Modernizing Multi-Unit Franchise Accounting

The Client

FranchiseLedger Accounting, Inc. is a specialized accounting services provider focusing on Quick-Service Restaurants (QSRs) across the United States.

With 60+ team members supporting major fast-food brands like Subway and other franchise networks, FranchiseLedger manages:

• High-volume daily transactions
• Multi-location accounting
• Cash, sales, depreciation, and intercompany reconciliations
• Complex Excel-based reports and financial validations

Their leadership team aimed to achieve a single vision:

“Touchless Accounting” where accountants focus only on analysis, not manual data entry.

The Challenge

FranchiseLedger’s accounting operations relied on multiple manual workflows:

1. Fragmented Processes Across 50+ QSR Clients

• Multiple entities per client
• Separate QBO companies
• No unified framework for validation, reconciliation, and reporting

2. Heavy Manual Data Entry & Spreadsheet Management

• Monthly sales files, MSR reports, P&L, depreciation schedules
• Store-wise Excel sheets with inconsistent naming
• Repeated copying, matching, and validation

3. Store-Level Variance Errors Causing Financial Delays

• Leading-zero mismatches in store IDs
• QBO vs Excel discrepancies
• Missing classes in QBO Essential accounts

4. Time-Consuming Review Cycles

A single review often demanded:

• Multiple validation steps
• Error hunting across files
• Reconciliation between QBO, Excel, and MSR reports
• Manual documentation for skipped or failed checks

5. No Centralized System for Tracking Reviews

Managers lacked visibility into:

• Monthly run status
• Pre-check performance
• Skip reasons
• Accountant productivity
• Client-wise historical compliance

FranchiseLedger needed a unified automation platform fast, accurate, and scalable.

The Solution

Satva Solutions designed and delivered FranchiseLedger, a fully integrated accounting automation platform built specifically for FranchiseLedger’s QSR workflows.

The solution was deployed in multiple structured sprints:

1. Seamless Active Directory Login & Team-Based Access

• Secure SSO via LDAPS
• Auto-detection of user teams
• Automatic permission assignment to clients
• Zero password management inside FranchiseLedger

This ensured proper access without manual onboarding.

2. Smart Client Setup with QBO Integration

• “Add Client” unified search from AD
• Connect/disconnect QBO companies
• Global connection status shared across all users
• Store-wise class retrieval & auto-mapping

The system pulled real-time store information and synced it into the platform.

3. Intelligent Store ID Management

• Re-sync classes from QBO anytime
• Edit/match store IDs to Excel naming conventions
• Leading zero fixes
• Smart overwrite protection

This solved one of FranchiseLedger’s biggest operational pain points.

4. Pre-Declaration Workflow

Before every run, accountants confirm:

• Bank reconciliation
• Credit card reconciliation
• COGS posting
• Payroll completion
• Header validation

Additional features include:

• Client-specific declarations can be added
• 10-minute session validity ensures accountability

This dramatically improved month-end accuracy.

5. Rule-Based Validation Engine

The platform includes 27+ automated validation checks covering:

• Sales reconciliation between QBO and Excel
• Royalty percentage verification
• Fixed asset and depreciation balances
• Intercompany balance verification
• Unusual variance pattern detection

Each rule executes automatically, flagging discrepancies with store-level detail.

6. AI-Powered Financial Insights

Leveraging OpenAI, the platform generates:

• Executive summaries from P&L reports, Balance Sheets, and General Ledger details
• Client-ready PDF outputs with FranchiseLedger branding
• Readable financial analysis that clients can actually understand

7. Enhanced Run & Reporting Dashboard

A manager-friendly reporting module featuring:

• AI Reports & Run Reports tabs
• Month-centric navigation
• Store count breakdowns
• Skip/Fix audit logs
• Multi-select client & accountant filters
• Color-coded status indicators
• Excel export functionality (formatted & merged headers)

This improved transparency and oversight across the organization.

Results and Impact

FranchiseLedger delivered measurable, high-impact improvements for FranchiseLedger:

🕐 90 Minutes → 10 Minutes: 89% Reduction in Review Time

Manual review time dropped from 90 minutes to just 10 minutes per store through the combined power of:

• Rule-based validations that automatically check data accuracy
• Intelligent automation that eliminates repetitive tasks
• AI-powered insights that surface issues instantly

For a firm managing 1,000+ locations, this efficiency gain translates to thousands of hours saved each month.

📈 Dramatically Improved Accuracy

With 27+ automated validation rules running consistently across every review:

• Human error from manual data entry is virtually eliminated
• Store-level discrepancies are caught immediately, not days later
• Leading-zero issues, mismatched classes, and missing IDs are now a thing of the past
• Every data point is systematically validated before financial statements are generated

The result: 90% fewer store-level errors and confidence that numbers are right the first time.

🎯 Accountants Now Focus on Insights, Not Data Entry

With routine validations handled automatically, accountants have shifted from data checkers to strategic advisors:

• More time for meaningful financial analysis
• Deeper focus on identifying trends and opportunities for clients
• Capacity to deliver higher-value advisory services
• Reduced burnout from repetitive manual tasks

This is the “Touchless Accounting” vision coming to life accountants doing what they do best: thinking, analyzing, and advising.

⚡ End Clients Receive Updates Faster

The speed improvement flows directly to franchise clients:

• Financial reports delivered days earlier than before
• Real-time validation means fewer revision cycles
• AI-generated summaries provide instant clarity on financial health
• Clients can make faster, more informed business decisions

When your accountant isn’t buried in spreadsheets, your financials arrive sooner.

👁️ 100% Manager Visibility No More Status Chasing

Managers now have instant access to:

• Real-time completion status for every client and every store
• Pre-check and validation progress at a glance
• Skip reasons with mandatory documentation
• Accountant performance metrics across teams
• Historical compliance data for trend analysis

This eliminates the back-and-forth. No more Slack messages asking “Where are we on Client X?” No more status update meetings. Managers simply open the dashboard, filter by team or client, and see exactly what’s done, what’s in progress, and what needs attention.

The color-coded status indicators and Excel export functionality make reporting to leadership effortless.

👥 60+ Accountants Unified into One Consistent Workflow

No more inconsistent processes across teams. Every accountant follows the same validated workflow, ensuring consistent quality across all client reviews.

🔒 Improved Security & Access Control

Active Directory integration ensures proper team-based client access without manual setup or password management.

📁 Automated Document Handling & File Path Intelligence

Excel-based validations are now plug-and-play no manual file selection required.

🎯 Foundation for “Touchless Accounting”

FranchiseLedger now forms the core automation engine powering FranchiseLedger’s long-term vision of accountants focusing purely on analysis and advisory work.

Conclusion

Through a deep understanding of FranchiseLedger’s accounting workflows and QSR-specific operational challenges, Satva Solutions delivered FranchiseLedger a scalable, intelligent, and automation-first platform designed exclusively for high-volume restaurant accounting.

The transformation is clear:

• 90 minutes → 10 minutes review time through rule-based validations, automation, and AI-powered insights
• Accuracy dramatically improved with systematic, error-free validations
• Accountants freed to focus on insights and advisory work
• Clients served faster with quicker turnaround on financial reports
• Managers empowered with real-time visibility no more chasing updates

The result is a streamlined, audit-ready, and highly efficient process where accountants spend time analyzing not entering data.

FranchiseLedger successfully positions FranchiseLedger on the path to achieving true “Touchless Accounting.”

Ready to transform your accounting operations? Let’s build your automation solution together.

Technology Stack

• React.js
• .NET Core / Node.js (API orchestration)
• SQL Server
• QuickBooks Online API, Microsoft Active Directory (IIS), OpenAI
• Active Directory (LDAP/LDAPS)