Introduction
One of the largest salon brands in North America with thousands of franchise locations, needed a better way to manage complex sales and use tax processes across the U.S. and Canada. When the company transitioned to Dynamics 365 Business Central, its old upload-based process couldn’t keep up with a modern, cloud ERP environment. It needed a modern, embedded tax solution that worked natively inside D365 BC—no extra portals, no workarounds.
CereTax delivered exactly that: a natively integrated sales tax automation solution built for D365 BC.
The Need for Change in Tax Handling
As the business transitioned to D365 Business Central, their prior approach of uploading flat files for tax handling was no longer an option. The accounting team needed:
- A fully integrated solution inside D365 BC (no separate portals or custom fields)
- Accurate, street-level address validation to support location-driven sale and use tax compliance
- Support for both U.S. and Canadian tax rules so franchisee and corporate transactions could be handled consistently
- Compatibility with other Business Central add-ons (e.g., credit card processing) without requiring extra development work or one-off integrations..
Why CereTax
After evaluating multiple vendors, the company selected CereTax because it aligned with both technology and day-to-day accounting needs:
- Native Use of BC Fields: CereTax leverages Business Central’s own data tables, ensuring compatibility with third-party add-ons like credit card processing
- Simplicity & Clean Design: The interface and workflow felt intuitive—without unnecessary complexity.
- End-to-End Integration: Unlike some vendors requiring external portals, CereTax worked entirely within D365 Business Central, creating a seamless user experience for order entry, purchasing, and invoicing.
- Responsive, Collaborative Team: The team valued CereTax’s willingness to listen, adapt, and move quickly to meet their requirements.
"CereTax was my first choice from the start. The fact that it used native Business Central fields made everything work seamlessly with our other integrations."
— Melody Iszler, Accounting Director
Implementation on a Tight Deadline
The business faced an urgent need to pivot from another vendor just prior to go-live. CereTax delivered a full implementation on a tight timeline:
- Compact Timeline: The business uninstalled their prior solution and implemented CereTax in time for their BC Cloud go-live.
- Structured Approach: CereTax provided a clear project plan, weekly calls, a sandbox environment, and fast resolution of issues.
- Dedicated Support: The company worked closely with a consistent, responsive CereTax team throughout.
“It was a rapid implementation, and CereTax’s sense of urgency and commitment to our success stood out. The team was beyond patient and truly invested in getting us live.”
Results & Benefits
Compliance Confidence
- Street-Level Accuracy: CereTax ensures compliance at the most granular level, giving the accounting team peace of mind across U.S. and Canadian locations
- Sales & Use Tax Coverage: Both franchisee equipment sales and corporate office purchasing processes run through CereTax, ensuring full compliance with consistent, compliant treatment in one integrated engine.
Operational Efficiency
- Seamless Add-On Integration: By using native Business Central fields and data structures, CereTax avoided costly customizations and ensured compatibility with credit card processing tools.
- Daily Reliability: Their facilities and purchasing team uses CereTax constantly when processing orders for franchisees, with tax applied automatically on quotes, orders, and invoices within D365 Business Central.
Trusted Partnership
- Responsive Support: The company values the accessibility and relationship-building with the CereTax team.
- Practical Flexibility: When unusual scenarios arise, CereTax works with their business to implement practical workarounds or configuration tweaks that keep operations moving - without custom re-engineering.
- Choice in Filing: CereTax connects clients with filing partners but doesn’t bundle services—allowing the company to choose the best fit.
Conclusion
The company’s transition to D365 Business Central could have been derailed without the right tax solution. With CereTax, the company not only kept its go-live on track but also gained a long-term partner in sales and use tax compliance—one that combines technology, simplicity, and a customer-first approach.Today, the company operates confidently knowing CereTax is embedded in every transaction, ensuring accuracy, efficiency and peace of mind at scale.
