The year 2023 was a great one for the Unanet Community. I ended the year attending the 4th Quarter Huntsville Unanet Users Group (HUUG) Meeting, where there was an Ugly Christmas Sweater Competition that I didn’t win. HUUG is such a unique group of Unanet Users in the Huntsville Community. If you are a Unanet user in the Huntsville area and have not already joined, I recommend you do. Reach out to me, and I can provide you with the contact information to get added to the group. If you are outside of the Huntsville area, look for Unanet user groups near you to connect with a peer group for a sense of community, networking and support. I think you will find it beneficial.
Let’s talk about what we can look forward to this year with Unanet.
Multi-Legal Entities
Last year, Unanet released some great new features, and I am excited about the plan for 2024. I know many users who utilize multi-legal entities will be thrilled to hear that Unanet will be releasing a default legal entity to user profiles. There is nothing more aggravating than working in a system with multi-legal entities setup and always getting this message.
Users will be able to select which legal entity they would like as the default in their user profile. Yes, you can do the happy dance now! Make sure you stay tuned for that release this year, as well as some others in GovCon ERP.
Additional Unanet Product Updates Expected
- Additional wizards - Added to the subcontractor portal
- Additional roles - Cost Pool Owner and Bank Reconciler
- Property Settings - Apply at entity level
- Will assist with Commercial and GovCon
- Unanet Financials Automation
- Use of AI to scan bills for AP processing
- Improve compliance, reporting and analytics
- Enhance Time & Expense module for employees and subcontractors
- Improve analytics performance
Unanet Experience Center Community
Many Unanet users are familiar with the new look of the Unanet Experience Center. There have been multiple enhancements for users to have more self-serve capability. Users can now update contact information for their organization, add new contacts, and flag contacts no longer working for their company.
The Unanet Experience Center Community will be a new feature this year and is currently in the pilot stage. This social platform is designed for Unanet users and partners to collaborate and share ideas, tips, tricks, and information. Some users and partners were asked to take part in early adoption and I’m excited to see the future of the new Unanet Community. It reminds me a little of LinkedIn because there’s a news/post feed, each user will have their own profile, you can join groups, like comments and respond and more. Users will receive badges based on certifications, likes, posts, comments, etc. I think it will be a great opportunity to engage in the Unanet Community with users all around the country.
Unanet CRM by Cosential
Let’s talk about Unanet CRM by Cosential. We have more and more clients implementing Unanet CRM by Cosential because this product can be linked to their Unanet ERP, and the systems can talk. Companies wanting to track accurate past performance of contracts, long-term, are really setting themselves up for success in the future by utilizing this tool. Five years down the road when you need to provide past performance information with your proposal, you will have the value, POP, experience, and key personnel at your fingertips with the click of a few buttons. Unanet CRM by Cosential had numerous product updates last year and my favorites were with the Mobile App. Unanet added a Mobile Card Scan which is perfect for your management team after then attend a conference and have over 200 business cards in their coat pocket. Instead of having to enter contacts manually there is now a scan feature. It’s amazing! They also added a Mobile Maps & Mobile Caller-ID feature.
There are so many new features planned for 2024 that I am excited to see, but the key to any successful CRM product is user adoption. Companies can have a great product, but are they actually using the product to its fullest capability? The key to obtaining precise data, forecasting revenue, tracking overall opportunities, and pulling accurate past performance is to make sure your CRM is being utilized by the end users. Redstone GCI would love to assist your team by making sure they are utilizing Unanet’s CRM tool to its fullest capabilities. We have Unanet implementation experts certified in GovCon ERP as well as Unanet CRM by Cosential and we work with companies to ensure their Unanet systems are well implemented, and users adequately trained to take advantage of all system capabilities.
How Redstone GCI Can Help?
- Our team of experts can implement your new GovCon ERP or Unanet CRM by Cosential system from the ground up.
- We can assist your team with trouble shooting any system or configuration issues you may be experiencing.
- Our certified Unanet experts can help redesign your existing system due to company growth, acquisition or other business changes.
- We offer training and education to your team to ensure they are comfortable in utilizing Unanet’s dynamic capabilities and you are getting the maximum benefit from your systems.
- Our accounting outsourcing services can provide you with the accounting resources needed, due to staffing changes, growth or other additional needs.
- Our experts can build custom reporting to enhance your end user experience and provide management with the very specific reporting tools needed to perform their roles more efficiently and effectively.
Katie is the Unanet Practice Lead at Redstone Government Consulting, Inc. based in our Huntsville, Alabama office. Her areas of expertise include supporting government contract businesses with a special focus in DCAA-compliant Unanet Time and Expense Tracking, Project Portfolio and Financials. QuickBooks, and Deltek GCS. Katie is a QuickBooks ProAdvisor, Certified Unanet Systems Implementer and has completed the Unanet Advanced Project Management training. Katie was one of the first Unanet Certified Implementers and was part of the initial pilot offering to non-Unanet consultants. As part of her certification process, Katie invested over 300-hours of instruction, out of class database development time and testing to obtain her certification. Since certification, Katie has assisted numerous Redstone GCI clients with implementation and post-implementation support services. Katie is frequently called upon by Unanet to join their implementation teams as an external resource and is considered a subject matter expert in the implementation of all Unanet software offerings. In her role with Redstone Government Consulting, Inc., Katie not only provides software systems expertise, but also frequently assists clients with preparation and support of DCAA audit activities including SF1408 pre-award accounting system audits, provisional billing rate submission, development of forward pricing rates for proposals, incurred cost submission preparation and development and design of policies and procedures necessary to support an adequate (DCAA-approved) accounting system. Katie serves as the primary point of contact for many small business clients in government cost accounting/compliance and assists monthly with the close of those contractor’s accounting systems and reporting to program management and executives. Her industry experience, software systems expertise and compliance knowledge provides a rare combination of knowledge to clients looking for a consultant to become an integral part of their team. Professional Experience Prior to joining Redstone Government Consulting, Inc., Katie worked in public accounting as well as small to mid-sized government contractors. She has prior operational experience with the many types of software such as Unanet, Deltek GCS, QuickBooks, SpringAhead, Deltek T&E, ADP, Paychex, and QB Payroll. Education Katie earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from The University of Alabama in Huntsville in 2010, where she was President of Beta Alpha Psi (an honor organization for finance and accounting students and professionals). She received her Master of Business Administration (MBA) from The University of North Alabama in 2014, graduating Cum Laude. Decades of Consulting, Training and Helping Government Contractors Succeed Redstone GCI offers a variety of services for large and small government contractors including evaluation, education and training, monitoring and DCAA audit preparation. Through our consulting and training programs, government contractors develop and learn to maintain compliance processes that help them succeed by mitigating risk and maximizing profitability. Our consulting team is comprised of senior leaders from government agencies and industry executives creating balance and an informed approach to our client services. Our services span the entire government contract lifecycle from proposal assistance, accounting, audit readiness, purchasing, project controls, contract administration, system implementation through to contract closeout. We specialize in preparing contractors for growth through our deep knowledge of common pitfalls companies face as they progress from small business in CAS, DFARS Business Systems and other common gates to contractor growth. In addition to almost 30 full-time consultants we also maintain a trusted network of independent contractors and other service providers who work with our team on specialized areas like ITAR, facility security, EVMS and other areas.