Overview
Wignall distribute stock to newsagents within the North West. Having already built a strong reputation with a significant number of clients,the directors now needed to implement more efficient working practicesto strengthen their position in the market.
Problem
Each day, Wignall sales staff would leave the office and visit up to 50newsagents, armed with a pad and pen, to record in excess of 30 ordersa day per salesperson.
On their return, the sheets would be filed for warehouse pickers tolocate the stock. However, this paper based system created a number ofinconsistencies and discrepancies attributed to handwriting, inaccuratestock level information and staff being unable to locate the productseasily in the warehouse - often resulting in time-consuming phone callsand much relational stress. From here, the original sales list would beamended by the warehouse staff according to stock availability, andthen sent to admin to re-type into the company’s finance system therebyraising a sales invoice.
In short, the system was extremely cumbersome and time consuming,allowed inconsistent working practices, and relied heavily on theexperience of employees.
eSAY’s Solution
Two aspects of the business were perceived to be in need of renovation– the internal management of stock, and the collection of informationaway from the base.
The application was developed through 2 integrated strands. The desktopapplication was created to track and locate all stock in the warehouse,creating a facility to search for products, warehouse location, price,order history, as well as reports for low stock and sales.
The Pocket PC application allows for mobile working. The devicecontains the entire product and client information necessary for thesales force to record orders, has a touch-screen facility to speed upand formalise the process, and can be synchronised with the desktopapplication. Once the orders have been recorded, simply docking thedevice updates the new orders onto the desktop system. This procedureraises the manager’s awareness of items that are out of stock so thatclients can be offered alternative replacements. Warehouse staff canalso process the order immediately - knowing where the stock is locatedfrom their on-screen display.
Results and benefits
The solution has made Wignall Distribution Ltd more efficient byrevolutionising their working practices to monitor stock, enable clearcommunication, and most importantly save time for staff – sales andadmin.
These benefits have had a significant effect on the company’s operatingcosts; by reducing their costs, more time is created to secure newbusiness, as well as improve the quality of life for all members of thework force. Importantly, their customers also benefit from the improvedservice as orders can be fulfilled quicker and with a full knowledge ofthe availability of stock. When asked for feedback on his new solution, Brian’s response was unequivocal - “It’s absolutely superb!” One of the most encouraging compliments he could pay us is that he has seen the profits of reducing inefficient processes. He added, “I’m always showing people what it can do and how simple it is to use - they’re always so impressed. Even a technophobe like me can see the value added benefits of having joined up IT." Brian Wignall, Managing Director |
