Salesforce application on handheld business device.
Wynn's New Zealand markets specialty chemicals and equipment for the automotive industry for both light and heavy transport, as well as synthetic and semi-synthetic metal working lubricants, coolants, solvents, greases and alkaline cleaners for industrial markets.
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Wynn's New Zealand was seeking an automated solution to replace a cumbersome paper-based ordering system for a 15-strong nationwide sales team.
Vodafone and application partner, SalesLink Mobile, put together a mobile sales solution combining Palm® Treo™ Smartphones and SalesLink Mobile software. Wynn's sales reps can now manage stock in real-time and send sales data back to head office immediately. Customer orders are processed on the client's premises using infra-red printers - so orders can be printed, checked and receipted by the customer on the spot.
Salesforce application on handheld business device.
Wynn's New Zealand markets specialty chemicals and equipment for the automotive industry for both light and heavy transport, as well as synthetic and semi-synthetic metal working lubricants, coolants, solvents, greases and alkaline cleaners for industrial markets.
Download a PDF of this case study
Overstocked, overwhelmed by paperwork and lacking a real-time view of how the business was performing. That was the situation confronting Wynn's, New Zealand's leading provider of automotive and industrial chemical products and equipment, distributing over 100 products through a nationwide contractor network of 17 and sales force of 15.
“All our stock is imported,” says Wynn's New Zealand General Manager, Mike Lightfoot. “Because of that, our lead time was eight to 10 weeks, and we needed to keep six months' stock in our warehouse. The pressure on space was huge.”
What's more, until recently, all sales were processed through a triplicate, paper-based invoicing system. That created a paper blizzard for sales reps, a data entry logjam back at head office, and inefficiencies in fulfilling customer orders.
To top it off, business managers were frustrated at an inability to access important stock and sales information in real time.
After discussions with Vodafone and SalesLink,
Wynn's introduced a real-time sales ordering
system that had information flowing easily - and virtually instantly - among staff (including those on the road).
At the heart of the supply chain is SalesLink Mobile, which has resulted in ordering and inventory information flowing much more freely, workloads lightening, stock control becoming tighter and orders being filled on the spot.
The process is simple. Each sales rep has a Palm® Treo™ Smartphone and infra-red printer in the car. When a customer places an order, it's sent over the Vodafone network to head office for automatic processing and
fulfilling. While this is happening, the rep is printing an invoice for the customer, which can be checked and receipted on the spot.
Likewise, stock levels can be accessed in real time, and that information made available to sales reps as well as the purchasing department.
“This solution alone has allowed us to reduce our inventory and provide a far greater customer service,” says Mike. “Through reduced investment in stock levels we got a return on our investment within a year.”
Wynn's also wanted to improve communications throughout the company, especially when managers are out of the office. They've found BlackBerry® and Vodafone Mobile Connect (VMC) do the job perfectly.
“BlackBerry allows me to receive emails while on the move,” says Mike. “Being able to check my inbox quickly means I stay on top of any issues.”
VMC provides the other link in the chain - connection to the internet via a laptop. “I'm overseas often,” says Mike, “so having access to the internet and being able to edit and send documents wherever I go is a huge bonus.”
“I once stopped my car on the way back to Nice from Italy. At the side of an Italian highway, using the VMC card and my laptop, I booked accommodation at the Sheraton in Nice, for that night, for only €100!”
But Vodafone's best kept secret, he reckons, is the aangel™ messaging service. Simply dial 808 on your mobile and use your voice to record a message. Almost immediately, your message will be transcribed and returned via TXT to your mobile and/or emailed directly to your inbox. “I often wake in the middle of the night with jet lag and think of things that need to be taken care of. I used to ring my office and leave a message. Now I ring aangel, which captures that information so I can unload and get a good night's rest.”
Wynn's is now trialling video calling, which Mike uses to stay in touch with his young family when he's overseas. “It would also be great for our sales team, allowing them to quickly and accurately communicate a problem by showing it on screen in real time,” he says.
Palm handheld devices, or smartphones, eliminate the need for a separate mobile, PDA and laptop - because they pack everything into a small lightweight body - drawing together some of the world's best technology in one clever, best-of-breed solution.
The latest Palm devices combine:
Palm provides Wynn's sales reps with information at their fingertips - stock on hand balances, customer account balances, and a tax invoice can even be created on the spot using a printer.
Benefits:
Whitepapers:
Palm Security Whitepaper (PDF, 490 KB)
Treo ROI Whitepaper (PDF, 97 KB)
Vodafone partner with I.T. Link to provide SalesLink Mobile - a software application that replaces paper-based docket books with an easy to use handheld mobile
computer system. With SalesLink Mobile, salespeople can enter orders, invoices and credit notes while on the road, then wirelessly transmit orders back to head office via their Vodafone handheld device.
Similarly, information such as stock on hand can be quickly accessed by the sales rep, allowing them to provide customers with immediate answers to their queries and place orders knowing the product is in stock.
SalesLink Mobile integrates with over 30 accounting systems, removing the need to re-key manual orders. In Wynn's case, this has saved two and half days a week - the data entry person has now been redeployed to other, more productive, duties.
SalesLink Mobile means:
For more information contact your Vodafone Account Manager or visit www.saleslink.co.nz.
VMC is a wireless PC card that connects to your laptop, so there's no need to connect your modem to the nearest phone line to get online.
VMC is all about lifting productivity by giving you access to the information you need, wherever and whenever you need it.
Within New Zealand, VMC, powered by 3G, can use both our new 3G broadband and our 3G and GPRS networks, and can switch between the three seamlessly.
Fast data speeds
Vodafone 3G provides businesses with fast data speeds - up to 3.2 Mbps in coverage areas. That's over 50 times faster than dial-up and about eight times faster than current 3G speeds. With faster speed, businesses can complete many tasks more quickly, such as downloading emails, browsing the internet and accessing business applications such as CRM systems, stock ordering systems, databases, shared files and folders, sales brochures and so on. With VMC and the speed of Vodafone 3G Broadband you can:
VMC is just one of many laptop connectivity options. We have a range of devices that support laptop connectivity.
Here, there and everywhere
Internationally, VMC can be used wherever Vodafone has data roaming agreements. That's currently 30 countries, including the most popular destinations like Australia, the USA, the UK, Hong Kong and Japan. This is because Vodafone uses GSM, the most popular standard for mobile services in the world.
Mike at Wynn's uses his laptop with the VMC card while travelling overseas (which he does at least 12 times a year). It enables him to stay in contact with the business - access the internet and business applications. He can also access emails, edit attachments, and send and receive as he would in the office.
The benefits don't end there. “When you're travelling on business, you often end up staying in an endless stream of dull hotels,” says Mike. “With VMC, I can access the internet wherever, which means I can take advantage of sites like wotif.com. I once stopped my car on the way back to Nice from Italy. At the side of an Italian highway I booked accommodation at the Sheraton in Nice - for that night, for only €100! Without VMC I'm lost.”
Most people who haven't experienced BlackBerry think of it as a tool for managing email on the move. While that's true, it's only part of the story.
With BlackBerry, you can deal with your email anywhere, anytime. As soon as it's received on your organisation's email server, it's pushed out to your BlackBerry. You can read your messages. Reply to them. Forward them with comments. Delete them. File them in appropriate folders.
Because BlackBerry's built-in calendar
automatically synchronises with your organisation's calendars, you can even arrange or cancel meetings and
convert emailed requests into prioritised tasks on your 'to do' list. And, of course, as a fully featured mobile, BlackBerry allows you to make calls and send TXTs as well. Any contacts, tasks and memos as well as calendar and email are now replicated on your desktop and BlackBerry at the same time.
Powerful application development tools also allow BlackBerry to connect to your organisation's databases and internal applications, enabling you to access or update data wherever you are. So you're always in touch, and have at your fingertips the information you need to make decisions.
Link for BlackBerry devices:
http://www.vodafone.co.nz/blackberry/
To keep in touch, both Mike and Wynn's National Sales Manager use BlackBerry while travelling. “BlackBerrys are simply amazing! We are able to receive all emails while on the move around the country and, in my case, the world,” says Mike. “Being able to check my inbox quickly means I stay on top of any issues happening back in New Zealand.”
Whitepapers:
Ipsos Reid - an independent ROI analysis for the BlackBerry (PDF, 589 KB)
BlackBerry Enterprise Solution Technical Overview (PDF, 506 KB)
Handheld devices or smartphones eliminate the need for a separate mobile, PDA and laptop - because they pack everything into a small lightweight body - drawing together some of the world's best technology in one clever, best-of-breed solution.
Handheld Business Devices provide wynns crew with information at their fingertips - a frequently updated schedule of jobs to be done, technical information, contacts for information and backup, and more. And it allows them to provide real-time updates of how jobs are progressing, and when they have been completed.
Benefits:
• increased productivity - no going back to the office to
retrieve emails and information
• lower costs, especially when used in conjunction with talkZone
(see below)
• better flow of information between maintenance crew and
the office, resulting in better communications with customers
as well
Once the stuff of science fiction, Video Calling is still exclusive - it's available only on the Vodafone 3G network (you'll also need a 3G phone).
Real time, two-way video calling lets you see who you're talking to, and lets them see you. It can also let you share what's happening around you - like a live action camera.
Wynn's is now trialling video calling, which Mike uses to stay in touch with his young family when he's overseas. “It would also be great for our sales team, allowing them to quickly and accurately communicate a problem by showing it on screen in real time,” he says.
