Eliminating Hours of Manual Reconciliation Each Month With Two-Way QBO Sync
After struggling with BQE Core’s inconsistent financial data, Kaas Wilson adopted Factor and eliminated hours of manual reconciliation each month.
Industry
Architecture
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Company Size
120
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Location
Bloomington, MN, with offices in Charlotte, NC, and Phoenix, AZ
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Key Results
Financial Accuracy
Two-way, real-time sync between Factor and QuickBooks Online eliminated inconsistencies, reduced reconciliation work, and improved day-to-day financial accuracy.
Profitability Insights
Leadership gained clearer visibility into project profitability and fee performance, especially for architectural and design services.
Staff Engagement
Project managers became more engaged in tracking projects due to easier access to accurate data and clearer reporting tools.
Operational Efficiency
Real-time dashboards and consistent performance indicators now give a clear view of how every project manager and architect is performing.
Overview
Kaas Wilson Architects is a mid-size architecture and design firm headquartered in Bloomington, Minnesota, with offices in Charlotte and Phoenix. In May 2023, the firm transitioned from BQE Core to Factor AE to gain the accuracy and visibility they needed but could not achieve with their previous system. Inconsistent data and unreliable forecasting had made it difficult for teams to track progress with confidence.
Factor AE delivered the clarity they were missing, improving financial accuracy, strengthening engagement with project data, and giving leadership dependable visibility into every project.
Challenges
Kaas Wilson Architects faced several operational and financial challenges that slowed productivity and reduced trust in their reporting.
Unreliable QuickBooks Sync
BQE Core’s integration with QuickBooks was inconsistent, requiring hours of manual reconciliation each month.
Data Accuracy Issues
Reports were often inconsistent from one day to the next, making it hard to trust project data.
Low Time Entry Compliance
A clunky time-entry interface discouraged staff from entering hours, leading to incomplete data.
Limited Financial Insight
The inability to easily separate firm fees from consultant fees hindered accurate profitability analysis.
Poor User Experience
The interface was not intuitive, especially for architects and designers, limiting engagement with project data.
Solution
Factor delivered an integrated, user-friendly platform that addressed the firm’s core pain points.
Two-Way, Real-Time QuickBooks Sync
Factor provides a two-way, real-time sync between Factor and QuickBooks Online, reducing reconciliation time from hours to minutes.
User-Friendly Interface
Easy time-entry process encouraged staff to consistently log hours.
Visual Budget Dashboards
Simplified financial data for project managers, allowing them to monitor budgets without running complex reports.
Detailed Contract Tracking
Ability to separate firm services from consultant services in contracts and billing, providing accurate profitability and forecasting.
Better Data Trust
Increased accuracy in reporting and project tracking, giving leadership confidence in decision-making.
Implementation
Kaas Wilson Architects fully transitioned from BQE Core to Factor AE in May 2023. The onboarding process emphasized efficiency, clarity, and early visibility gains.
- Data from BQE Core was migrated via import by the Factor onboarding team, making the transition as efficient as possible
- Invoice templates and firm reports were customized to support the workflows and structure of the practice
- Staff were trained on project creation and management, time entry, budget tracking, invoicing, dashboards, and best practices
- The transition was smooth, with immediate firmwide adoption driven by Factor's intuitive interface and hands-on, consultative onboarding experience
Results
Kaas Wilson Architects saw measurable improvements across team engagement, financial visibility, and operational clarity.
Financial Accuracy
Reliable two-way QuickBooks sync now delivers consistent accuracy with any small mishaps resolved quickly, eliminating hours of manual reconciliation each month.
Profitability Insights
Clear separation of firm and consultant costs gives the team accurate profit margins and stronger forecasting for large-scale projects.
Staff Engagement
Staff consistently praise the ease of time entry, and project managers actively track project health through simple indicators in the dashboards.
Operational Efficiency
Leadership can oversee more than 120 active projects with confidence while project managers take full ownership of financial tracking, reducing bottlenecks in the finance department.
Conclusion
Moving from BQE Core to Factor AE gave Kaas Wilson Architects reliable financial data, stronger adoption, and clear visibility across every project. With better forecasting and tighter financial control, the firm now manages its work with greater clarity and confidence.
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