Colortone Audio Visual has tax compliance figured out
Results
Integrated systems
Tax expertise
Customer satisfaction
Summary
Results
- Integrated systems
- Tax expertise
- Customer satisfaction
Tax challenges
- Tax complexity
- Compliance risk
- Company growth
Products used
Avalara AvaTax
Dynamically delivers sales and use tax calculations, based on the latest rules and rates in our tax engine, to a shopping cart or invoicing system at the time of purchase.
Avalara Returns
Automatically gathers data from Avalara AvaTax to prepare and file sales and use tax returns and remit payments across multiple jurisdictions every filing cycle.
Benefits
- Greater focus on revenue-generating tasks
- Increased peace of mind and better efficiency through offloading compliance tasks
- Improved customer experience with more transparency
Industry type
Services
Company overview
Customer
Colortone Audio Visual
Industry
Services
Tax type
Sales and use
Integrations
Oracle NetSuite
Colortone Audio Visual is based in Port Chester, New York, and has been installing high-end equipment for over 70 years. They provide audiovisual as a service to businesses, schools, government agencies, and more. As experts, they work with their clients to design, implement, and maintain flexible audiovisual environments using the latest technology.
Tax challenges
Colortone does business primarily in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey. But even within that limited geography, sales tax requirements are complex and Colortone’s clients often have multiple business locations across the tri-state area.
“In the state of New York alone, there are approximately 30 locations and the landscape seems to shift every other day,” explains Olivier Peardon, president and CEO. “I can’t keep up with it. There aren’t enough hours in the day.”
From the moment he acquired Colortone, Olivier knew he wanted to focus the company’s expertise on audiovisual systems, not on sales tax compliance. “If you’re not an expert, outsource it,” he says. “We don’t have an accounting department and I’m no expert on sales tax. I would much rather hand that over to someone at Avalara, who will do it much better than I could.”
Why Avalara?
Olivier had used Avalara AvaTax and Oracle NetSuite together at two previous companies and didn’t hesitate to bring the same integrated solution to Colortone. “I didn’t see any reason to switch,” he says. “They work well together, and you don’t change the team if it’s winning.”
Olivier expected the implementation and integration at Colortone to be easy, and it was. “It took all of five minutes to be honest, probably because I was already so familiar with it,” he laughs.
Customer
Colortone Audio Visual
Industry
Services
Tax type
Sales and use
Integration
Oracle NetSuite
Tax challenges
- Tax complexity
- Compliance risk
- Company growth
Products used
Avalara AvaTax
Dynamically delivers sales and use tax calculations, based on the latest rules and rates in our tax engine, to a shopping cart or invoicing system at the time of purchase.
Avalara Returns
Automatically gathers data from Avalara AvaTax to prepare and file sales and use tax returns and remit payments across multiple jurisdictions every filing cycle.
Benefits
- Greater focus on revenue-generating tasks
- Increased peace of mind and better efficiency through offloading compliance tasks
- Improved customer experience with more transparency
Industry type
Services
“The automation allows me to run a company that’s very lean. We focus on sales and implementation, which generate revenue.”
—Olivier Peardon
President and CEO
“The automation allows me to run a company that’s very lean. We focus on sales and implementation, which generate revenue.”
—Olivier Peardon
President and CEO
Results
Olivier appreciates being able to focus his energy on delighting clients and growing his business. “The automation allows me to run a company that’s very lean,” he explains. “We focus on sales and implementation, which generate revenue.”
Confidence and peace of mind are among the chief benefits Olivier cites about using Avalara. “I know what’s behind the curtain, and I know it’s being handled correctly,” he says. “Throughout the implementations, I’d have expected to run into some difficulties. But if anything, they’ve made things easier. For example, Avalara lets us know when we’re approaching a nexus threshold. The system is more proactive than one would think.”
The sales and service proposals at Colortone reflect the company’s philosophy of making every interaction as easy as possible for the client. With AvaTax in place, Olivier says they show the full cost, including sales tax. He adds, “No surprises, full transparency, easy for customers to approve. It becomes a non-discussion.”
