Bill.com is a leading provider of cloud-based software that simplifies, digitizes, and automates back-office financial processes for small and mid-sized businesses across all industries. Because many of its customers run Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, or its on-premises predecessor Microsoft Dynamics GP, Bill.com wanted to improve its Dynamics integration, eliminating the need for manual import/export processes to keep the two systems in sync. Unfortunately, the company didn’t have the in-house experience or time available to ramp up its developers on a new code base in order to deliver the desired functionality to customers, so it turned to Ciellos, a Microsoft ISV Development Center.

​

“We were very new to Business Central and wanted to bring a solution to market more quickly than we could potentially do on our own,” said Jaunice (JC) Franzen, Senior Product Manager for Integrations at Bill.com. “Ciellos was a great fit because they understood not just development, but the accounting principles and functionality necessary to help us architect the solution in the right way.”

​

As a Microsoft ISV Development Center, Ciellos’ primary business is to coach ISVs on how to build solutions and publish them on AppSource, as well as streamline their implementations. Working with Ciellos, Bill.com accelerated the delivery of the Accounts Payable Automation connector, which provides two-way, API-based integration with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central as well as integrated domestic and international payment capabilities. Launched in April 2021 with an update released in January 2022, this critical integration is already used by more than one hundred Bill.com customers to eliminate manual processes and improve reporting accuracy.

​

One of Bill.com’s customers that is already utilizing the new integration with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is Kenon Group Consultants, a provider of full back-office, technical accounting, and financial reporting services to financial clients in the renewable energy sector. Prior to the Dynamics 365 integration, Kenon had to export data out of Bill.com via Excel spreadsheet and then upload it back into Dynamics 365. Since implementing the connector, the company can not only automate that process, but also mitigate the risk of errors through the direct link between Bill.com and Dynamics 365 that ensures the data is parsed correctly.

​

“The key for us and our clients is time. Since integrating Bill.com with Dynamics 365, we’ve been able to cut our close time by two days,” said Tony Kenon, CPA, CGMA Managing Director at Kenon Group Consultants. “That equates to a 20% time savings overall, which is a big win.”

​

The integration also enables better data analysis, which is important in the fast-paced renewable energy market. “When investment opportunities present themselves, our clients look to us to provide the data to help them make informed and quick decisions,” said Kenon. “The seamless integration between Bill.com and Dynamics 365 allows us to turn data analysis much more quickly.”

​

Ciellos was the first partner designated as a Microsoft ISV Development Center when the program launched in 2017. Since then, the company has supported more than 100 partners on their Dynamics 365 journey, helping grow the thriving ecosystem of apps around Microsoft Business Applications. “We are truly a partner’s partner. Our job is to make sure that partners like Bill.com get to market faster,” said Karina Nielsen, CEO at Ciellos.

​

As an ISV Development Center, Ciellos needs to be technically savvy, but also understand the business applications and trends necessary to ensure its partners’ solutions meet market requirements. For example, development efforts need to align with other add-ons and partner apps in the Microsoft ecosystem to ensure the flow of how you work with Microsoft Business Applications isn’t interrupted. “Our close relationship with Microsoft is key when it comes to us having the right level of expertise to help partners achieve their goals in a way that benefits both them and their end customers,” concluded Nielsen.