The Challenge: A Bigger, Better Inventory Software System
The Botany Group is a New Zealand / Australian import and distribution partnership that boasts a portfolio of some of the best local and world-leading international brands. Their main clients are supermarkets, but they also deal with commercial and industrial-scale customers. With offices in Auckland and Christchurch, the New Zealand branch is small relative to the rest of the business, with a seven-strong team, but they have a national field force and direct-to-store delivery model, priding themselves on the connection and service they provide to their retail customers.
Botany Group have been a client of Sandfield's in the past, with an EDI integration when they were using the Unleashed inventory software system. At the time Sandfield and the Crossfire EDI solution had been recommended to them by one of their supermarket clients. When they upgraded to Netsuite and needed another integration with a new supermarket client, the Crossfire EDI solution was the obvious choice.
The Solution: A responsive and cost-effective EDI Partner
“I did investigate other options the first time, looking at other EDI solutions,” recalls Director Kimberley Holland. “I have had a bit of experience with integration in the past, so I went in knowing something about what we needed.”
Some of those specific needs included responsiveness - in terms of how quickly a potential EDI partner responded to queries - as well as cost, and the ability to work within a specific time frame.
“Sandfield stood out because they explained everything really clearly, and they were the most cost-effective,” Kimberley explains. “Obviously it's something they have a lot of experience in, and of course they were recommended, which helps.
The Botany Group have since upgraded from Unleashed to Netsuite, which is what's used in the Australian offices. They've continued to use the Crossfire EDI solution to integrate the ordering, shipment and invoicing processes with Netsuite. “We were always happy with how they work and how they got it up and running,” Kimberley says. “Any small issues were ironed out right away. So when we needed this second integration, it was just a natural and logical decision that we would go with Sandfield again.”
The results: significant time savings and increased accuracy
The challenges that were presented by the Botany Group in terms of this latest integration - particularly using Netsuite - have been met and exceeded. “Netsuite is a big system that I'm still getting my head around, but they've worked with it before, and they've been great at helping me improve my understanding,” says Kimberley. “It's working perfectly, and I can honestly say I've got no complaints at all. If any errors do crop up, they're on it straight away. They explain everything well.”
Among the key strengths of the Crossfire EDI solution is the real-time feature, with immediate updates and faster processing. “We're experiencing huge time savings,” Kimberley explains. “We don't have someone sitting there entering everything manually, which means staff time isn't being wasted since all the orders are automated. “
Accuracy is another major benefit, since human error has been removed from data entry and all orders are being dealt with in a more streamlined way. “Obviously we have a large number of orders,” Kimberley explains. “It means that now it's all in the system and can be picked and packed so much faster. Someone who might have spent a large chunk of their time on data entry can now focus on what they're meant to be doing, like the sales side of their job.”
Looking ahead, Kimberley notes that once this integration is complete, all of Botany Group’s supermarket orders will be fully integrated. “There's another one coming up early next year which I've also been discussing with Sandfield,” she says.
“They're great to deal with. There seems to be dedicated people always available, always responding straight away, and they're amazingly cost-effective.”
