need to do is add information to the report when needed.”

Greater Data Confidence

Jet Reports has strengthened the data culture at CHAT BOARD. By giving them an easy and smooth way to access data in Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Jørgensen can generate the reports she needs to provide maximum benefit to the company.

“Before Jet Reports, I had to go into the ERP to find sources to take the data from.” Jørgensen said. “Jet Reports helps me to better communicate what I want, what I need, and what information the reports need to give me.”

Looking to the Future

Moving forward, CHAT BOARD seeks to upgrade to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (BC), giving the company access to all the benefits of the cloud. Jet Reports will enable the business to more easily transition by:

• Providing report portability. Any of the company’s legacy NAV reports created in Jet Reports can be immediately ported over and plugged in to BC. Because Jet was installed before migration, reporting users will be able to interact with the new BC ERP from within a familiar platform, greatly reducing CHAT BOARD’s total cost of ownership.
• Eliminating roadblocks of switching to the cloud. Time investment is an equally important detail to consider as the physical cost of cloud conversion. Jet will streamline the company’s reporting while keeping reporting running smoothly during migration.

CHAT BOARD’s sleek design, high quality products, and strong sales team ushered in a prosperous period of growth. Jet Reports helps the business support its expansion while giving its finance team a better overview of the company’s health and inventory. The solution empowered the company to automate its manual processes, save time, and support its goals into the future.