| Inefficiency |
Remedial Action |
Cost Saving/Improvement |
| Five people worked on the order desk, with two full-time people entering in orders. Mistakes were made because of problems reading them; orders were being missed. |
An online shopping cart was installed; sales-order entry software was linked to Goldmine so sales reps entered in their own orders. |
Clients experienced savings by buying online, reducing the order desk to one person. The shopping cart today provides valuable updated information that the client passes on to their customer.
The sales reps were relieved because they knew when their orders were sent to accounting. Fewer mistakes were made, resulting in greater customer satisfaction. |
| Six people worked in the warehouse, with 3% annual damage to inventory. Inventory records were often inaccurate. |
Outsourced warehousing to fulfillment center and connected inventories online.
|
Resulted in a monthly savings of $14,000. One employee managed the entire process and costs of damaged inventory were minimized. |
| Sales people were required to call Accounting for credit checks prior to orders going through. |
Credit history was published online on a passcode section of the company's intranet for quick access. |
Streamlined the process by 40%. |
| Accounting entries of sales were done manually |
All online sales were entered automatically. |
Increased accuracy and labor savings of 45%. |
| Home-study programs were printed and shipped to clients. Exams were manually processed. |
Curriculums were installed online and sold at a discount. All students could sign up, download curriculum and take tests on the web. Test results were generated right away and sent via email to the student. |
The costs of printing each program booklet ($70), of shipping and of labor to correct exams, were eliminated. These initiatives enabled the client to focus on product development and growth, instead of on labor-intensive processes, resulting in 100% growth over the next two years. |
| SALES/MARKETING |
| Sales performance could not be measured because there was no way to track sales activity. As a result, sales were down, with poor measurable and deliverable tracking systems in place. |
Sales Contact management software was installed and each salesperson used this software to track all sales activity. A server was installed so that sales reps could work from home. All sales data was contained in one database design. |
Daily call reports provided management with a full tracking system to determine daily calls, callbacks, ratio of hot and cold leads, and sales. Ultimately, sales increased. |
| Marketing communications was weak, affecting the overall brand image of the company and ultimately hampering sales. |
A high-end website was created with appealing graphics images, copy writing and multimedia tools. |
The new image created an instant lift for sales personnel and clients. Clients perceived the corporation as having a new, innovative perspective. |
