Award-winning tour operator picks iplicit over industry giants

An award-winning tour operator dedicated to delivering an experience that lives long in the memory of travellers picked iplicit as the “standout” finance system to support its growth.

Rabbie’s offers small group tours “driven by curiosity and guided by storytellers” in the British Isles and mainland Europe.

After an extensive selection process which focused primarily on the functionality and scalability that shortlisted systems had to offer, Rabbie’s chose iplicit ahead of NetSuite, Sage Intacct and SAP Business ByDesign.

Fraser Robertson, Chief Financial Officer at Edinburgh-headquartered Rabbie’s, said: “iplicit was the standout from the systems that were demonstrated to us.

“It felt like a system sized for our business and delivering the capabilities we would expect from a modern accounting system, aligned and exceeding in certain areas versus the other systems under review. 

“Of the systems we chose to carry out diligence work on, iplicit had the benefit of exceeding our minimum requirements without a lengthy configuration programme and the cost add-ons that can often arise with that.”

iplicit's array of budgeting and reporting features impressed

Fraser added: “Our staff were instantly the most at ease with iplicit. It was the most intuitive to navigate and this ease of use will be critical to our success. I need my team to be champions of the system and our processes – and their comfort with the finance software is essential in delivering this.”

Rabbie’s was impressed by iplicit’s array of budgeting and reporting features – and particularly the ease with which reports and dashboards can be generated and customised.

“The reporting features especially shone through as a differentiator between iplicit and the other systems in consideration,” said Fraser.

“We believe we will get better outcomes in reporting that we can manipulate and adapt as our business changes – which is quite an accolade given that iplicit was competing against some industry giants.”

Rabbie’s was also impressed by the passion shown by the iplicit team.

“The enthusiasm and energy for partnering with good businesses who need to change systems is infectious,” Fraser added.

“The iplicit team were quietly confident in their system’s capabilities and that came across throughout the process. It gives me confidence that if I ever have a challenge to solve, the iplicit team would relish helping me with it.”

Rabbie’s provides tours in 16-seat mini-coaches with driver-guides who are renowned for their knowledge and quirky stories. “They truly take you beyond the guidebooks and into your adventure,” the company says.

The guides take travellers to lesser-known attractions and recommend locally-owned accommodation. Tourers are given a timetable and can choose where they eat and which attractions they pay to see.

Rabbie’s tours cover Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Switzerland. The company has won a string of awards – including Best Escorted Tours at the British Travel Awards and four TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards as well as the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade.

iplicit accounting software supports growth...

The business is expecting iplicit to continue supporting its needs as it grows.

“The ease with which iplicit can be configured will be key to matching our business needs as we grow,” said Fraser.

“Making changes to workflows is much easier with iplicit than with other systems and therefore less intimidating. Having that power at our fingertips is a real enabler of growth for us.”

Tim Coles, Senior Business Development Manager at iplicit, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Rabbie’s to the ranks of iplicit’s customers and to see the finance team become so enthusiastic about the unique strengths of our cloud accounting software.

“iplicit was intended to give growing businesses all the functionality they need without the expense and disruption that comes from moving to large ERPs.

“The system will scale with Rabbie’s as the business grows and thrives and we look forward to iplicit playing a part of the company’s continuing success.”

iplicit is the multi-award winning alternative to NetSuite, Sage and SAP for growing businesses. To find out more, take a quick tour of the software or book a demonstration.