Universal Communications Group builds a stronger foundation for growth with Oracle NetSuite

Growth exposes the limitations

Universal Communications Group (UCG) is a telecommunications services provider operating across Australia and New Zealand. Since the early 2000s, it has provided design, construction, support and project management services, helping network operators build, connect and maintain their telecommunications networks.

It has come a long way from the business that started with six people around a dining-room table.

As UCG grew, its technology environment grew with it. Different teams adopted and managed systems to meet their own requirements, creating what UCG’s Head of IT & Business Intelligence, Phil Braz, describes as a form of “shadow IT”. Information sat across different applications, central oversight was limited and getting a consistent view of the data became increasingly difficult.

Those limitations became particularly apparent during a period of rapid expansion in New Zealand in 2022. UCG’s New Zealand business effectively doubled, but its underlying systems and processes hadn’t been designed to scale at the same rate. More people were needed to manage the additional workload and the cost of supporting that growth became a concern.

For Phil, who had expanded his role from business intelligence into responsibility for IT, it reinforced the need for a more consolidated technology environment. Better control of systems and data would help address existing inefficiencies and support UCG’s continued growth. AI added another consideration: without more centralised systems and reliable data, UCG would struggle to take advantage of the opportunities ahead.

Start simple and build confidence

Previous experience had left UCG's executive leaders understandably cautious about ERP projects. Phil's answer wasn't to propose a wholesale transformation.

UCG had already developed its own proprietary platform, siteTRAX®, to manage much of the specialist operational work involved in delivering projects and coordinating its subcontractor network. Rather than replace technology that was already integral to the way UCG operated, the plan was to progressively consolidate more common business functions such as finance, purchasing, inventory, HR and payroll onto an ERP platform.

The first step would be finance.

After assessing the market, UCG selected Oracle NetSuite and partnered with Fusion5 to support the implementation. Phil was clear that UCG needed implementation expertise to configure the platform correctly and guide its teams through the transition.

Just as importantly, UCG went into the implementation with a conscious decision to resist unnecessary customisation.

We were very deliberate in deciding to use the system the way it’s designed to be used and follow the best practices for it,” says Phil.

UCG recognised that its finance requirements weren’t so unique or complex that they needed a heavily customised solution. Where appropriate, the business could adopt NetSuite’s standard processes rather than adapt the platform to replicate existing ways of working.

Focus and adaptability

With finance team members across Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines, and a leadership team watching the implementation closely, strong governance and control were important from the outset. UCG established a weekly internal governance group involving senior leaders, while Fusion5 provided the implementation framework, project management and detailed reporting needed to maintain visibility over progress, scope, cost and quality.

Preparing people for the change was equally important. Phil put considerable focus on communication, involvement and training, with user acceptance testing becoming a particularly valuable part of that process. It gave the people who would ultimately depend on NetSuite the opportunity to experience the platform and new processes first-hand.

The response from the finance team was strong. Users in the Philippines took an active role in UAT, working through test scenarios provided by Fusion5 and adapted for UCG.

The finance team were great and took it seriously,” says Phil. “They knew this was going to be their system.”

Keeping the finance implementation free from unnecessary customisation also helped make the transition from the old system relatively straightforward. But that focused approach was soon put to the test.

Purchasing had originally been planned as a second phase, around two months after finance. When UCG needed to retire its existing purchasing platform earlier than expected, that timetable was dramatically compressed. Within days of the finance rollout, the team was preparing to introduce purchasing through NetSuite.

This brought a different level of change management risk. The existing purchasing platform was also used for employee expenses, so the change would affect almost every employee. New workflows needed to be tested, users trained and practical guidance made available, all within a much shorter timeframe.

As Phil describes it, the UCG and Fusion5 teams responded by “pulling out all the stops”. With additional how-to guides, training and support in place, UCG completed the transition with a few days to spare.

A foundation that’s already proving itself

The first phase of UCG’s NetSuite journey was always intended to be foundational rather than transformational. Core finance and purchasing have now moved onto NetSuite, legacy systems have been retired and UCG has established greater consistency across common business processes. At the same time, its teams are developing the confidence and capability to use the platform effectively.

For Phil, the value also lies in what that foundation makes possible. Consolidating more of UCG’s systems and data onto modern cloud technology reduces technical debt, strengthens the way data is managed and provides better access to the information needed to support future AI-enabled activity.

Perhaps most importantly, UCG has demonstrated that it can successfully introduce and adopt an ERP platform. For an organisation that began the journey with understandable caution around ERP, that creates greater confidence to tackle more complex opportunities, including inventory management and payroll.

Bringing innovation closer to home

UCG has always prided itself on being an early adopter of technology. From pioneering fibre installations in Australia to developing its own siteTRAX® platform, technology has long been part of how UCG solves problems and creates value.

Now it is applying that same thinking internally. By modernising its core business systems and building a stronger foundation around its data and processes, UCG is creating an environment that can keep pace with the business as it grows.