Down Syndrome Association of Wisconsin (DSAW)

Billing and Attendance Optimization

  • Client: Down Syndrome Association of Wisconsin (DSAW)
  • Salesforce products: Program Management Module (PMM)

The Down Syndrome Association of Wisconsin (DSAW) is dedicated to supporting Wisconsin families and individuals with Down syndrome through awareness initiatives, education, information sharing, and community-based programs. As participation in group programs continued to grow, DSAW needed a billing and attendance process that could keep pace—accurate, connected, and built for the long term.

To strengthen this foundation, DSAW partnered with Arkus to optimize their Salesforce instance and modernize how group program attendance and billing Authorizations were managed.

The Why

DSAW’s existing Salesforce configuration was functional, but their processes around service authorizations, attendance tracking, and billing were heavily manual and difficult to reconcile. The team needed to:

  • Reconfigure custom Authorization and Payment objects
  • Prepare their data model for potential future integration with Sage Intacct
  • Create a reliable connection between attendance tracking and billing
  • Improve waitlist management using the Program Management Module
  • Reduce data errors and manual cleanup
  • Provide clear documentation and training to ensure long-term sustainability

At the same time, DSAW was approaching a busy program season. Accuracy and efficiency weren’t optional—they were essential.

Our Solution

Arkus brought a cross-functional team approach to the engagement, focusing on clarity, automation, and long-term scalability.

1. Rebuilding the Billing Data Architecture

The team reconfigured the custom Authorizations object and implemented a related Payments child object to enable reliable billing and forecasting for group sessions. Where possible, out-of-the-box Salesforce functionality was leveraged to simplify future integrations and reduce technical debt.

A comprehensive data model was documented to clearly link:

  • Program Management Module (PMM)
  • Authorizations
  • Payments
  • Attendance records

This created a single, connected source of truth.

2. Automating Key Business Processes

To reduce manual intervention and prevent costly mistakes, Arkus configured 11 automated workflows to:

  • Reconcile Authorizations with attendance
  • Automate unit tracking and billing updates
  • Send internal alerts at critical stages
  • Prevent duplicate authorization records
  • Automate corrective data updates when attendance errors occur

These automations significantly reduced the risk of missed updates and improved data accuracy during go-live and beyond.

3. Supporting a Phased Go-Live

After refining scope early in the project, Arkus and DSAW focused on delivering a fully functional, optimized billing and attendance process for group sessions.

Go-live was successfully executed on June 16, 2025, with:

  • Active Authorization data migrated
  • Attendance workflows activated
  • Invoices created per Authorization
  • Controlled access for Operations and Accounting teams

After launch, Arkus provided responsive support and refinements, quickly designing and deploying additional automations to prevent duplicates and streamline data correction—protecting system integrity during adoption.

Our Results

By the close of the engagement:

  • A fully reconfigured Authorization and Payment structure was live
  • 11 automated workflows reduced manual reconciliation
  • Reporting and list views provided real-time visibility
  • Key users were trained through a Train-the-Trainer model
  • Documentation (including Scribes and data models) supported long-term sustainability

Through close collaboration and a focused scope, the project was delivered with full configuration, deployment, and training completed.

Most importantly, DSAW now has:

  • A connected billing and attendance ecosystem
  • Reduced risk of data errors
  • Improved forecasting reliability
  • Clear internal processes for ongoing operations

This optimization positions DSAW to scale programs with greater confidence and financial visibility.

A True Partnership

From early scope shifts to enhancements to the user experience in the authorization upload flow, the project required adaptability, collaboration, and shared ownership.

As Tim Giuliani, Operations Manager and Project Lead, shared:

"Threw the whole team at our complex project and got it all figured out in record time. Helped organize, think outside the box, and implement. Great communication, response, and deployment. Would recommend highly."

— Tim Giuliani and Michelle Schwanke, DSAW Operations

Looking Ahead

With a strong Salesforce foundation in place, DSAW is well-positioned for:

  • Continued optimization as DSAW’s needs evolve
  • Potential future integrations
  • Scalable program growth
  • Stronger financial oversight
  • Improved staff efficiency

By investing in process clarity and thoughtful automation, DSAW can now focus less on reconciling data—and more on supporting individuals and families across Wisconsin.

And that’s where the real impact happens.

Ready to write your own success story? Talk to Arkus or browse more client success stories.