Company:
Channell Communications
New York, New York

Business:
Full-Service Advertising Agency

Staff:
50

System:
Clients & Profits Pro 3

Macintosh
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on Bernkopf stepped up to the plate as controller for Channell Communications in February, 1998, just seven days after the firm purchased Clients & Profits Pro. Don's first responsibilities were to implement the new management system and guide the company into a growth phase, adding 10 staffers and a handful of freelance talent.

The 50-plus person agency, which specializes in print production and new media such as web design and e-business solutions, was using Quicken since its founding in 1995. Operating on a cash-based accounting system, the agency couldn't efficiently monitor or project its financials.

"Once we got Clients & Profits installed, the difference was night and day," Don says. "Before Clients & Profits there was no accountability or structure, but now we can look at the big picture. Clients & Profits gives us "the opportunity to track where we're coming from--and that helps us know where we're going,"

Don took the lead role in implementing the software. "It was easy to set up," he said, adding that there were a few "hiccups" because one client bills in a particular way. "It took a few months to create a method that would work for us," he says, "but we've got it to a point where it's working very well."

"We've really covered a lot of ground [in managing the financials] since my tenure here, and Clients & Profits has been very helpful," Don says. Now he can track revenue sources, staff utilization and job history. Clients & Profits is an important tool and has added much-needed structure and accountability to the business process. And Channell's clients appreciate the targeted reports. "We're better able to isolate reports and provide them in a timely fashion," Don says.

Channell Communications uses Clients & Profits for financial accounting, time-keeping, checkwriting and billing. And getting the staff to adapt to Clients & Profits was not a big issue, he says.