Full Sage 300 and Sage CRM integration for a BC community services organisation.
A BC non-profit providing interpretation and translation services to provincial government ministries needed to connect scheduling, service delivery, and billing into a single automated workflow. SFS Technologies built a complete integration between Sage CRM and Sage 300, covering 65 languages, multiple ministry clients, and over 100 vendor interpreters and translators.
The challenge
Manual scheduling and manual invoice entry across a high-volume, multi-client operation
The organisation coordinates interpretation and translation services across more than 65 languages for multiple provincial ministry clients in BC. Services are delivered by a network of over 100 contracted interpreters and translators. Each booking involves matching a qualified interpreter to a ministry client request based on language, availability, and location.
Before the integration, scheduling was handled separately from the billing and financial system. When a service was completed, finance staff had to manually key each invoice into Sage 300 based on information from the scheduling records. With a high volume of service events daily, this manual process created a significant workload and introduced the risk of data entry errors.
Each provincial ministry client also required invoices formatted to their specific template and referencing their service codes and contract rates. Managing these formatting requirements manually added further complexity to the invoicing process.
The organisation needed a system where scheduling, service delivery, and billing would flow together automatically, from the moment a booking was made through to the moment the invoice was sent.
The solution
Sage CRM and Sage 300 integrated end to end
SFS Technologies configured Sage 300 Inventory Control with each of the 65 languages as individual inventory items. Pricing was structured per ministry client, reflecting each ministry's contracted rate for each language and service type. This meant that pricing was applied automatically rather than manually calculated when invoices were generated.
Sage CRM was configured as the scheduling and call centre platform. The call centre view shows interpreter availability by language and time slot. When a booking is confirmed, a Work Order is created in Sage CRM. The integration layer generates the corresponding Sales Order in Sage 300 and a Purchase Order for the assigned interpreter automatically.
When the service is delivered, actual hours are entered against the Work Order in Sage CRM. The integration updates the Sales Order in Sage 300 with the actual hours. The invoice is generated from Sage 300 automatically using the actual delivery hours and the correct ministry pricing. Custom invoice templates formatted to each ministry client's requirements are selected automatically based on the client record.
Finance staff no longer key invoices manually. The billing process runs from Sage CRM service delivery data directly into Sage 300 without manual intervention. Vendor payments to interpreters follow the same flow through the Purchase Order records created at the time of booking.
65+
Languages as Sage 300 inventory items
100+
Vendor interpreters and translators
Full Sage 300 + CRM
Integration type
What was built
Common questions about this type of Sage 300 and Sage CRM integration.
Common questions about this service answered directly.
How were the 65 languages set up as inventory in Sage 300?
Each language was configured as an inventory item in Sage 300 Inventory Control. Items were structured with separate price lists per ministry client, reflecting the contracted rate for each language and service type. This allowed the Order Entry and Purchase Order modules to reference the correct pricing automatically when a Work Order was completed and billing was initiated.
How did Sage CRM handle interpreter scheduling?
Sage CRM was configured with a call centre module that tracked interpreter availability by language, certification, and geography. When a ministry client booked a service, the call centre view showed available interpreters for the requested language at the requested time. The booking created a Work Order in Sage CRM which triggered the corresponding Sales Order and Purchase Order in Sage 300 automatically through the integration layer.
What happened when a service was delivered?
After the interpretation or translation service was delivered, the actual hours were entered against the Work Order in Sage CRM. The integration updated the corresponding Sales Order in Sage 300 with the actual hours, replacing the estimated values. The invoice was then generated automatically from Sage 300 based on the actual hours and the contracted rate for that ministry client. Finance staff did not need to key the invoice manually.
Were the invoices customised to match ministry requirements?
Yes. Each of the provincial ministry clients had specific invoice format requirements. Custom invoice templates were built in Sage 300 to match each ministry template, including the required reference fields, service codes, and layout. The correct template was selected automatically based on which ministry client the Sales Order was associated with.
Can this type of Sage 300 and Sage CRM integration be built for other service organisations?
Yes. The pattern used in this implementation applies to any service organisation that schedules delivery through a pool of contractors or vendors and needs to bill clients based on actual time delivered. Professional services, healthcare staffing, language services, and field services organisations are all candidates for this type of integration. The key requirement is that both Sage 300 and Sage CRM are used, and that there is a defined workflow from booking through delivery to invoicing.
Need Sage 300 and Sage CRM to work together?
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