EMaC is the UK’s leading provider of retention services to the automotive sector. With growth has come the need for greater efficiency, which we’ve helped the team achieve with our Sage 200 and integration and development expertise.
For more than 20 years, EMaC has been providing services that enable automotive businesses across the UK to delight their customers. Part of the Innovation Group, it’s now the UK’s leading provider of retention services, with plans trusted by 500 dealer groups and 21 manufacturers.
Supporting its continuing trajectory is an experienced finance team that has grown with the business. Helen Quinton, Head of Finance, has been with EMaC for 19 years, while Management Accountant Katie Gater is not far behind on 14 years.
The growth journey the business has been on has seen the team expand from two – Helen and Katie – to 15 people. Throughout this time, the biggest challenge has been ensuring the business can cope with an expanding service portfolio, increasing client numbers and transaction volumes in the millions.
The first signs of strain were seen when QuickBooks, which the team was using for its accounting, began to creak. “We were handling far too many transactions. QuickBooks was too small a package for our needs,” recalls Helen.
It was apparent that a more powerful solution was required for accounting; one capable of handling higher volumes. But there was also a need for greater integration with another system that’s at the core of what EMaC’s business.
Built in-house, Evolve holds all customer data, plans and maintenance funds. Dealerships use it to sell service plans, while EMaC uses it service those plans, administer them and collect direct debits. There’s a huge number of transactions managed – for example, 1.7 million quotes were produced in 2024 through the system.
The finance team needed a way to get this system to talk to its accounting system to help with processes such as reconciliations.
The decision was made to move from QuickBooks to the more scalable Sage 200. While we’ve provided full support for this core solution, including a major upgrade, the real step changes EMaC has enjoyed have come when the team has looked outside the box for greater efficiency – which we’ve helped to unlock with a range of bespoke developments.
A major example has been the creation of an app that pulls all data from Evolve, creates batches and pushes the data into Sage, automating what was a time-consuming manual process. We’ve also streamlined the invoice collection process with a tool that extracts data from revenue invoices, converts them into bank files and produces a remittance report. Another development allows SOPs, credits and bank details to be imported in bulk.
The impact of these developments has been huge. The integration of Evolve with Sage 200 has made a particular difference to Katie. “We used to generate multiple CSV files twice a week. Each file had to be imported manually, one at a time. It took ages,” she remembers. “Now, I just click a button at the end of the day and it all processes out of business hours. Everything is ready the next morning.”
For Helen, this has meant tangible benefits to productivity, so much so that growing demand no longer comes with the need for growing headcount.
“Previously we couldn’t run multiple tasks at the same time – now everything runs in the background,” she says. “These improvements mean we don’t need extra staff to manage processes.”
First we listen. It's our priority to learn who you are, how you work and the unique challenges you face.
Through this understandingwe come together guiding you to the right solution to create tailored solutions built to your precise needs.
We continue to work hand-in-hand with you, supporting you as you grow and helping your business maximise its potential.
Ready to unlock your potential with Sage 200?
Enter your details into the contact form below, and one of our experts will be in touch to arrange a time to speak.
If you’re an existing customer looking for support, please e-mail servicedesk@wearethinc.com, or visit our support page where you can download our remote support apps.
