Case Studies Selector


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Summary
Name :
French Country Collections
Business :
Producer inhome furnishings and giftware
Reps :
8 reps
Comms :
Vodafone GPRS
Financials :
Jiwa
Device
Symbol 1550
Business Situation
French Country sourced many orders via Trade Fairs. They were giving their customers pens and paper to write their orders down and then dispactching those orders, weeks afterwards.
Solution
SalesLink Mobile via vodafone GPRS network interfaces to JIWA Accounting software. French country's reps use Symbol 1550's to scan bar coded catalogues and then print those orders out on the spot, to HP deskjet mobile printers.
Return on Investment
"SalesLink Mobile probably paid for itself in the first three months." - Peter Watts.
Introduction
In January 2005 we talked to Peter Watts, Director of French Country Collections. French Country have been using SalesLink Mobile for just over two years. French Country are market leaders in the home furnishings and giftware industry. They produce exclusive designer products to the high-end sector of the retail market. Much of French Country’s business is done through trade fairs.

Company Background

At trade fairs, French Country couldn’t meet the demands for their products. The manual paper based system was too cumbersome. At some busy fairs, French Country reps were giving their customers pens and order pads to write out their own orders. The errors that this created included, unclear orders, missing data and at times, unreadable writing. French Country needed a system that could scan their complex range of products and enable them to take orders quickly and accurately.

After capturing the orders at the fair the time to dispatch goods, was also a bugbear. The dispatch of orders was being held up to three weeks after a fair because of the long and arduous process of data entry.

Business Operation

French Country were equipped with Symbol SPT-1550 handheld computers, which have in-built barcode scanners to scan products.

SalesLink Mobile was set up to interface with French Country’s accounting package (JIWA) allowing reps to take automated orders on the device.

Within a week of the system being implemented, French Country staff left for a Sydney trade fair. HP DeskJet mobile printers were part of their solution, which enabled reps to wirelessly print order confirmations at the trade fair.

 Peter Watts, Director at French Country Collections says of the system used at the fair "We took more orders than ever before and were able to better meet the demand for our products by entering the orders on a handheld computer, which took a fraction of the time, compared to manually filling out forms."

French Country orders captured at the fair were sent back across the Tasman to Head Office. This was enabled through Vodafone’s GPRS network on a Nokia 6310i mobile phone wirelessly communicating with the handheld device. Goods could start to be dispatched in New Zealand on the same day orders were taken in Sydney – the value in stock control and customer service is a major leap forward.

As well as using SalesLink at trade fairs, French Country reps also use SalesLink when they are out on the road visiting retailers, as well as when retailers visit their Ponsonby showroom.

“In the past we used to spend about a month after a trade fair manually entering orders that were taken at a fair. This time we were able to electronically transfer orders across the Tasman from the fair; eliminating data entry at the other end.

Testimonial
"We well never go back to a paper-based system. Our business efficiencies have lifted to new levels we never before thought were possible. "
Peter Watts, Director, French Country Collections