|
Distributor Gains Dramatic Efficiencies with AccountMate's Integrated Web-based Online Ordering System
Customer
Walker Foods, Inc.
www.walkerfoods.net
Type of Business
Salsa Manufacturer,
Distributor and Exporter
Number of Locations: 1
Number of Employees: 65
Computer System:
AccountMate for SQL
Users on System: 10
AccountMate Modules in Operation:
Accounts Payable
Accounts Receivable
Bank Reconciliation
General Ledger
Sales Order
Inventory Control
Pricing Control
Lot Control
Manufacturing Inventory
Purchase Order
3rd Party Applications in Operation:
AppFinity WebCustomer
AppFiity WebSalesForce
"When our customers enter their own order information online, they have full confidence that their order will be processed and shipped immediately. They don't have to worry about details such as correct item numbers, pricing or timely delivery of orders."
- David Reyes,
Walker Foods' IT Consultant
Walker Foods, Inc.
|
Los Angeles-based Walker Foods, Inc. has the unique distinction as both the first company to
produce salsa in the United States and the first to make salsa in America to be exported to Mexico.
The company was founded by James Walker in 1905 and has remained a family-run business ever
since, now under the direction of Robert Walker, James' grandson.
The Challenge
For many years, the various departments at Walker Foods had worked independently of each
other, with information from one department not readily accessible to any other. According to
Walker Foods' IT Consultant David Reyes, "Shipping was not integrated with sales or our
accounting personnel. People couldn't see what others in the company were doing. It became
clear that we needed a fully integrated system in place that could envelop every part of our
operations and streamline business processes. We had to let go of some tried-and-true
procedures that just weren't efficient enough to keep pace with the growth we were experiencing."
The Solution
At the advice of the CharterHouse team, Walker Foods took the first step by upgrading its
business systems by installing the AccountMate SQL accounting system. AccountMate's easy
user interface enabled everyone, including novice computer users on Walker's staff, to quickly
become comfortable with the new system. This quick adoption, allowed Walker Foods to benefit
almost immediately from much-improved coordination among departments.
Further Streamlining the Order Processing
The next step was to increase accuracy and efficiency in the ordering process for the company
and its fast-growing number of customers. "We typically handle between 20-100 orders per day
and every one of these must be processed 100% accurately or we risk running into problems,"
claims Reyes. "Let's say that a customer places an order for five different products with different
quantities for each. If any part of the order is entered incorrectly, we could end up shipping the
wrong item or the wrong quantity, leaving us with an unhappy customer and a mistake that needs
to be corrected right away. What we needed was an online system to facilitate the entire ordering
process for our customers and employees, eliminating input errors and delayed shipments."
Walker Foods turned to CharterHouse for a solution and the result was the tight integration provided
by the AccountMate software and AppFinity's WebCustomer product. WebCustomer functionality
additionally provided Walker Foods with an Internet-based quoting and ordering functions which
enabled their authorized employees to place orders directly into the AccountMate Sales Order module
online whenever they wanted.
This solution provided the best opportunity for Walker Foods to increase the accuracy of orders placed
into the company's system, and continues to significantly reduce administrative and sales support expenses.
"We implemented this fully integrated system a few months ago and we haven't had one problem yet,"
said Reyes. "When our customers enter their own order information online, they have full confidence that
their order will be processed and shipped immediately. They don't have to worry about details such as
correct item numbers, pricing or timely delivery of orders. A great
feature of the WebCustomer system is that after a customer submits
an order, they receive an e-mail confirmation within minutes that their
order has been received. A little later, they receive a second e-mail
confirmation stating that their order has been approved, with delivery
or pickup date included."
There was one more recurring issue that Walker Foods management
wanted to resolve- employees at its customer service desk were
spending too much time looking around for signed Bill-of-Ladings
(BOLs). They were tired of initiating collection calls only to hear a
response of, "we cannot find proof of delivery".
CharterHouse helped to develop an integrated solution that would
incorporate a "touch-screen" hand-held device to display a standard
Bill-of-Lading and capture the receiver's signature. This electronic
document could then be saved in the company's AccountMate
accounting system for future hard-copy printing or sent via electronic
transmittal as an email attachment or a fax. This challenge was met
with AppFinity's innovative eBOL solution that utilizes the latest PC
Tablet technology.
According to Reyes, "We can now call up a signed BOL for any
customer's invoice, which greatly enhances our customer service
performance and efficiency. Plus, the system is so straightforward;
our delivery people learned how to use it in minutes. Each eBOL
involves three signatures. With all these checks in the process, we
have much better inventory control and very few mistakes."
David Reyes has nothing but praise for the level of service Walker
Foods receives from CharterHouse Software and the power of the
software they recommend. "Even before I arrived here, CharterHouse
had long since earned a tremendous reputation for their attentiveness
to our needs and superior IT expertise. Everything I have seen during
my tenure supports this reputation". Walker Foods' satisfaction is a
testimonial to both the strength of the software implemented and the
commitment by AccountMate to work exclusively through its reseller
channel.
About The Customer - Walker Foods, Inc.
Since 1905, Walker Foods, Inc. has been producing some of the
world's finest salsas. Founded by James Walker in 1905, this familyrun
business is currently run by James' grandson, Robert. The
company occupies its original site in the heart of the Los Angeles
metro area. Walker Foods' distribution of its products has expanded
from the Pacific States to include the greater Southwest and Midwest.
To learn more about Walker Foods, visit www.walkerfoods.net
About AccountMate
Since 1984, AccountMate Software Corporation has provided
customers with powerful and flexible accounting and business
management software. AccountMate provides the most stable and
technologically innovative modifiable accounting solutions for the midmarket.
The accounting systems are sold by the module which
enables customers to acquire the software they initially need and add
modules as their business needs increase. The availability of source
code makes this software highly modifiable so that it can be adapted
to any changing business environment.
AccountMate accounting modules are available for Microsoft SQL,
Express and LAN. These different versions enable a business to
evolve from a single user system to a powerful and sophisticated
multi-user SQL database network. AccountMate's software can help
manage global operations with multi-currency capabilities and a builtin
translation engine for multi-lingual businesses. A wide variety of
independently developed programs are also available to further tailor
AccountMate software to specific industries. AccountMate products
are sold worldwide through authorized resellers. The website address
is www.accountmate.com.
About CharterHouse Software
Since 1978, CharterHouse Software Corporation (Westlake Village,
California) has consistently positioned itself as a technology-driven
company that has helped many clients with networking and custom
software solutions for their businesses. CharterHouse holds dozens
of copyrights for PC-based software. CharterHouse currently has
serviced over 70,000 clients coast to coast. The company's products
include CharterHouse-developed and "best-of-breed" in the storage,
networking and accounting areas. Services include consulting,
programming, wireless, video and complete installation and support.
To learn more about Charterhouse, visit www.chsoft.com
About Third Party Software Solution Provider-AppFinity Software
AppFinity Software Corporation (San Francisco, California) is
dedicated to the design, implementation and support of e-commerce
solutions that leverage existing technology investments and minimize
ongoing IT costs. AppFinity solutions are fully customizable and can
integrate with most existing commercial Web sites and popular
accounting software systems. To learn more about AppFinity
Software, visit www.appfinity.com.
|
