The NSW Metropolitan Memorial Parks agency has transformed its technology systems in just five months, after partnering with Australia-made SaaS ERP provider, TechnologyOne, to turbocharge the consolidation and transformation of its sprawling property portfolio.
The agency, formerly known as the Office of OneCrown Cemeteries, leveraged TechnologyOne’s SaaS+ offering, which sees the vendor take full responsibility for delivering the complete solution including the implementation, operation and support for a single annual fee.
“We’ve reduced our software agreements from three finance systems, two procurement systems, and two budgeting systems down to a single SaaS agreement. The savings exceed the initial investment in TechnologyOne,” said MMP Chief Financial Officer, Simon Officer.
He said the streamlined solution has allowed MMP to consolidate its financial systems across eight major Sydney cemetery locations, reducing costs and enhancing accessibility for staff.
The agency oversees 1,000 acres of Crown Land cemeteries across Sydney and Newcastle.
“We took the solution straight out of the box to keep the process simple and efficient, adopting the pre-configured, best-practice solution with minimal modifications as opposed to adapting it to our processes,” Mr Officer said.
MMP needed to unify the financial functions of Rookwood General, Northern Metropolitan and Southern Metropolitan cemeteries. Faced with outdated, disconnected systems and fragmented financial teams, MMP turned to TechnologyOne and its fast-tracked SaaS+ methodology, selecting it for its pre-configured, best-practice setup that simplifies implementation and eliminates traditional project costs.
The new centralised system has significantly improved MMP’s efficiency and cut costs by consolidating multiple licenses. The TechnologyOne solution has also empowered MMP’s field staff to manage purchase orders and track finances from mobile devices – a substantial shift from previous manual processes.
“Our staff, from finance teams to groundskeepers, can now easily raise purchase orders on the go, enhancing productivity and accuracy,” said Mr Officer.
The system also automates invoice processing, significantly reducing manual tasks and improving overall efficiency. Feedback from MMP staff has been overwhelmingly positive, with many employees noting the ease of use and time saved with the new solution.
“Our team members have embraced the system, and it’s great to see the difference it’s making in their daily tasks.”
MMP will continue its digital transformation journey by fully integrating its cemetery and cremation management systems with TechnologyOne, eliminating duplication and ensuring that finance functions are centralised within a single source of truth.
“We were so pleased to have helped Metropolitan Memorial Parks make a tangible difference for its staff, suppliers and customers with our SaaS solution, and to have done so in record time,” said TechnologyOne CEO, Ed Chung.
“As MMP’s transformation continues, our SaaS+ offering stands as a model for modernising government services with an emphasis on simplicity, efficiency and scalability.”
