Nobel's 600 Users at 150 Locations Gain the Benefits of a Single, On-Demand, Integrated System
San Mateo, Calif—December 8, 2005—NetSuite, Inc., the leader in on-demand business management software for small and medium-sized businesses, today announced that West Chester, Pa.-based Nobel Learning Communities, Inc. (Nasdaq: NLCI), an operator of 150 private schools throughout the United States, selected NetSuite to bring its multiple schools' front and back-office operations under one roof with real-time business management. NetSuite allows Nobel to run its key business operations by using one system, from financials and revenue recognition to powerful customer relationship management (CRM) capabilities such as tracking potential students and allowing students to pay tuition online. For more information about this, please visit www.netsuite.co.uk/nobel
Before selecting NetSuite, Nobel Learning Communities was running its financials on ACCPAC and its CRM activities in local databases and manual, paper-based processes. Consequently, Nobel lacked the depth of insight required for cash flow, revenue recognition, clear reporting, and timely communication with its teachers, students and their parents. Having its information in disparate systems prevented Nobel's corporate offices from seeing company-wide information at one glance. NetSuite helped Nobel overcome those challenges. With NetSuite, Nobel will have all front-office and back-office information in one system and be able to see a clear, real-time view into company-wide finances and customer information. Additionally, NetSuite can be quickly deployed to 150 schools without a tremendous IT undertaking and without having to invest a great deal of time, money, and energy in custom development.
"We needed something that would not require us to develop a lot of internal expertise in terms of writing code, but would allow us to really focus on our business development needs," said Tom Frank, CFO, Nobel Learning Communities. "Because NetSuite uses an on-demand model, it is giving us a way to invest in an ERP and CRM system that will support a multi-site business without making nearly as much of an investment in infrastructure and overhead as has been previously required."
Nobel, who began running its financials on NetSuite earlier this year, is currently in the last phase of bringing the schools on board and fully integrating its operations with the corporate finance group. The NetSuite financial modules being utilised include: Financial Statements, Revenue Recognition (to monitor tuition receipts), and General Ledger, which will be used at every school. This will make rapid and complete financial roll-up from each location to the central office on a regular basis a possibility for the first time in Nobel's operating history. Once fully implemented, Nobel will be using NetSuite to gain insight into the financial operations of each of the 150 sites as costs and revenues are realised, greatly improving financial understanding.
As part of bringing the schools on board, Nobel is already using some of the CRM functionality of NetSuite, including inquiry/tracking of potential parents/students, as well as activities. More advanced CRM will follow, including rollout of the Customer Center and the ability to allow parents to pay online.
"Nobel Learning Communities' coming on board with NetSuite is another example of how mid-size educational institutions are finding NetSuite as a perfect fit for their needs," said Zach Nelson, CEO of NetSuite. "The benefits of running your operation and a single, integrated system can now extend from the smallest organisation to large, complex companies."
About Nobel Learning Communities, Inc.
Nobel Learning Communities, Inc. operates 150 schools in 13 states consisting primarily of private pay schools and programs clustered within local learning communities. For more information, visit www.nobellearning.com.