Forma Viva, a retailer of fine jewellery and watches, which operates 15 stores across the country, has selected Accpac RMS and Accpac ERP 200's Financial and Operational modules, from Softline Accpac, to provide a complete end-to-end solution for its business needs. The implementation was completed with the expertise of Softline Accpac business partner Vizi Consulting.
Leslie Levey, Operations Manager, Forma Viva, says the company lacked an integrated system to quickly access accurate metrics, and timeliness of information was also a big challenge.
“Prior to the implementation of the Accpac solutions, we were operating off a separate POS, stock and financial system, which proved not to be user friendly. Financials were recorded separately, which called for additional data capturing. Also, forward planning proved a real challenge for management, as they had no forecasting tools at their disposal to accurately predict sales.”
Realising that there was an urgent need to address these fundamental requirements, Forma Viva assessed a number of relevant software systems and concluded that Accpac RMS and Accpac ERP 200 would together provide the ultimate solution. Levey says the new systems have delivered numerous benefits to the business, but the most important is undoubtedly that key managers can now actually spend time working on the business as opposed to working in the business.
Elsje Swanepoel, CEO of Vizi Consulting, explains that Accpac ERP delivers the backbone to the solution that feeds POS and receives transactions from POS. All master files such as customers, suppliers, stock and pricing are created and maintained within Accpac ERP, removing the need for any duplication of work and complete peace of mind that the integration and synchronisation runs live or on scheduled update. The transactions Forma Viva is now able to manage include: Sales, customer payments, stock movement, issues and receipts, purchase orders and goods received notes, inter-branch transfers, and hand-help multiple stock takes per store.
“The financial modules of Accpac ERP are powerful tools, which have helped Forma Viva confidently manage its complex finances while the core operational modules streamline the order fulfilment process, so that the business delivers timeously, every time. There is now far greater control of financials and inventory, enabling Forma Viva the means to accurately forecast and analyse sales and buying patterns. This has resulted in streamlined purchases, improved stock turns, and sales growth. Data integrity is no longer questionable, and with the improved inventory analysis and management, Forma Viva is in a far better position to react to market trends, resulting in higher stock turns and sales growth.”
Keith Fenner, Sales Director, Softline Accpac, concludes that inventory management, timeliness of information and providing superior customer service are among the top challenges in retail today. “Those operating without integrated front-of-store and back-office systems cannot achieve visibility into their inventory in real-time and, therefore, find it challenging to manage it efficiently and effectively.”
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