Upgrading from Yardi Voyager 6 to 7S

A government housing authority needed to upgrade from Yardi Voyager 6 to 7s so they could continue receiving support and implement new modules.

OVERVIEW

This client, a government housing authority, reached out to Saxony Partners because Yardi was about to end their support of Voyager 6. They needed to upgrade to version 7S and begin implementing some new modules to help them maximize their use of the software.

THE PROJECT

As a public housing authority, this client typically works with housing vouchers and low-income housing. They had more than 30 housing assets to oversee at the time of this project, and they were in the process of adding new offices and senior living.

The client uses Yardi on a daily basis to manage these assets, but they were past due for an upgrade. Yardi was about to completely stop supporting Voyager 6, so they needed to implement version 7S as soon as possible. Without Yardi support, they would not have access to any enhancements to the modules they were using every day. Once they upgraded, they could begin utilizing some of the most helpful modules, as well as improve their reporting.

The client chose Saxony Partners above other bidders to handle this upgrade because our Yardi team demonstrated how thoroughly we would handle the Voyager 7S upgrade, improvements to their construction module, and organization for their chart of accounts.

DEFINING BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS

Since this was a non-traditional real estate client, Saxony Partners compiled a Business Requirements Document to better understand their internal processes. Once we had a thorough and complete understanding of what their businesses does every day, we were able to give them a detailed analysis of where costs could be reduced in order to free up funds for this project.

We spent between 2 and 3 weeks on-site with the client gathering information. Then, we put together a proposal for the best plan of action for tackling the Voyager 7S upgrade, implementing the job cost, and taking care of their chart of accounts. We also advised them on dealing with inter-company receivables, turning on inter-entity accounting, and performing GL allocations. We explained how these new features would impact their reporting needs, as well.

IMPLEMENTING YARDI SOFTWARE

The process of moving the client from Yardi Voyager 6 to 7S was multi-faceted. First, our team had to move them from their self-hosted Yardi Voyager 6 platform to a Yardi-hosted Voyager 6. Once they were on the Yardi-hosted platform, they were able to upgrade to Yardi Voyager 7S.

We then helped the client configure both the menus and security setup properly in order to support the 7S features now available to them. We executed the conversion data work that is necessary for things to run smoothly. We also oversaw their validation testing to ensure the software upgrade was problem-free.

ADDING NEW YARDI MODULES

Once the client was successfully using Yardi Voyager 7S, we set them up to take advantage of some new modules. We assisted with setting up PayScan Mobile so their employees can use this feature on the go. We also helped the client ensure they were within compliance of government standards for chart of accounts, made advancements in their construction module, and set up custom reporting features to meet their unique needs.

THE RESULT

Now that this client is operating on Yardi Voyager 7, they will not have to worry about their support from Yardi lapsing. They have access to the full array of Yardi modules and features, and they can better serve their tenants.

Partnering with Saxony, the client tapped into the vast resources offered by our experienced team of Yardi experts. This ensured that major software upgrades and module implementations they needed would happen on schedule, on budget, and risk-free.  

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