In 1985, linguist and educator Helen Doron revolutionised teaching English to children by developing a method that mimics how infants acquire their mother tongue. Helen Doron English Austria teaches English as a foreign language to children from under 2 up to 18 years old in a fun way. The lessons are held at 11 learning centres and learning studios across Austria, as well as being taught by freelance teachers. Internationally, Helen Doron English has a network of branches in more than 30 countries, helping nearly 2 million people to learn English so far. Helen Doron English Austria processes the monthly billing for all students learning English using the successful Helen Doron method. With the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central cloud solution provided by Konica Minolta, the team can perform this task with both proficiency and efficiency.
Martin Laschkolnig, Managing Director of Helen Doron English Austria, is responsible for the administration of the company. He and his team use the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central cloud solution provided by Konica Minolta, which is based on Microsoft Azure technology. „We have been using the Navision ERP solution for years, but we needed to find a cloud solution that would enable us to continue using it or any successor programs,“ says Mr Laschkolnig, who wanted to avoid a costly complete renewal of the outdated on-premises server environment and having to invest in a complex software update. This would also allow him to minimise training costs and reduce training time.
While researching on the Internet, Mr Laschkolnig came across the Konica Minolta website https://dynamics.konicaminolta.de, which detailed the Microsoft cloud solution and offered a free trial option. He also found another solution from a competitor. An important factor when choosing a solution was that the system had to support the CAMT format defined by SEPA in the European payment area. This was not an option with the old version of Navision, so accounting could no longer be integrated into a complete solution. „However, the bank interface is critical for us, because without it, all the payment transactions including transfers and incoming payments cannot be mapped“, says Mr Laschkolnig. This means that all incoming payments must be checked manually, which is very time-consuming due to the large number of invoice recipients and monthly recurring invoices.
Before opting for Konica Minolta, Mr Laschkolnig used the 30-day trial version intensively, as it includes all of the functionalities of the full version: „In this way I was able to use real data to check whether the solution covers all of our major requirements and can provide a smooth transition.“ After the Managing Director had registered for the trial version, he was also offered one-to-one telephone support from a Konica Minolta expert.
Mr Laschkolnig made use of the help offered, for example when he was transferring the master data from the old solution to the new one. However, the questions were limited to trivial matters, thanks to the familiar user interface and how intuitive the cloud solution was to use. For example, a few questions cropped up about how to name certain fields. „Even without an on-site appointment and direct contact“, Mr Laschkolnig concludes, „we developed a good, constructive collaboration with Konica Minolta as partners, which left no requirements or questions outstanding. In terms of key benefits, the Managing Director states: „Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central has eliminated unproductive tasks and supports us in our daily core business.“ This takes place without the company having to provide its own hardware, with predictable monthly rental rates and without one of its employees having to worry about the system running securely and efficiently. The data is stored in a modern, fail-safe and attack-proof cloud infrastructure in accordance with the latest standards. Unlike an on-premises solution, this eliminates daily tasks such as backing up, maintaining the IT infrastructure and other customisations.
„Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central has eliminated unproductive tasks and supports us in our daily core business.“
Martin Laschkolnig
Managing Director, Helen Doron English Austria