Almost a decade ago, Portland's own Planet Dog, a socially responsible, values-based company that develops premium products "made for dogs, by dog lovers," was ready to convert from a more limited accounting software to Great Plains. Gilchrist Scott was brought in to make the tails wag.

Stephanie Volo, who serves as Top Dog (a.k.a. President and Co-owner) at Planet Dog said the company was missing the reporting and marketing side of things from QuickBooks, and wanted real time inventory capabilities and automated orders going through from their web site. They also wanted to incorporate the retail store end of the business. Gilchrist Scott figured it all out - and tails are definitely wagging.

"The whole process was great. Gilchrist Scott is always thinking of ways to help us," Stephanie said. "They have been incredibly supportive and make us aware of software updates that will benefit us, but it's up to us to make those decisions. They are a solid and long-term partner."

About three years ago, Planet Dog decided to add a scanning system so that they would no longer have to manually enter information, such as inventory and SKUs, into Great Plains. Stephanie said the upgrade was "virtually seamless" and "so worth it."

"Now when inventory arrives at our warehouse we can scan it in and the scanner tells us exactly where it is in the distribution system. This has made all of our processes much more efficient, and it saves us money," she explained. "Now we grow our business instead of just the day to day "doing" because we have more time. And the scanning system makes the leanness of the economy not seem as horrible. We can still grow and plan for our growth - we couldn't do that before."

In addition to improved efficiency, Gilchrist Scott's friendly, dependable and accommodating professional style is important to Volo and Planet Dog.

"We have a great working relationship with them," Stephanie said. "They are here minutes after receiving a call and there is never a waiting game or a non-response type of situation. They are so responsive and flexible."

Stephanie also noted Gilchrist Scott's value is found in the fact that they are an excellent resource.

"Gilchrist Scott offers sound advice or finds us contacts that can help," she added. "They are a great organization to ask questions of and find out about Microsoft based products. They will ask you, 'What are your needs?,' then work from there. They will grow with you."