AUTOMATION IN THE CLOUD
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Vertical Stack Wholesale Inventory How to Stock Take in DEAR, Cin7 & Unleashed Software Comparison
Fast, flexible Introducing 3PL Warehouse Inventory Integration Planner Introducing Databot
Interview
Introducing Rhonnel Amamag-id WhichAddOn Account Manager | Biography
Find out more about Rhonnel and how his degree in Business Administration and Marketing led him to managing Cloud Accounting integrations.
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WWW.WHICHADDON.COM
WAOConnect offers you a powerful tool that provides a common data platform with standardized
reporting for an entire enterprise. Loaded with meaningful analytics and your custom dashboard will give you
all the powerful and essential information you need in one place.
When you understand the forces in your business making decisions is easy.
THE WHICHADDON WAY
WHAT’S INSIDE THE CLOUD 06 The WhichAddOn way - WAO WAO Mission, Vision and Values
07 Welcome Jeri Wambeek
08 Vertical Stack - Wholesale Inventory Featured Article
12 French Oak Floors Case Study
16 How to Stock Take in DEAR, CIN7 & Unleashed Software Comparison: Cin7 vs DEAR vs Unleashed
20 How to Carry out an Inventory Stocktake in DEAR
Software Comparison
26 There are a Couple of Ways of Performing a Stocktake in Cin7 Software Comparison
36 Unleashed Stock Take Software Comparison
45 Rhonnel Amamag-id Biography
46 Signus
Case Study
50 Fast, flexible 3PL Warehouse Integration Introducing Databot
54 Introducing Inventory Planner Interview
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THE WAO MISSION To empower businesses through cloud technology to enable connection, comfort and care.
THE WAO VISION To bring the possible to life - one business at a time.
Word Origin / n._
WhichAddOn = WAO THE WAO WAY / OUR VALUES The WAO Way are the guiding principles that dictate how we behave daily to achieve our mission and vision: to empower businesses through cloud technology - bringing the possible to life - enabling connection, comfort and care.
\PRONOUNCED “WOW”\ NOUN Used to express an exclamation of wonder, pleasure or a striking success.
• Be loving and kind • Be reliable • Be a good steward • Never stop learning - continue to grow every day. • Help our local communities • Above all, family and good health
WE BRING THE POSSIBLE TO LIFE
comes first.
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Jeri Wambeek
Business Development Manager & Co-Founder
2019 seems to be zooming along at breakneck
speed. Have you ever noticed how the older you get, the quicker the year seems to pass? Strange! I guess that's probably because we seem to never stop and should really slow down.
March has been a really intense month with quite a few jobs going live, that have really challenged us as a team and also produced some of our best work I love it when life (or someone figuratively) slaps you in the face and punches you in the gut. I think it makes you realise how much you still have to grow and improve. Whilst at the same time humbling you and making you more aware of how grateful we should be for all the good that we have been blessed with. This month we want to really focus on warehouse management, we cover stock management, how to make your warehouse more efficient, and the vertical stack of systems that optimises this very important business model.
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We illustrate this with a few different case studies, one covering a large wholesale flooring client, and the other is an international spinal implant wholesaler. Further to this, we cover some new software that really helps in forecasting and also the use of third-party warehouse solutions (3PL). Hope you enjoy having a good read, as much as we enjoyed making it for you!
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FEATURED ARTICLE
Purchasing
In cloud terminology, a vertical stack refers to the cloud-based solutions that can be used in a particular industry type to solve the detailed requirements required by wholesalers. In this article, the industry type I am going to examine is wholesale inventory. Wholesale industry is the sale of products from business to business. This can often be a very complex process. Let me run through a fictional example covering the many complexities. In our example, our business is called J & S Import Exports (J&S).
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J & S imports a number of different baby products, wipes, nappies, and accessories, from China, USA, NZ, and Europe. They purchase these products in different currencies, ranging from Euro, USD, and NZ. Goods have a 6-12 week lead time depending on the product, minimum order quantities are required to get the maximum volume discounts on all products. It is really vital to maintain the correct stock levels. J&S have forecasting software to assist in what stock to purchase, and when to purchase it to maximize stock turnover, discounts, and correct stock levels, and low warehouse costs.
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FEATURED ARTICLE
Warehousing / Branches They have a number of warehouses worldwide, three in Australia, one in the US and one in the UK. The US and UK warehouses are third-party warehouses (3PL), that run their own software solutions to manage their warehouse. The three local warehouses are all owned and operated by J&S, who organize local couriers/freight companies to dispatch orders. They do not have their own delivery vehicles.
Sales Channels J&S has a number of different sales channels: 1. Wholesale to other businesses 1. that onsell their products (B2B). 2. Sell directly to big department 2. stores in Australia ie Coles, 2. Woolworths & Aldi. 3. Sell on Amazon AU, EU, US & 3. Canada. 4. Have a retail website (Shopify 4. based e-commerce store) for 4. their own internal brand (B2C). The department stores also use EDI to interface with J&S.
Internal Sales Internal sales are tracked via a CRM for their 8 sales representatives, each has a specific region, and get paid a base plus a bonus commission based on regional sales. The CRM keeps track of all emails, activities, leads/opportunities, and sales.
Accounting The foundation to every system is the accounting system, as with any other company this is mandatory and the start and the end point.
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Reporting Reporting on all the different aspects of such a complex number of systems is very important, and reports need to be layered so that different managers have different dashboards and insights. Sales Managers, Warehouse Managers, Financial and General Managers, all require a unique number personalized set of dashboards and reports, to assist them in making correct decisions in real-time.
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Solution - Vertical Stack of Connected Solutions The below table covers the issues from the example above and the possible solution. I will only say possible because every solution has strengths and weaknesses, and I have limited insight into the workow and process of J&S. If we went into that amount of detail, to examine the complete workow of each area, it would end up being a much longer article.
Issue Inventory Management (sales, purchasing, multi-currency, landed costs, minimum order quantities etc) Forecasting - Complex inventory purchasing/forecasting
Solution Cin7, DEAR Inventory, Locate & Unleashed Inventory Planner
Multiple warehouses (local & international)
Cin7, DEAR Inventory, Locate & Unleashed
Third party warehousing (3PL)
Cin7 (natively), Databot (DEAR, Unleashed)
Logistics Business to Business Portal (B2B)l) EDI Interface
StarShipit, shippit, Shipstation Cin7, DEAR Inventory, Locate & Unleashed Cin7 (natively), DEAR Inventory and Unleashed through third party plugins
Amazon AU, EU, US & Canada)
Cin7, DEAR Inventory, Locate & Unleashed
Shopify integration)
Cin7, DEAR Inventory, Locate & Unleashed
CRM Reporting Accounting
Accelo WAOConnect QB Online and Xero
Final Thoughts As a disclaimer, I am only going to put the most used solutions or those that are most familiar to users. There are more complex solutions, that can be used to solve even more complex issues. These solutions are highly customizable and can accommodate a much higher transaction count than more common solutions. If you would like to know about them please feel free to inquire directly through our chat on our website or email us through the contact page at WhichAddOn.com
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CASE STUDY
CASE STUDY
A company that specialises in wide board engineered oak flooring, offering superior wear and stain resistance including the best scratch resistance coating system in the market today, whilst adding unparalleled style and character to your home. Created by innovators in the flooring industry with over 20 years experience and only the best suppliers of sustainable European oak, French Oak Floors offer this outstanding engineered floor backed by a 25 year domestic structural warranty.
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MODERN STYLING
BEST CHOICE FOR QUALITY, DURABILITY AND STYLE
PROBLEM FOF was using excel sheets to manage their inventory which was fine when they started their business, however as their business grew and when the inventory management got more complex, they realized this was not the most viable long term solution. When you start holding inventory at more than one location, businesses generally have more than one individual who is responsible for keeping an accurate inventory count. Spreadsheets, limits the editing to one user at a time. Additionally,
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spreadsheets do not have version control and does not keep track of who is making changes to the worksheet. If there are inaccurate counts, it is challenging using it for inventory management to know which employee to ask follow-up questions as multiple employees are editing that spreadsheet. Business owners using spreadsheets for inventory management, require employees to take aphysical stock by manually counting the items and updating the changes into the master spreadsheet. This task is usually completed through recording stock count with good
count with good old-fashioned pen and paper in the warehouse and then repetitively inputting the data into Excel back in the office. This process is inherently inefficient, but also often results in inaccurate data, as it is error-prone due to the repetition of recording the data. This issue is significantly mitigated in cloud-based inventory management systems as data can be directly inputted from the warehouse via a bar scanner or mobile device.
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CASE STUDY
SOLUTION Cin7 was the solution for French Oak Floors. As it allows its users to track their inventory real-time, which helps them preventing overselling and over allocation. With the help of customized reporting and dashboards for tracking and monitoring all the inventory data, users gained a complete view of all their warehouse activities and are now better equipped to make inventory and stock level decisions. Using pivot tables, it allows them to drag and drop items that need to be included in to a report, and the prebuilt reports are great as well.
FINAL THOUGHTS French Oak Floors is working through the system and continuing to ďŹ ne tune things with the help of WhichAddOn. As with any system, it takes time to get accustomed to things, and the best way to use the system.
Cin7's foreign currency and freight allocation capabilities have also allowed imported products to be accurately record in Xero. It's been great to be able to setup custom templates for all their documentation for a consistent look.
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RUSTIC CHARM
WITH COLOURS TO COMPLIMENT ANY DECOR
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How to Stock Take in DEAR, Cin7 & Unleashed
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When you are about to embark on a stocktake, it is important to ensure that you prepare your team and your system to ensure that you get the best stocktake result. This article outlines the best practices for preparing for a stocktake.
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Before the Stocktake Purchase Orders Ensure Purchase Orders are received in your system are actually received in the warehouse/store. When doing a stock count it is important to make sure you know what you are counting. In order to ensure this, inbound shipments must be closed o. This means that there is a clear distinction between what is physically inside of the warehouse and what is outside of the warehouse.
You MUST Review all open Purchase Orders and make sure that only stock that hasn't been received yet is showing in this list.
Branch Transfers Ensure all branch transfers that have been received into or sent out of the warehouse are up to date in your system. Just like with purchase orders, if the stock has been received into the warehouse or sent out - the system must know this.
You MUST Review all open Branch Transfers and make sure that all transfers that have been sent/received are completed.
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Maintain an Organised Work Area
Finalising Sale Orders
A tidy work area and warehouse will make the process run smoothly.
Finalising sales orders should be
If items can be properly identified and accessed, the count will be efficient.
completed prior to a stocktake. If you have made a sale to a customer, it needs to be properly invoiced and the stock should be removed from the area that is being counted for the stocktake. This outbound stock should be placed elsewhere, otherwise, it could
You MUST Ensure all stock that has been received into the warehouse/store recently has been opened and put on the shelf or is clearly marked to be included in the stock count. Ensure that the storeroom or any areas where stock is found, that it is either marked clearly for counting or put back where it lives ready for stocktake.
cause discrepancies in your final numbers.
You MUST Review all open Sales Orders and make sure all sales orders that have been dispatched - or even partially dispatched - have been correctly dispatched in the system.
Organise the Necessary Tools for a Stocktake
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Although it may seem simple, tools like calculators, pens, hand-held scanners, clipboards, and stock sheets need to be readily available during the stocktake. These tools will help decrease errors. It will make it easy for those participating in the stocktake to get accurate numbers the first time. As a result, this will make the reconciliation at the end much easier. Decrease distractions in the warehouse.
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By minimizing staff distractions, a stocktake can run well. Whether it be the radio, mobile phones, side conversations, or talking to an employee about something off topic, these distractions should be minimized to maintain staff focus. Distractions cause errors and reduce the effectiveness of a stocktake.
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During the Stocktake Count all inventory items – do not estimate Although a stocktake can be a very laborious task, it is imperative that an exact count is taken of all inventory. It is important to open every box and count the items on the inside, rather than just trusting the count on the outside of the box. Note: Additional details will be added here in relation to the stocktake by scanner process which has been causing difficulties in the stores.
After the Stocktake Ensure you complete the stocktake. Every stocktake upload, once in your system, automatically creates the stock adjustment required to update the product quantities in the system to the counted amount. As a final step, review the stock adjustment created in the system.
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We carry out a stocktake when we need to count all stock items on hand at a particular location. This can be filtered based on certain categories, however, it is best to count all of the stock in one location without using a filter as filters may not work for products which have not been setup properly.
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1.
Go to Inventory-New-Stocktake/count
2. Go to Stock take screen & fill in information regarding Location - where the stocktake is carried out. Expense Account - which account you’re going to adjust the stock take. Include Quantity on Hand - tick this box, so that you can view the quantity as per the system (if the person doing the stocktake should not known what DEAR believes the stock to be then you can leave this box unchecked - this is called a blind stoctake) Reference - example: monthly stock take.
3. The filters available are shown in the
screenshot below. For an example, If you want to carry out a stocktake only for products items where the category is mentioned as other then select it from category filter & click on + sign.
4. Click on the Start button to commence stock take. This will lock the stock in the system & you’re unable to carry out any transactions.
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5. This will show all stock items where you have a quantity on hand.
6. This will show all stock items where you have a quantity on hand. A. Click on each product’s stock on hand quantity & update the stock on hand quantity you gathered during the stocktake & click on save.
B. Rather than adjusting each stock item you can bulk update the stockcount. Scroll down & click on export all products to export a CSV file. You can either print this & ask your team to update it or to update the csv file itself. Enter the quantity counted in the Quantity column.
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If, according to DEAR, you have no stock on hand of the item then a unit cost will not be populated. If you do find stock in the count which has a zero unit cost then you will need to add the unit cost to the excel sheet. If there is no quantity then add zero or delete the line completely. After completing the sheet click on save.
7. Go to Zero Stock on Hand Product at the bottom of the page & click on Import to import the file. This writes off all existing stock & and adds back stock as per the new stock count.
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8. Once finalised click on Complete to finish the stocktake. 9. If you made a mistake then click on Void and start the process over again.
8.
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Welcome to
WhichAddOn. It’s our purpose as a business to bring the possible to life. We help transform product-selling businesses through cloud software solutions.
WhichAddOn recently made a trip to Adelaide to consult with a high-quality major chocolate and confectionery manufacturer. They were seeking cloud-based software solutions to manage the many parts of their
EXTREMELY TIME SENSITIVE & VULNERABLE manufacturing and
distribution process.
From managing batches, best before and selling to big and small retail outlets. WhichAddOn found the best solution and will implement this for them
What Can WhichAddOn Do For You? Book a Discovery Call today WhichAddOn.com 25
There are a couple of ways of Performing a Stocktake in Cin7
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1. Manual Stocktake
a. In order to carry out the stocktake go to Stock-Stocktake Master.
b. Once in the stock take screen, hover over branch
(in search products section) & select the branch you want to carry out the stocktake from the drop down menu. Please note that you can carry out stocktake in one branch at a time. Ensure Update Mode is selected as Stock Counts & Type as All. Then click on sync Latest Data button.
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c. Inorder to select the data, go to Export Data
section. By default this will select the product code & count in addition to that we can select SOH ( stock count already available in the system) & name of the product then click on Export Data button.
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d. Once information appears as above click on
Select Data & copy all the information & paste it in an excel file. Before pasting ensure the excel cell format is changed to ‘text’.
Fill in the count column with the data received from the stocktake. Once done copy all information in the excel file & go to Update Counts section.In this section paste all information you copied earlier. Then click on Process Counts.
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f.
If you've missed any products, you will be alerted. You can either download those products that are missing and add them to your spreadsheet, or continue without them. After clicking on process counts it will show product items that have variances in the stock count. To adjust the new count click on Continue with Adjusting These Variances button. This will update the new stock count in the system.
Do not import initial adjustments When you Import an adjustment it creates two journals - one will increase or decrease the stock on hand, and the other journal will expense the same amount to a predeďŹ ned expense account. At an initial stocktake we only want the stock on hand in Cin7 to balance with the stock on hand in the accounting software. This should be done manually. In order to make sure adjustments will not be imported to change the accounting status of each adjustment: From the left navigation, select Stock - Adjustments. Hover over the cog icon, and click Admin. Select Do Not Import from the QBO/Xero Status drop down menu. Click Save & Back to List. Repeat this process for each adjustment that you create.
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2. How to Perform Stocktake Using Pick 'n' Pack This stocktake function allows you to count stock 'in the ďŹ eld' using an electronic device, example: smartphone or tablet, then sync your stock counts back to Cin7 system to create the necessary adjustments. This can be used for your initial stocktake, or any subsequent stocktake throughout the year. The stocktake can be found within the Pick 'n' Pack app.
a. Setting up the Pick 'n' Pack
On your PC, tablet or smartphone navigate to http://pnp.cin7.com/Cloud/PicknPack/Client/picknpack.html From the Stock Management menu, click Pick'n'Pack Stock Server Details. Make note of the Server ID and Password then enter the details.
Enter username & password for Cin7 Account.
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b. Counting Your Stock
First of all reset your stock counts in stocktake master. Choose the branch you’re going to have the stocktake. Then click on Reset Stock Counts.
In the Pick 'n' Pack app, ensure you’re at the right branch, example: Sydney/Kellyville warehouse. Select Stocktake from the drop down menu. Then click on the Sync button
You can filter products by category, sub category, zone or by specific product.
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You can now begin the stock counting, there should be one tab called ‘Not Counted’
In order to count your stock you can scan your product & enter the quantity manually once done click on Update Qty. Consequently scan each inventory item one at a time & the system will count the items for you. You can also select a product by clicking on it & then entering the counts. Once you have counted one item a new tab will appear for the ones counted, called Counted. Continue this process until there are no items in the Not Counted section. You can scan the same product twice with a log recording the individual counts. If you have any remaining inventory items it means that even though you have stock in the system in real life you do not have stock. Therefore add zero as quantity for these. Once completed counting all inventory items click on the sync button, towards right to the sync button you can see the quantity of inventory items sent back to the backend.
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c. Adjusting Your Stock
Once in the stocktake master, click on sync latest data which will pull the data from the mobile stocktake to the stocktake master. Then click on Process Stock Counts start the stock adjustment.
If there are any uncounted inventory items there will be a message showing it.
Click on Continue Without Not Counted Products & it will provide you with inventory items that have dierences.
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Click on Continue With Adjusting These Variances & it will import new adjustments.
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W E L C O M E
T O
W H I C H A D D O N It’s our purpose as a business to bring the possible to life. We help
transform product-selling businesses through cloud software solutions. WhichAddOn has recently worked with two major ice cream brands to find cloud-based software solutions to manage the many parts of this
EXTREMELY TIME SENSITIVE manufacturing and distribution process. From managing batches, best before, importing, and selling to lots of large retailers WhichAddOn found the best solution and provided seamless, interruption free implementation.
WHAT CAN
WhichAddOn DO FOR YOU?
Book a Discovery Call today at WhichAddOn.com
SOFTWARE COMPARISON
Unleashed Stocktake
Before the Stocktake: Don't miss this important step, it is possible to do a stocktake by warehouse, by bin location, by a specific supplier products & the product group. For example, if you need to perform a stock count for products in the head office select head office in the warehouse drop down menu.
If you need to further extend the stock count for a particular product group then select the relevant group from the drop down menu.
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Conducting Stocktake: IMPORTANT: Before starting your stocktake, make sure you have completed the steps outlined in the “Before the Stocktake” instructions. You can count the items you have and record the stock numbers in various ways. The options are: Print a paper sheet called the Create Count. Enter the stock count numbers into Unleashed directly in the Create Count screen. Export the stock count to Excel as a CSV file, add the count numbers and import back into Unleashed.
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After the Stocktake: Make sure stocktake has been saved and adjustments made i.e. spot check 10 products to make sure they match your stocktake.
How to Steps to Carry Out an Inventory Stocktake in Unleashed This will explain how to perform a stocktake/count in Unleashed.
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In order to perform a stock count go to Inventory - Transactions- Stock Counts.
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This will take you to the screen where you can view all stock counts that happened previously.
3.
To create a new stock count click on Add Count.
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4.
When the stock count screen appears, ďŹ ll out below information. Stock Count name - the Stock Count needs to have a name. You can ďŹ lter the Stock Count through warehouse, bin location, supplier & product group. Once the product item list appears that you need to perform the stock count click on Create Count. The system will remind you that any open transactions relating to products are completed/ accounted for.
Please note only the products that have stock on hand will appear in the list. If you need you can add products manually. If you need to remove any products click on the delete button.
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5.
Once done, this will freeze the product items & you cannot perform any transactions relating to these items. Meaning while you are able to add products to Purchase Orders and Sales Orders, you will not be able to complete any of those transactions. Take for instance in the case of a Sales Order- this will allow you to create a sales order with that product and a shipment but while the count is active, you can only save those transactions. The system will allow you to create an invoice and complete it but that is because the invoice will not aect the stock on hand for the product unlike a completed shipment or sales order.
a.
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Print a paper sheet called the Create Count. You can print this sheet & ask your team to update it.
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b.
Enter the Stock Count numbers into Unleashed directly in the Create Count screen If you’re not paper-based then you can update the stock item count in the system itself by, clicking on count quantity. This is suitable if you have a small number of stock items.
c.
Export the Stock Count to Excel as a CSV file, add the count numbers and import back into Unleashed If you have a large number of stock items to count then click on export & select one of the options. We recommend exporting to CSV.
The csv file will show all the products that are available & the quantities that need to be updated. Once completed save the file. A CSV file can be opened with Microsoft Excel.
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6.
Click on Import to import the updated file. The updated counts will show in the product list.
7.
You can make adjustments to count if needed.
8.
If you’re not happy with the Stock Count you can delete it by clicking on the Delete button at the bottom.
9.
If you’re happy with the Stock Count click on Complete to complete the process. It is recommended to cross check 10 or so items with your Stock Count numbers to confirm the stocktake has been completed successfully.
10. How to perform a Stock Count that has no value currently in Unleashed Create a Stock Count as normal for the warehouse that you wish to adjust the 0 stock in. This is required to initiate Stock Count in this warehouse. Delete any product from this Stock Count screen that you do not want to include in the Stock Count. "Save" (do not complete) the Stock Count and export the CSV file of this stock count from the top right corner of this window. Populate this .csv file by adding the product codes and count quantities of the products that have 0 stock in this "particular warehouse" to include them in the Stock Count process. You can run the stock on hand enquiry report for the products of the chosen warehouse and product group to fetch their current SOH quantity. Keep the stock number same that in this file i.e your "IN-PROGRESS" stock count (as shown in the screen-shot below).
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Save and Import this CSV file to the "in-progress" Stock Count. You should now be able to see all the 0 SOH qty products in this warehouse. - Once uploaded, you can adjust the count quantity in the stock count screen as well. - Please note, if you keep the stock count qty to be empty in the CSV file, it will import as 0 qty in the system. Once the Stock Count is done and you have stock on hand qty for the 0 stock products, you can choose to perform Stock Revaluation Import to amend/add the average landed cost of these items: - Follow Inventory > Transactions > Import Stock Revaluation. - Download Stock Valuation template. Your product code, description and old average landed cost is - pre-populated within this template. - Fill in the new average landed cost as required. - Save this file in CSV format and import it back on this page.
11.
If you click on Print Variances at the bottom, it will show the variance between how much stock is on hand & how much you have counted, its variance,etc.
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Rhonnel Amamag-id ACCOUNT MANAGAER
BIOGRAPHY Rhon graduated with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Business Administration double major in Marketing and Entrepreneurship in the University of San Carlos, the oldest university in the Philippines which has produced thousands of professionals in different fields of expertise. He has been in the Customer Service and Sales Industry for 10 years with vast experiences with e-commerce, the publishing industry and most notably with the largest bank in the U.S. This is where he was exposed to selling savings and discounts program, long distance phone call service, encouraging clients to take advantage of their credit limit increase and promoting balance transfers to pay off their debts. With all this in mind, he realised that being in customer service is all about listening to people and giving value to what they availed from you whether it be a product or a service. He also realised that sales is not only about selling and getting your commission but it’s all about building life-long relationships with people. ISSUE 7, APRIL 2019
While away from his desk, he spends most of his time with his family. He also enjoys watching movies, going to different places on long drives with good food and good music. He also loves to listen to audiobooks more specifically in terms of personal development and financial abundance. He loves photography but has not invested a substantial amount of time on it yet. This is something that he looks forward to doing more of. He is also a firm believer that every one of us is destined for greatness, all we have to do is to find where we would fit best and shine the brightest. Rhon is excited for what’s in store for WhichAddOn. With the steady increase of workforce and client base, he can’t wait to see where 2019 will take him and the company. One thing is for sure, he will be there every step of the way.
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Signus is an international company that supports physicians and specialist medical personnel to ďŹ nd innovative and safe solutions for the treatment of spinal disorders. The company specialises in supplying spinal implant devices which are inserted into patients during surgical procedures.
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PROBLEM
Signus was using Attache for both inventory and managing their accounting functionality but. Attache did not produce a clear view of the cost of their inventory or the quantity of inventory held across a number of locations. It was also quite cumbersome to use, and a lot of valuable administration and accounting hours were spent in doing simple tasks like reconciliations. Attache also lacks a number of system controls which often resulted in users making manual journal adjustments and changes. This always created a greater margin for user error and risk of incorrect information being captured.
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Further to this, Signus has a complex workflow involving multi-location consignment and a process which only invoiced customers for items after they have been used in a procedure. Signus was struggling to accurately represent the reality of the inventory held while using this old accounting system. Tracking the LOT (batch) numbers of items was also an issue for Signus; and because these were never entered upon purchase it was difficult to monitor the movements of a specific item the entire way through the business process.
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CASE STUDY
SOLUTION The combination of Cin7 and Xero was chosen as the ideal solution for Signus. This was because of the need for tracking inventory above, as well as the numerous additional sales reporting requirements such as surgeon name and patient name. Cin7 can also handle the international reporting requirements for the entity, including costing inventory on the periodic method rather than the perpetual method.
The addition of Xero to handle the accounting functionality has dramatically reduced administration time, with reconciliations that used to take a few days, now completed in a few hours. Reporting in both Cin7 and Xero is also far more advanced, and allows for a lot of customization. Unique reporting categories were added for Signus, providing customized reports that used to take a considerable amount of time to build in excel. These reports can now be accessed in moments. Now staff can to spend more time analyzing and looking for improvements and opportunity, rather than focusing on the more manual mundane tasks.
The initial Cin7 stocktake process took longer than usual because of the need for information which was not required before, such as the LOT numbers of items. Once all of the stock was in the system, business resumed as normal and without any major hiccups as WhichAddOn was able to transition Signus smoothly from their old system to Cin7.
FINAL THOUGHTS
In the future Signus also plans to use Cin7’s inward consignment functionality to manage this aspect of their business.
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Cin7 and Xero has created significant improvements in accounting and stocktaking process and accuracy. The benefit to the business has resulted in significant and real improvement to their bottom line and ability to fully understand their business.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
At WhichAddOn we are Cloud Inventory, Ecommerce & EDI Experts. We work with business in any industry or field. What WhichAddOn does is find out everything there is to know about your business, your specialty and the things your are doing that no one else is. We are proud to be working with influencers and innovators in the medical profession and industry and suppliers to medical professionals. This is precise work with no margin for error. If you are in the medial inventory supply chain WhichAddOn can develop and implement processes to ensure the important work you are doing is managed through highly traceable, transparent and easy to see systems. Go to WhichAddOn.com to register for a discovery call to find out how we can help your business manage and move your valuable inventory.
ISSUE 7, APRIL 2019
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INTRODUCING
Fast, Flexible 3PL Warehouse Integration WhichAddOn response
Q
What is the the story behind Databot?
A
DataBot is a young Australian company, founded by Kathleen Black. Kathleen has many years experience running IT projects in the banking and finance industries, where reliable messaging is imperative. When cloud integrator Coconut Consulting highlighted a gap in the market – that many inventory systems did not have 3PL connectivity – Kathleen seized the opportunity and built the DataBot platform.
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Q
What are some misconceptions?
A
A common misconception in the industry is that to have 3PL connectivity, you need to go to expensive inventory systems, but DataBot provides 3PL connectivity for DEAR, TradeGecko and Unleashed inventory systems. Another misconception is that customers will accept longer delivery timeframes for their purchases from smaller businesses. This is not the case. Customers expect their purchase to be on their doorstep within days regardless of the size of the seller’s business. This can only happen with automated integration, so small and medium businesses need to have the right integrations in place to help them achieve this.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Q
There are other 3PL integrators in the markets, what makes you different?
A
DataBot provides a platform consisting of pre-built, configurable, task automation bots. By having the bots on the shelf and ready to go, we can get clients onboarded quickly and easily. And by having each bot highly configurable by a rules engine, we can adapt the bots as required to match our client’s current business processes, and easily adapt if our client’s processes change.
DataBot fully automates your inventory system data movements
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INTRODUCING
Q
What are the key features of Databot that make it stand out from the crowd?
A
1. Existing integrations to multiple 1. inventory systems and 3PLs. 2. 3PL status visibility. 3. Inventory system feature gap 3. filler. 4. Pre-built, configurable bots. 5. Flexible rules engine.
1
Existing integrations to multiple inventory systems and 3PLs. DataBot currently integrates directly with DEAR, TradeGecko and Unleashed, and an ever growing number of 3PLs. The platform is designed in such a way that we can integrate any inventory system to any 3PL.
2
3PL status visibility As soon as the 3PL provides picking, packing and shipping status updates, including final carrier and tracking numbers, DataBot can push these into the inventory system. This keeps the inventory system as the primary source of order information giving the client complete visibility as to the status of orders.
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3
Inventory system feature gap filler When a client’s chosen inventory system doesn’t quite fulfill the client’s needs, a workaround solution is required to fill the functionality gap. Some of the gaps that DataBot is currently filling include Cartonisation, Order Splitting, and Report Data exporting. DateBot engages with our clients to determine if there are any manual processes that can and should be automated, and if the inventory system is up to the challenge, DataBot can fill the gap.
4
Pre-Built, Configurable Bots Because we have developed easily configured and customizable bots we are able to get clients up and running very easily and quickly. Our standard bots fit most clients and once set up we simply need to add the rules that supports the processes and workflows of the client. And if a client has a particular requirement, which our standard bots don’t meet, we will make the changes necessary to support them.
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5
Flexible Rules Engine DataBot’s rules engine is comprehensive and applies across many places across the integration; At the Order level, at the Fulfilment level, at the Product level; at the Customer level; at the Transaction level and more. This makes it easy for DataBot to configure the integration to suit our client’s business processes and workflows, and adapt easily if the client’s processes change.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Q
Where do you see the industry going?
A
There are a growing number of businesses that are focused on being serviced by applications and platforms in the cloud. This enables them to expand and grow their business easily and quickly. From my viewpoint, there is only growth for this sector for the foreseeable future.
Q
What are Databot’s plans for the future?
A
Firstly, we plan on adding many more Australian 3PLs to our platform and becoming the number one 3PL integrator here in Australia. We aim to further grow our platform to 3PL business partners in New Zealand, the UK and beyond.
Key Features Configuration driven Rules Engine Tracking number visibility Easy Onboarding and Setup Email alerts 3PL status visibility
ISSUE 7, APRIL 2019
Secondly, we plan on adding more inventory platforms. Currently we have integrations for DEAR, TradeGecko and Unleashed. We plan on adding Cin7, Vend, Locate, Xero and others. Thirdly, we plan on extending beyond 3PL integrations and adding EDI integrations to enable businesses to sell their wares into the big companies eg. Target, David Jones, Myer, Coles, Woolworths, Bunnings, Anaconda, Super Retail Group etc. Watch this space!
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INTERVIEW
Q:
What is the background of the company bringing us Inventory Planner?
A:
6 or 7 years ago, Inventory Planner was founded by Oleg and Elena, both mathematicians, working on a sales forecasting software on a storewide basisand forecast revenue. Oleg and Elena live in Niece, France and help artisans selling pottery in stores, and go online. Team has grown bigger, with a lot of remote employees.
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Q:
What are some misconceptions?
A:
People think they need a a crystal ball. Inventory planner/demand planning helps us narrow the window of uncertainty. Instead of a total guess, they can provide info on what is likely to happen. We can do dynamic forecasting based on sales velocity not just reorder points, while sticking with a static reorder approach.
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Q:
There is other inventory forecasting software in the market, what makes you different?
A:
We can serve multiple platforms (Shopify, eBay, Amazon etc.). Inventory Planner can also schedule promotions, can manage forecasting with dierent SKUs (seasonal and non seasonal), customize by SKU or style basis, track when items are in stock or OOS.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Automatic Replenishment Recommendations
Q:
What are the key features of Inventory Planner that make it stand out from the crowd?
Q:
Where do you see the industry going?
A:
Most inventory management sotware are focusing on one channel at a time. IP is trying to meet the needs of merchants who sell through multiple channels.
A:
Different forecasting approaches offered. Customizable time period. Top down forecasting. Seasonal and non seasonal products forecasting. Integrate with amazon and other inventory apps. When PO or warehouse transfer is created, merchant is able to sync easily, saving time, creating shipment times. Inventory Planner can save time and optimise use of resources.
Identify Trends
Q:
What are Inventory Planner ’s plans for the future?"
A:
Focusing on small and medium businesses. Continue fleshing out different features on handling multiple warehouses and sales channels, how to make it better and easier for customers. Focusing on Amazon sellers and how to make things easier for them.
People love Inventory Planner's configurable reports.
Create Purchase Orders in One Click
ISSUE 7, APRIL 2019
Manage Replenishment for multiple Warehouses
Have Confidence Knowing You Have The Right Products at The Right Time
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INTERVIEW
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We’re WhichAdOn.
We help transform product-selling businesses through cloud software solutions. We talk, listen, discover, investigate and research to find EXACTLY the right cloud software SOLUTION for you and your business.
IT WILL BE BUSINESS CHANGING. IT WILL BE A REVOLUTION FOR YOUR BUSINESS.
Every day, we help businesses all over the world move to the cloud. We also help those that have tried to do it themselves but need some guidance to create the great experience they expected and wanted. Our expert team of Solution Engineers – who are all fully qualified accountants – are here to help and go beyond this,
WE WILL EXCEED YOUR EXPECTATIONS. Go to WhichAddOn.com and contact us today to arrange a Discovery Call and get started on integrating your business into a cloud-based software solution.
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WhichAddOn has one purpose: to educate businesses and their advisors on how to find, understand and implement the best cloud software solutions for their business. Let us know how we can help you. Contact us using the form below and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Alternatively you can also call us on 0400 545 447 on weekdays from 9:00AM-5:00PM.
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