Business Central FAQs: your questions, answered.
Honest answers on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central cost, implementation timelines, data migration, training and ongoing support, the same answers we give buyers before they sign.
How much does Business Central actually cost?
There are three costs in a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central project, and only three. No hidden discovery phases, no pre-sales scoping invoices, no surprises.
Implementation pack
One-time fixed fee per pack. Covers configuration, data migration, training and go-live support. Scoping is included, not billed separately.
Microsoft licence
Monthly, per user, set by Microsoft. Identical whoever implements your system. Truly SMB does not mark this up.
Support plan
Monthly Bronze, Silver or Gold plan. Includes unlimited support for your implemented packs and ongoing SLAs.
What do the Business Central support plans cost?
Bronze is £399 per month (Kickstart plus 1 pack), Silver is £699 per month (Kickstart plus 3 packs) and Gold is £999 per month (Kickstart plus 5 packs). All plans include unlimited support for your implemented packs, SLAs, Dynamics 365 licence administration and a Customer Success Manager. US pricing: Bronze $550, Silver $950, Gold $1,350 per month.
Why is the Microsoft licence the same whoever I go with?
Business Central is a Microsoft product. The licence is set and billed by Microsoft, so it does not change based on which implementation partner you choose. What changes is the implementation fee, the ongoing support cost, and whether you are charged a large scoping fee before anything gets built. With Truly SMB, that scoping fee does not exist.
I've been quoted £60k by another partner. Why is Truly SMB different?
Traditional ERP partners scope the entire business upfront, and that discovery phase alone can cost £20,000 to £50,000 before anyone builds anything. They then implement everything at once in one large project. Truly SMB's pack model means you only pay to implement what your business needs right now. Scoping is built into the pack price, because after 15+ years of SMB implementations we already know where to start.
How long does a Business Central implementation take?
How quickly can we go live on Business Central?
Most businesses go live on their Kickstart pack within eight weeks of project start. That covers core finance, sales and purchase ledgers, bank reconciliation and standard reporting. The timeline depends on data readiness and how quickly internal stakeholders make decisions, not on lengthy discovery phases on our side.
Why do other ERP partners take 12 to 18 months?
Because they try to implement everything at once. Scoping the entire business, configuring all modules simultaneously and running parallel testing across every department compounds the complexity. Truly SMB goes live on a minimum viable implementation first, then adds packs when the business is ready. You are using the system in week 8, not month 12. Full detail in our 90-day implementation guide.
What does the 8-week implementation timeline look like?
Weeks 1-2: Kickoff, chart of accounts agreement and data mapping. Weeks 3-5: Configuration and test environment. Weeks 6-7: Data migration and user training. Week 8: Go live and support handover. No lengthy pre-project discovery phase before any of this begins.
What happens to my existing accounting data?
Can we migrate everything from Sage, Xero or QuickBooks?
You can migrate what genuinely needs to come across, but a new ERP is a chance to clean up. Truly SMB will work through exactly what to migrate and what to leave behind. Migrating years of messy historical data carries old problems forward. Open balances, customer and supplier records and item lists are standard. Every historical transaction is usually unnecessary, and often counterproductive. Compare platforms first: Sage & Xero vs BC or QuickBooks vs BC.
What if our accounting data is in a mess?
Most businesses have messy data, and it is one of the most common things Truly SMB helps with. Part of the implementation process is agreeing what to bring across and what format it needs to be in. We would rather spend time getting the migration right than rushing and ending up with clean software containing dirty data.
Do we need to run both systems in parallel?
Typically yes, for a short period around the go-live date. This gives your finance team confidence that Business Central is producing the right numbers before you fully switch over. For most Kickstart implementations this parallel running period is short, usually two to four weeks, not the months-long parallel runs traditional ERP projects require.
What happens after go-live?
What does the Business Central support plan include?
All plans include unlimited support for your implemented packs, SLAs, Microsoft Dynamics 365 licence administration and a dedicated Customer Success Manager. Silver and Gold plans include discounted day rates and included expert support days annually. Gold also includes custom development and integrations. All plans include regular system review and optimisation: annual on Bronze, bi-annual on Silver, quarterly on Gold.
How is Business Central training delivered?
Truly SMB trains the right people at the right time, just before they need to use the system, rather than weeks before go-live when everything gets forgotten. Training is included in the pack price and covers the modules being implemented. That means superuser training for internal champions plus end-user training for day-to-day tasks.
What if we need customisation or integrations?
Custom development and third-party integrations are available as part of the Gold support plan, or as add-on project work. Our view is that you should go live on standard Business Central first, understand your processes properly, then customise where there is a genuine need, rather than on day one when you do not yet know what you will actually need.
Is Business Central right for a small business?
Business Central scales from small teams to large enterprises and is designed for businesses at every stage of growth. The Kickstart pack is sized for teams that have outgrown Sage or Xero and need proper audit trails, multi-user access and a platform that grows with them. Not sure yet? Check the five signs you should switch. If a simpler accounting tool is genuinely a better fit, Truly SMB will say so.
Truly SMB gives you the same honest answers before you sign as after. If Business Central is not the right fit for your business, we will tell you, because the last thing anyone needs is a system that does not match how they work.
Still have questions? Talk to the team.
No lengthy sales process and no obligation. Just straight answers about whether Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is right for your business.
