XML 38 R22.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.6.0.2
Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Basis of Presentation
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and applicable rules and regulations of the SEC regarding annual financial reporting. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation. As the Company is an emerging growth company, as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act, it could have delayed the adoption of new accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to privately-held companies. However, the Company has irrevocably elected to comply with all new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth publicly-held companies.
Use of Estimates
Use of Estimates
The preparation of consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. The significant estimates made by management affect revenue, the allowance for doubtful accounts, intangible assets, goodwill, loss contingencies, including the Company’s accrual for federal fees and sales tax liability, accrued liabilities, stock-based compensation, fair value calculations of the convertible preferred and common stock warrant liabilities, provision for income taxes and uncertain tax positions. Management periodically evaluates such estimates and they are adjusted prospectively based upon such periodic evaluation. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Foreign Currency
Foreign Currency
The functional currency of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries is the U.S. dollar. For these subsidiaries, the monetary assets and liabilities are re-measured into U.S. dollars at the current exchange rate as of the balance sheet date, and all non-monetary assets and liabilities are re-measured into U.S. dollars at historical exchange rates. Revenues and expenses are converted using average rates in effect on a monthly basis. Exchange gains and losses resulting from foreign currency transactions were not significant in any period and are reported in “Other income (expense), net” in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers highly liquid instruments with a maturity of three months or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. The Company deposits cash and cash equivalents with financial institutions that management believes are of high credit quality. Cash equivalents consist of money market funds and certificates of deposit with original maturities of three months or less, and are stated at cost plus accrued interest, which approximates fair value.
Short-Term Investments
Short-Term Investments
The Company considers all investments in marketable securities with original maturities at the date of purchase of more than three months to be short-term investments. Short-term investments are classified as available-for-sale at the time of purchase and the Company reevaluates such classification at each balance sheet date. Unrealized gains and losses for short-term investments are included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), a component of stockholders’ equity. Any unrealized losses that are considered to be other-than-temporary impairments are recorded in “Other income (expense), net” in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. Realized gains (losses) on the sale of short-term investments are determined using the specific-identification method and recorded in “Other income, net” in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. Interest and dividends are included in interest income when earned.
Concentration Risks
Concentration Risks
Financial instruments, which potentially subject the Company to significant concentrations of credit risk, consist primarily of cash, cash equivalents, and accounts receivable. A significant portion of the Company’s cash and cash equivalents is held at two large reputable financial institutions. Total cash and cash equivalents in excess of insured limits were $57.5 million and $58.0 million as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively. The Company has not experienced any losses in such accounts.
As of December 31, 2016 and 2015, no single client represented more than 10% of accounts receivable. For the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, no single client represented more than 10% of revenue.
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
The Company records a provision for doubtful accounts based on historical experience and a detailed assessment of the collectability of its accounts receivable. In estimating the allowance for doubtful accounts, management considers, among other factors, the aging of the accounts receivable, historical write-offs and the creditworthiness of each client. If circumstances change, such as higher-than-expected defaults or an unexpected material adverse change in a major client’s ability to meet its financial obligations, the Company’s estimate of the recoverability of the amounts due could be reduced by a material amount.
The following table presents the changes in the allowance for doubtful accounts (in thousands):
 
 
Year Ended December 31,
 
  
2016
 
2015
 
2014
Balance, beginning of period
  
$
15

 
$
65

 
$
42

Add: bad debt expense
  
75

 
171

 
76

Less: write-offs, net of recoveries
  
(78
)
 
(221
)
 
(53
)
Balance, end of period
  
$
12

 
$
15

 
$
65

Property and Equipment, Net
Property and Equipment, Net
Property and equipment is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization, and is depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets as follows:
Asset Category
 
Estimated Useful Lives
Computer and network equipment
 
3 years
Computer software
 
3 years
Development costs
 
1 to 5 years
Furniture and fixtures
 
7 years
Leasehold improvements
 
Shorter of useful life or lease term

Maintenance and repairs are charged to expense as incurred, and improvements and betterments are capitalized. When assets are retired or otherwise disposed of, the cost and accumulated depreciation and amortization are removed from the consolidated balance sheet and any resulting gain or loss is reflected in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss in the period realized.
The Company evaluates the recoverability of property and equipment for possible impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets or asset groups may not be recoverable. Recoverability of these assets is measured by a comparison of the carrying amounts to the future undiscounted cash flows the assets or asset groups are expected to generate. If such evaluation indicates that the carrying amount of the assets or asset groups is not recoverable, the carrying amount of such assets or asset groups is reduced to fair value. No impairment losses have been recognized in any of the periods presented.
Business Combinations
Business Combinations
When the Company acquires businesses, it allocates the purchase price to assets and liabilities, and identifiable intangible assets acquired at the acquisition date based upon their estimated fair values. The excess of the purchase consideration of an acquired business over the fair value of the underlying net tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed is recorded as goodwill. This allocation and valuation require management to make significant estimates and assumptions, especially with respect to intangible assets, which can include, but are not limited to, the cash flows that an asset is expected to generate in the future, the appropriate weighted-average cost of capital, and the cost savings expected to be derived from acquiring an asset. These estimates are inherently uncertain and subject to refinement during a measurement period that may be up to one year from the acquisition date.
Goodwill and Intangible Assets
Goodwill and Intangible Assets
The Company records goodwill when the consideration paid in a business combination exceeds the fair value of the net tangible assets and the identified intangible assets acquired. Goodwill is not amortized, but instead is required to be tested for impairment annually and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of goodwill may exceed its fair value.
The Company performs testing for impairment of goodwill in its fourth quarter, or as events occur or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of the Company's single reporting unit below its carrying amount. A qualitative assessment is first made to determine whether it is necessary to perform the two-step quantitative goodwill impairment test. This initial qualitative assessment includes, among other things, consideration of: (i) market capitalization of the Company, (ii) past, current and projected future earnings and equity; (iii) recent trends and market conditions; and (iv) valuation metrics involving similar companies that are publicly-traded and acquisitions of similar companies, if available. If this initial qualitative assessment indicates that it is more likely than not that impairment exists, a second analysis will be performed, involving a comparison between the estimated fair values of the Company’s reporting unit with its respective carrying amount including goodwill. If the carrying value exceeds estimated fair value, there is an indication of potential impairment, and a third analysis is performed to measure the amount of impairment. The third analysis involves calculating an implied fair value of goodwill by measuring the excess of the estimated fair value of the reporting unit over the aggregate estimated fair values of the individual assets less liabilities. If the carrying value of goodwill exceeds the implied fair value of goodwill, an impairment charge is recorded for the excess.
Intangible assets, consisting of acquired developed technology, domain names, customer relationships and non-compete agreements, are carried at cost less accumulated amortization. All intangible assets have been determined to have definite lives and are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated remaining economic lives, ranging from three to seven years. Amortization expense related to developed technology is included in cost of revenue. Amortization expense related to customer relationships is included in sales and marketing expense. Amortization expense related to domain names and non-compete agreements is included in general and administrative expense. Intangible assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate an asset's carrying value may not be recoverable.
Revenue Recognition
Revenue Recognition
The Company’s revenue consists of subscription services and related usage as well as professional services. The Company charges clients monthly subscription fees for access to the Company’s VCC solution. The monthly subscription fees are primarily based on the number of agent seats, as well as the specific VCC functionalities and applications deployed by the client. Agent seats are defined as the maximum number of named agents allowed to concurrently access the VCC cloud platform. Clients typically have more named agents than agent seats. Multiple named agents may use an agent seat, though not simultaneously. Substantially all of the Company’s clients purchase both subscriptions and related telephony usage. A small percentage of the Company's clients subscribe to its platform but purchase telephony usage directly from a wholesale telecommunications service provider. The Company does not sell telephony usage on a stand-alone basis to any client. The related usage fees are based on the volume of minutes used for inbound and outbound client interactions. The Company also offers bundled plans, generally for smaller deployments, whereby the client is charged a single monthly fixed fee per agent seat that includes both subscription and unlimited usage in the contiguous 48 states and, in some cases, Canada. Professional services revenue is derived primarily from VCC implementations, including application configuration, system integration, optimization, education and training services. Clients are not permitted to take possession of the Company’s software.
The Company offers monthly, annual and multiple-year contracts to its clients, generally with 30 days’ notice required for changes in the number of agent seats and sometimes with a minimum number of agent seats requirement. Larger clients typically choose annual contracts, which generally include an implementation and ramp period of several months. Fixed subscription fees (including bundled plans) are generally billed monthly in advance, while related usage fees are billed in arrears. Support activities include technical assistance for the Company’s solution and upgrades and enhancements to the VCC cloud platform on a when-and-if-available basis, which are not billed separately.
The Company generally requires advance deposits from its clients based on estimated usage when such usage is not billed as part of a bundled plan. Fees for certain clients’ usage are applied against the advance deposit resulting in continuous consumption and therefore requires frequent replenishment of the deposit. Any unused portion of the deposit is refundable to the client upon termination of the arrangement, provided all amounts due have been paid. All fees, except usage deposits, are non-refundable.
Professional services are primarily billed on a fixed-fee basis and are performed by the Company directly or, alternatively, clients may also choose to perform these services themselves or engage their own third-party service providers.
The Company’s sales arrangements generally involve multiple deliverables, including subscription services and related usage as well as professional services, all of which have stand-alone value to the client. The Company allocates arrangement consideration to these deliverables based on the relative stand-alone selling price method in accordance with the selling price hierarchy, which includes: (i) Vendor Specific Objective Evidence, or VSOE, if available; (ii) Third-Party Evidence, or TPE, if VSOE is not available; and (iii) Best Estimate of Selling Price, or BESP, if neither VSOE nor TPE is available.
VSOE. The Company determines VSOE based on its historical pricing and discounting practices for the specific service when sold separately. In determining VSOE, the Company requires that a substantial majority of the selling prices for these services fall within a reasonably narrow pricing range. The Company limits its assessment of VSOE for each element to either the price charged when the same element is sold separately or the price established by management, having the relevant authority to do so, for an element not yet sold separately. The Company has not met the criteria to establish selling prices based on VSOE.
TPE. When VSOE cannot be established for deliverables in multiple element arrangements, the Company applies judgment with respect to whether it can establish a selling price based on TPE. TPE is determined based on competitor prices for similar deliverables when sold separately. The Company’s services are significantly differentiated such that the comparable pricing of deliverables with similar functionality cannot be obtained. Furthermore, the Company is unable to reliably determine the stand-alone selling prices of similar deliverables sold by competitors. As a result, the Company has not met the criteria to establish selling prices based on TPE.
BESP. Since the Company is unable to establish a selling price using VSOE or TPE, it uses BESP in its allocation of arrangement consideration. The objective of BESP is to determine the price at which the Company would transact a sale if the product or service were sold on a stand-alone basis. The Company determines BESP for deliverables by considering multiple factors including prices it charges for similar offerings, pricing policies, market conditions and the competitive landscape. The Company limits the amount of allocable arrangement consideration to amounts that are fixed or determinable and that are not contingent on future performance or future deliverables.
The Company recognizes revenue for each unit of accounting when all of the following criteria have been met:
persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists;
delivery has occurred;
the fee is fixed or determinable; and
collection is reasonably assured.
Revenue allocated to the separate accounting units is recognized as follows:
fixed subscription revenue is recognized on a straight-line basis over the applicable term, predominantly the monthly contractual billing period;
variable usage revenue is recognized as actual usage occurs. Usage revenue in subscription arrangements that include bundled usage is recognized on a straight-line basis over the applicable term, as the Company cannot reliably estimate client usage patterns; and
professional services revenue is recognized as services are performed using the proportional performance method, with performance measured based on labor hours, assuming all other revenue recognition criteria have been met.
At the time of each revenue transaction, the Company assesses whether fees under the arrangement are fixed or determinable and whether collection is reasonably assured. For arrangements where the fee is not fixed or determinable, the Company recognizes revenue as these amounts become due and payable. The Company assesses collection based on a number of factors, including past transaction history and the creditworthiness of the client. If the Company determines that collection of fees is not reasonably assured, it defers the revenue and recognizes revenue at such time when collection becomes reasonably assured, which is generally upon receipt of payment. The Company maintains a revenue reserve for potential credits to be issued in accordance with service level agreements or for other revenue adjustments.
The revenue recognition standards include guidance relating to any tax assessed by a governmental authority that is directly imposed on a revenue-producing transaction between a seller and a customer and may include, but is not limited to, sales, use, value added and excise taxes. The Company records USF contributions and other regulatory costs on a gross basis in its consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss and records surcharges and sales, use and excise taxes billed to its clients on a net basis. The cost of gross USF contributions payable to the USAC and suppliers is presented as a cost of revenue in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. For the year ended December 31, 2016, total USF contributions and other regulatory costs included in cost of revenue was $7.7 million before the $3.1 million reversal related to the favorable FCC Wireline Bureau ruling in the fourth quarter of 2016, and $4.6 million thereafter. For the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, total USF contributions and other regulatory costs included in cost of revenue were $6.2 million and $4.4 million, respectively. Surcharges and sales, use and excise taxes incurred in excess of amounts billed to the Company’s clients are presented in general and administrative expense in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.
Deferred Revenue
Deferred Revenue
Deferred revenue consists of billings or payments received from clients for subscription service, usage and professional services in advance of revenue recognition and are recognized as the revenue recognition criteria are met. The Company generally invoices its clients monthly in advance for subscription services. Accordingly, the deferred revenue balance does not represent the total contract value of sales arrangements. The current portion of deferred revenue represents the amount that is expected to be recognized as revenue within one year from the balance sheet date.
Cost of Revenue
Cost of Revenue
Cost of revenue consists primarily of personnel costs (including stock-based compensation), fees that the Company pays to telecommunications providers for usage, USF contributions and other regulatory costs, depreciation and related expenses of the servers and equipment, costs to build out and maintain co-location data centers, and allocated office and facility costs and amortization of acquired technology. Personnel costs include those associated with support of the Company’s solution, clients and data center operations, as well as with providing professional services. Data center costs include costs to build out and setup, as well as co-location fees for the right to place the Company’s servers in data centers owned by third parties.
Research and Development
Research and Development
Research and development expenses consist primarily of salary and related expenses (including stock-based compensation) for personnel related to the development of improvements and expanded features for our services, as well as quality assurance, testing, product management and allocated overhead. Research and development costs are expensed as incurred except for internal use software development costs that qualify for capitalization. The Company reviews development costs incurred for internal-use software in the application development stage and assesses costs for capitalization. As of December 31, 2016 and 2015, the amount of capitalized internal-use software development costs was $0.5 million and $0.1 million, respectively.
Advertising Costs
Advertising Costs
We primarily advertise our services through the web and in conjunction with partners. Advertising costs are expensed as incurred and were $10.7 million, $9.2 million and $8.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
Commissions
Commissions
Commissions consist of variable compensation earned by sales personnel and referral fees we paid to third parties. Sales commissions associated with the acquisition or renewal of a client contract are recognized as sales and marketing expense as incurred. Commission expense was $10.2 million, $7.2 million and $6.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
Stock-Based Compensation
Stock-Based Compensation
All stock-based compensation granted to employees and non-employee directors is measured as the grant date fair value of the award. The Company estimates the fair value of stock options and purchase rights under the Company's Equity Incentive Plans and the 2014 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, or ESPP, respectively, using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The fair value of restricted stock awards is equal to the fair value of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant. Compensation expense is recognized net of estimated forfeitures using the straight-line method over the service period, which is generally the vesting period.
Convertible Preferred and Common Stock Warrant Liabilities
Convertible Preferred and Common Stock Warrant Liabilities
Prior to the Company's IPO, convertible preferred stock warrants and common stock warrants included provisions that potentially adjust the number of shares to be issued on settlement, or that potentially adjust the exercise prices, which made these instruments freestanding and accordingly they were classified as liabilities on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. These warrant liabilities were subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date until April 3, 2014 when, in connection with the Company's IPO, all the then-outstanding convertible preferred stock warrants became warrants to purchase common stock and the carrying value of the liabilities had been reclassified to additional paid-in capital.
Income Taxes
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax basis. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in operations in the period that includes the enactment date. The Company records a valuation allowance to reduce its deferred tax assets to the amount of future tax benefit that is more likely than not to be realized. As of December 31, 2016 and 2015, the Company recorded a full valuation allowance against the net deferred tax assets because of its history of operating losses in the United States. The Company classifies interest and penalties on unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense.
Net Loss Per Share
Net Loss Per Share
Basic net loss per share is calculated by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period, and excludes any dilutive effects of employee stock-based awards and warrants. Diluted net income per share is computed giving effect to all potentially dilutive common shares, including common stock issuable upon exercise of stock options and warrants, vesting of restricted stock and purchases under the ESPP. In periods of net loss, all potentially issuable common shares are excluded from the diluted net loss per share computation because they are anti-dilutive. Therefore, basic and diluted net loss per share are the same for all years presented in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.
The Company applied the two-class method to calculate basic and diluted net loss per share of common stock in periods in which shares of convertible preferred stock were outstanding, as shares of convertible preferred stock are participating securities due to their dividend rights. The two-class method is an earnings allocation method under which earnings per share is calculated for common stock considering a participating security’s rights to undistributed earnings as if all such earnings had been distributed during the period. The Company’s participating securities are not included in the computation of net loss per share in periods of net loss because the preferred shareholders have no contractual obligation to participate in losses.
Indemnification
Indemnification
Certain of the Company’s agreements with clients include provisions for indemnification against liabilities if its services infringe a third-party’s intellectual property rights. To date, the Company has not incurred any material costs as a result of such indemnification provisions and the Company has not accrued any liabilities related to such obligations in the consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2016 and 2015.
Segment Information
Segment Information
The Company has determined that its Chief Executive Officer is its chief operating decision maker. The Company’s Chief Executive Officer reviews financial information presented on a consolidated basis for purposes of assessing performance and making decisions on how to allocate resources. Accordingly, the Company has determined that it operates in a single reportable segment.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
In August 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, issued Accounting Standards Update, or ASU, No. 2016-15, Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments (Topic 230), which addresses eight classification issues related to the statement of cash flows, including those for debt prepayment or debt extinguishment costs. ASU 2016-15 is effective for the Company in its first quarter of 2018, with early adoption permitted. As permitted by ASU 2016-15, the Company early-adopted this new guidance at the beginning of the third quarter of 2016 and applied it prospectively. No prior periods were retrospectively adjusted.
In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-05, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Fees Paid in a Cloud Computing Arrangement. The ASU provides guidance to customers about whether a cloud computing arrangement includes a software license. If a cloud computing arrangement includes a software license, then the customer should account for the software license element of the arrangement consistent with the acquisition of other software licenses. If a cloud computing arrangement does not include a software license, the customer should account for the arrangement as a service contract. The ASU does not change the accounting for a customer’s accounting for service contracts. A company can elect to adopt the ASU either prospectively or retrospectively. The Company adopted this guidance prospectively beginning in the first quarter of 2016 and the adoption did not have a material effect on its condensed consolidated financial statements.
In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-03, Interest - Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs. The ASU requires that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts. The recognition and measurement guidance for debt issuance costs are not affected by this ASU. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-15, Interest—Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Presentation and Subsequent Measurement of Debt Issuance Costs Associated with Line-of-Credit Arrangements, which clarifies that the SEC staff would not object to an entity deferring and presenting debt issuance costs as an asset and subsequently amortizing the deferred debt issuance costs ratably over the term of the line-of-credit arrangement, regardless of whether there are any outstanding borrowings on the line-of-credit arrangement. The Company adopted this guidance retrospectively beginning in the first quarter of 2016 and the adoption did not have a material effect on its condensed consolidated financial statements for the prior periods or the current period reported.
In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-15, Presentation of Financial Statements—Going Concern (Subtopic 205-40): Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern. The new guidance requires management of public and private companies to evaluate whether there is substantial doubt about the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern and, if so, disclose that fact. Management will also be required to evaluate and disclose whether its plans alleviate that doubt. The standard is effective for the Company's annual period ended December 31, 2016 and interim and annual periods thereafter. Early adoption is permitted. The Company adopted this guidance prospectively beginning in the fourth quarter of 2016 and the adoption did not have a material effect on its consolidated financial statements.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Effective
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, which requires measurement and recognition of expected credit losses for certain types of financial assets held. ASU 2016-13 is effective for the Company in its first quarter of 2020, and earlier adoption is permitted beginning in the first quarter of 2019. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of ASU 2016-13 on its consolidated financial statements.
In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. This ASU simplifies several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the accounting for income taxes, forfeitures, and statutory tax withholding requirements, as well as classification in the statement of cash flows. The guidance is effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of 2017, with early application permitted. The Company will adopt this guidance effective January 1, 2017, and adoption is not expected to have a material effect on its condensed consolidated financial statements.
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). Under the new guidance, a lessee will be required to recognize assets and liabilities for both finance, or capital, and operating leases with lease terms of more than 12 months. The ASU also will require disclosures to help investors and other financial statement users better understand the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. Lessor accounting will remain largely unchanged from current GAAP. In transition, lessees and lessors are required to recognize and measure leases at the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach that includes a number of optional practical expedients that entities may elect to apply. This guidance is effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of 2019. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently assessing the effect the guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements.
In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers: Topic 606 and issued subsequent amendments to the initial guidance in August 2015, March 2016, April 2016 and May 2016 within ASU 2015-04, ASU 2016-08, ASU 2016-10 and ASU 2016-12, respectively (ASU 2014-09, ASU 2015-04, ASU 2016-08, ASU 2016-10 and ASU 2016-12 collectively, Topic 606). Topic 606 requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers and will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. GAAP when it becomes effective. Topic 606 defines a five-step process to achieve this core principle and, in doing so, it is possible more judgment and estimates may be required within the revenue recognition process than are required under existing GAAP. Topic 606 is effective for the Company's annual and interim reporting periods beginning January 1, 2018 using either a retrospective or a cumulative effect transition method. The Company has developed an implementation plan to adopt this new guidance. As part of this plan, the Company is currently assessing the impact of the new guidance on its results of operations. Based on procedures performed to date, nothing has come to the Company's attention that would indicate that the adoption of Topic 606 will have a material impact on its financial statements, however, the Company will continue to evaluate this assessment in 2017. The Company intends to adopt Topic 606 on January 1, 2018. The Company has not yet selected a transition method, but expects to do so in the third quarter of 2017 upon completion of further analysis.