Importer and retailer of natural stone tiles and related products, Natural Stone Warehouse, was able to double its turnover in the first month after deploying an integrated Microsoft Great Plains solution.
Experiencing rapid growth at 100% year-on-year and six branches around the country, the company faced enormous challenges in keeping track of available stock levels valued in excess of R50 million, sharing accurate information between branches as well as slow turnaround times.
The Microsoft Great Plains solution was selected as a replacement to several individual, disparate systems, to provide an integrated solution allowing employees access to reliable, accurate information in real-time, as well as an improved customer experience through the electronic accessibility of information and processes.
"Having the right IT systems in place has simplified our internal business processes, while adding tangible business value in the form of improved stock control, logistics and financial management as well as employee motivation by empowering branches to be able to function in the same way as our head office," says managing director, Guillaume Masson.
After a comprehensive user requirement analysis, the solution was selected and deployed by technology partner, Datasmith, over a five-month period. A year down the line, Natural Stone Warehouse has streamlined and standardised its business process across the country while improving data accuracy and integrity.
"Once the Microsoft Great Plains solution was fully deployed, we realised greater efficiency for all of our employees, which translated into improved customer service through increased productivity, as well as providing business insight to improving our decision-making processes across our organisation," concludes Masson.
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