When you’ve been working the same way for over 30 years, it’s quite a challenge to completely change course. Especially with 50 staff and multiple locations. Yet that is what this client did. And more than that. The three existing software systems were exchanged for one integrated digital system. All the hardware was updated. AND all business processes were fully automated. Talk about a cultural shift!
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
COMPANY PROFILE
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- Bedroom and bed store
- Founded in 1948
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- Four branches in central Netherlands
- Own design studio since 2019
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- 50 employees
Outdated on all fronts
Despite the tremendous growth that bedroom and bed specialty store Morpheus has experienced over the past few decades, automation was still virtually non-existent. Traditional cash registers and handwritten receipts were used for direct sales in stores. Much work was done by hand. And the systems that were in place did not work together.
“Initially, we were ‘only’ looking for a new ERP system. But during discussions with Colijn IT, we discovered that our way of working was not always efficient in several ways,” said Sander Minco, owner and designer of Morpheus.
A daily problem was the lack of visibility into inventory positions at the various branches. As a result, a lot of time was lost in calling around and searching for the right items. A limited ERP system was used for order processing and procurement of all custom products. In finance, a separate financial package was used, without any integration between them. A traditional planning board was used to schedule deliveries and service appointments. And all management information had to be gathered manually. The web shop also ran on a separate system and was managed manually.
Working with different, stand-alone systems, and a lot of manual work, was very inefficient, time-consuming and error-prone. Up-to-date inventory information was lacking, inter-branch exchange was cumbersome, and there was no direct access to operating results. Moreover, the existing systems left much to be desired in terms of functionality.
CHALLENGE
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- Obsolete software as well as hardware
- No overview of stock positions at different branches
- No integration between existing systems
- No access to operating results
- Lots of handiwork
"iONE offers everything we were looking for. And more than that."
Sander Minco I owner and designer
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A new course
Room for improvement, then. Using the iONE software, Morpheus has broken new ground. The three different systems have been replaced by one fully integrated system, seamlessly integrating all internal business processes. This saves not only a lot of time, but also a lot of money and reduces the chance of error to a minimum.
“Thanks to iONE, we now have real-time access to stock positions in other stores and items can be easily exchanged between stores,” said Sander Minco. “The web shop is also fully integrated, so stock information is always up-to-date. That gives a lot of time and peace of mind.”
In addition, all orders from the webshop are automatically processed in iONE. Customer information, order details and payment data are thus processed all at once. This saves a lot of duplication and errors. And the 2D product generator is now used for all custom products, allowing only (technically) error-free orders.
To get the most out of the new software, the hardware was updated at all workstations and a faster Wi-Fi connection was installed. A link was also made with ScanSys and Exact Online at the customer’s request. All existing product and customer data was imported into iONE, so no valuable historical information was lost.
SOLUTION
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- Fully integrated digital system
- Possibility of interphilic mutations
- Use 2D product configurator
- New hardware at all workstations
- Faster Wi-Fi connection
- Linking existing systems
"The inventory information is now always up-to-date. That gives time and peace of mind."
Sander Minco I owner and designer
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Plans for the future
No opportunity has been missed by Morpheus to make a huge improvement. At the time of writing, the implementation of iONE is in full swing. To make the transition to iONE as smooth as possible, iONE consultants are available to train employees and answer any questions they may have. The next step is to set up a customer portal: a platform for consumers to track the status of their order step by step.
Sander Minco: “My father used to say: we’re not going to automate for automation’s sake. Automation has to add or simplify something. And it has to create efficiency. And that is certainly what we have found within iONE.”
THE RESULT
more efficiency
fully integrated digital system
more overview
possibility of interphilic mutations
fewer errors
all processes automated
more
steering
anywhere, anytime access to business results
What customers say about us
Why did you choose us?
Our company has existed for over seventy years. Over the years we have worked with different systems. An automation move has also been made before, but not at this level and certainly not integrated. We were looking for a program that can do a lot and which offers a lot of possibilities, without having to turn everything upside down right away. We examined about three packages, ranging from very simple to very complex. In the end, we chose iONE because it offered all the features we were looking for. And more than that.
How do you experience cooperation?
In general, cooperation goes very well. Especially the guidance from consultancy is very pleasant. As good as a program can be, it is and remains (also) human work. For me, therefore, the personal click is very important. With our direct contact, there certainly is. Someone who stands his ground, but also knows just the right chord to strike.
What will you find at Colijn IT that you won’t find at other providers?
iONE is distinguished by the comprehensiveness of its software. The standard software covers almost everything. In fact, iONE is so complete that we are far from having discovered all of its capabilities. Guidance from the consultants is really a prerequisite to fully grasp the program, though.
What are your findings so far?
I am satisfied with what is there now. I would say a 7.5 or 8. But, of course, we are going for a 10. Because of the lockdown, we brought forward part of the implementation and have been “live” since March 2021. But it is an incredible monster job. In particular, the transition from the old to the new system takes time. I expect we will need at least until the end of the year to set everything up 100% and make it our own.
What do you hope to achieve with this collaboration?
My goal is a fully automated process, which still involves human hands, but the chance of errors is many times smaller. And I want more insight into the operating results so we can better manage them.
Ready to fully automate?
iONE is also accessible to you!
Does your company also have a lot of manual work and/or outdated systems? But do you still doubt whether full automation is feasible for you? If so, please contact one of our specialists. We’d love to see what we can do for you.
Delivered software solution
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- iONE basic software
- Transactions, incl. purchase order booking, sales assistant, cashiering and branch administration
- Logistics, incl. inventory, ordering recommendations, locations and inter-facility handling
- Fully integrated service processing with custom workflow creations
- Fully integrated planning module, vehicle scheduling and notification system
- Article and inventory management
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- Product configurator 2D
- Integration with Exact Online
- Very comprehensive management information tools and statistical functionalities
- Integration with the existing web shop
- Integration of webshop orders to iONE
- Integration with Scan Sys, for automatic, digital invoice processing
- Import functionalities for supplied article files
- Product configurator 2D
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