Priority Dispatch (PDC)  is a service company that supplies and configures specialized software and operational notification systems. Their software is utilized by emergency response call centers to manage incoming ambulance requests. PDC’s annual turnover is $40 million and the company maintains a global presence with numerous domestic and international branches.

PDC operates under a well-structured corporate governance model with each of its 10-12 directors overseeing a specific area of operations. The company has a complex accounting system with 56 primary budgets and 72 sub-consolidated budgets. Each director manages approximately 26 level-2 budget owners. Directors are supported by assistants responsible for budget planning and the tracking of actual costs.

Getting Actual and Planned Data Side by Side Helps Management Make Good Decisions

PDC’s accounting system is FinancialForce. The FinancialForce accounting integration with CloudBudget enabled PDC to create a detailed financial plan for the upcoming year based on actual data from the previous year.  Actual data is updated nightly in the system via pre-set batch jobs from FinancialForce. Having up-to-date actual data in the system makes it possible for management at any time to easily compare the current plan with the actual data from the prior period. .

PDC leverages two scenarios for budget forecasting, which includes a base scenario and a current forecast scenario. The finance team has the flexibility to make necessary adjustments throughout the year, ensuring that the budget remains up-to-date and aligned with actual expenses.

Better Planning Increases Transparency and Saves Money

Thanks to the automated budget process and regular budget plan comparison, PDC has been able to reduce costs significantly. They report that their utilization of CloudBudget as a budgeting system resulted in a 5-7% reduction in operating costs, not including salaries. This is due to the fact that budget directors and owners can easily track their actual expenses against the planned budget, enabling them to make smarter spending decisions and reduce unnecessary purchases.