Warehouse not where-house
Prior to using this business software, Patio Pools & Spas could not see the available stock at all of its locations at the same time. A particular retail store might need a filter that was sitting on the shelf at two other stores and in one of its service trucks. It was very difficult and time-consuming to call the service manager at each store to determine whether a part/product was available—especially during the height of the season.
With the power of business software and centralized purchasing, Patio Pools & Spas can now be much more responsive to customers as they can immediately tell a customer whether a part/product is available at a particular location, or to provide accurate expectations of a repair job. Being able to give a quick, precise response has improved the customer experience, not to mention customer loyalty.
“Not only can we see the available stock within our own organization, but our business software is integrated with an industry distributor which enables us to view the stock on hand at local distribution centres,” says Ragel. “We can even reserve and ‘pull stock’ (essentially put a product on hold) immediately at the distribution centre, all while the customer is standing at the counter or on the phone with one of our team members.”
In essence, the company now maintains better returns on its inventory and, therefore, only keeps what is needed on hand. This eliminates tying up thousands of dollars on products that are not being used regularly.
Accounting has also become easier. Everything is linked to a purchase order (PO) so invoices are no longer arriving without anyone knowing which location or project they apply to. As soon as an order is placed, a request is generated, as well as a PO number, which is applied to the invoice with the vendor. Further, the company is now able to take advantage of the incentive programs and promotions (e.g. buy three get one free deals) from certain vendors.
“The system has worked so well for us that when we do our annual, physical inventory, we are within $300,” says Ragel. “In the past, we were off by thousands of dollars.”
