At ANS, we pride ourselves on building long-lasting partnerships. As we continue our partner showcase, Ryan Martin, Indirect Sales Manager at ANS, sat down with Laura Deadman, Business Development Executive at Creative Computing Solutions, to discuss their company, our partnership, and how we continue to grow together. With that said, let’s get to know Creative Computing Solutions…

 

First of all, please introduce yourself and the company…

We are Creative Computing Solutions, a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central partner. Established over 30 years ago, we’re proud of the business relationships we’ve built through more than 500 software implementations helping companies to improve productivity and empower employees by giving them the tools they need to achieve the best results.

 

What does your company stand for? What are your values?

Our company ethos is to inspire organisational change and drive productivity and visibility for our clients. We have a track record of anticipating and responding to the market through our experience and a life-long commitment to problem solving. When we see a problem, our instinct is to solve it, even if that requires significant self-learning or going the extra mile.

Creative is filled with talented, driven Dynamics and software experts with the sole goal of creating an outcome that is right for our customers, their processes, and our vision. We don’t take shortcuts because if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing properly. Our customers deserve that.

Finally, we love what we do! We solve problems, take on our customers’ challenges, and get them to work smarter, not harder. From our developers to project managers, salespeople to customer care, we’re deeply passionate about and committed to the work we do for our customers.

 

Tell us about your proposition, key tech partners, and how you want to work with others…

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a finance system at its core but with extended operational areas to run your whole business, and it’s fundamental for organisations who have outgrown their standard accounting package. It’s an incredibly intuitive and scalable solution that gives organisations the capability to consolidate multiple companies and multiple locations. It has extensive supply chain management, service management, manufacturing, and warehousing functionalities allowing businesses to do things like manage production orders, create BOM’s, set replenishment levels to automatically create purchase orders, and manage assembly as well as the core financial processes that you would expect from a finance system.

Being a Microsoft product, it has excellent integration with the Microsoft 365 products as well as Dynamics 365 Sales, and AI copilot has been introduced into the system to make it even more intuitive and user-friendly.

Creative has developed excellent relationships with organisations such as Continia, Cosmos, Yavrio, and Insight Software which allows us to enhance our offering to our customers. Also, we have built other partnerships with organisations like ANS who see Business Central as complimentary to their own software.

We would like to work with other likeminded organisations who wish to apply technology to deliver success to their customer base and ours. We would like to do this by understanding how our partners prefer to work and their solution offerings so that both parties come to the table to deliver against that customer’s success criteria.

 

Ultimately, what do you want your company to be known for?

Creative aspires to be recognised for its commitment to ensuring the success of client projects through exceeding expectations and going the extra mile. Our genuine concern for our customers and their businesses is intended to resonate with them. We aim to establish ourselves as a reliable advisor, not only to our clients but also to our technology partners. Lastly, our company actively supports and promotes the inclusion of women in Dynamics, evident in our company composition, where nearly half of our employees are women.

 

Are there any technology areas on your radar screen/any trends in the market that interest you? And why?

The realm of artificial intelligence, particularly Co-Pilot, has captured our attention as it has become a focal point within the industry. We are actively exploring the integration of Co-Pilot technology into our IP to enhance service delivery. This strategic move aligns with our commitment to staying ahead in technology. Co-Pilot’s benefits, such as streamlining operations, improving accuracy, and enabling continuous learning, are key factors driving our interest in leveraging AI for optimising our services and ensuring adaptability in a dynamic market.

 

What is your biggest achievement/what are you most proud of?

At Creative we strived to become leaders in a specific vertical, and we can proudly say we have achieved this in the TV and Film space with regards to providing Business Central services. Our commitment to surpassing our competitors has resulted in the development of three dedicated apps – Just-TV, Just-ROYALTIES, and Just-TALENT – tailored specifically for this sector, with another, Just-RIGHTS, set to debut by the end of Q1 this year.

Our success is rooted in a dedicated understanding of the intricacies of the TV and Film industry. Through extensive interactions with Finance Directors and CFOs, we have gained invaluable insights into their challenges and needs. Coupled with our expertise in Business Central, this knowledge has allowed us to not only create innovative apps but also to establish ourselves as trusted advisors in this vertical.

Our knowledge of this industry has resulted in Microsoft seeking our insights in discussions with TV and Film companies which highlights the confidence they place in our expertise in Business Central and the entertainment industry, a source of immense pride for us.

 

How do you see your company evolving?

Our company has experienced substantial year-on-year growth in recent years, leading to an expansion of our team. Looking ahead to 2024/25, we anticipate further significant growth. This expansion will be fuelled by collaborations with partners in emerging sectors, coupled with the development of new IP that we plan to introduce across various industries. Our goal is to persist in facilitating organisational transformations and enhancing productivity within the TV and Film domain, while also replicating our success in this sector within another industry.

 

How would you describe your partnership with ANS?

Our partnership with ANS is built on a shared appreciation for each other’s expertise and a foundation of trust. We value the high standards in presentations that we maintain for each other’s clientele, fostering confidence in our ability to represent one another effectively. This mutual trust is built on the assurance that we both hold the necessary expertise and commitment to deliver exceptional results for our respective clients.

ANS’s deep knowledge of their products and their clear understanding of project success criteria make them a trusted and reliable partner, that we thoroughly enjoy working with.

 

What sets ANS apart from the competition?

ANS stands out as a prominent leader in their field, distinguishing themselves from competitors. Their extensive knowledge extends beyond product understanding to include an intimate familiarity with clients—a crucial factor for achieving success. ANS cultivates inclusivity and ensures that we feel like integral members of their team, exemplifying their genuine commitment to our success and demonstrating exceptional character.

What truly sets ANS apart is not only the quality of their products but also the unparalleled sense of collaboration and attentiveness they exhibit. Interacting with ANS is effortless; we are never left uninformed or compelled to seek updates due to their proactive approach. Additionally, ANS consistently keeps us informed of shared client projects, fostering transparency and aligning goals.

Also, ANS goes above and beyond by providing invaluable feedback that significantly contributes to our organisational growth. This consistent dedication underscores their pursuit of excellence while solidifying them as a valuable partner within the industry.

 

Any other comments/market viewpoints? [optional]

We would like to thank ANS for allowing us to feature in their newsletter and for their commitment and trust in Creative. We have thoroughly enjoyed working with ANS and look forward to continued success together as a partnership that we hope will continue for years to come.

 

Brief/Potted history of your company

• Creative Computing began as a small growing company in the 1990s selling Sage software.​
• By 2001, the company had expanded their product offering to Navision, an early form of ERP software purchased by Microsoft in 2003 that we’ve come to know as Dynamics 365.​
• After being taken over by Justin Farmiloe in a joint management buyout in 2003, Creative began providing a greater number of services helping companies digitally transform their processes using Dynamics and other solutions integrated within the software.​
• In 2015, Creative made the decision to stop selling Sage and focus purely on Dynamics, as it was a far better solution for modern growing companies.​
• Today, we deal exclusively with Microsoft Dynamics 365, Continia, Cosmos and Jet solutions.​