Mailboxes etc
The print industry has become a very competitive market over the last few years with margins constantly being squeezed. The desire to make improvements is there but our till and accounting systems simply did not provide us with the up to date accurate information required to make key decisions. We needed a complete overhaul if we were going to be able to make marginal gains in all areas. After speaking with my peer to peer board working with Just Add Tech seemed the best way forward.
Howard Woodward, Mailboxes etc – www.mbe.co.uk/bournemouthlansdowne
Business Name: Mailboxes etc
Commencement Date: December 2017
Nature of Job: Data Capture and Migration, Vend, Xero and Receipt Bank Setup, Integration and Training
Systems Used: Xero, Receipt Bank and Vend
- Accounts are at best 3 months out of date
- Till system is not linked to accounting system
- No stock control or reporting
- Cannot see what products or which units are profitable or loss making
- Sales for account customers created manually and sometimes missed or created late
- Lack of standardised pricing
Referral from mutual contact who understood the needs of the business and knew we could help implement a solution. Upon review of the company’s current processes it was obvious that the current systems and procedures were not fit for a company in a changing industry. This was highlighted as a key area to discuss with the client. At the meeting, this issue was discussed, including the fact that the company needed to change processes and systems to ensure they could access the level of reporting required to move the business forward.
To assist the company in addressing these key issues, we worked alongside the client and their team to establish the processes and responsibilities in place. It was not possible to work with the existing outsourced finance team on this project as our solution would effectively make them redundant. These sessions helped to identify whether the objectives and systems were aligned. The key outcomes of these sessions were:
- Move POS to Vend this will enable the company to continue operating in the same fashion but using a system built with that sole purpose in mind using the latest in SaaS technology.
- Sales team being able to complete most of the sales data straight into the accounting system without time-consuming handover to admin.
- Report on how well the team are performing and the level of sales per product on a live basis and by unit.
- Improve use of Xero which integrates with Vend so will pass data from the POS without double handling.
- Purchase orders raised in Vend can have the data pushed into Xero meaning no more duplication of purchase invoice processing in Xero.
- Overhead invoices to be submitted to Xero via Receipt Bank so no data entry required.
- Payroll can also be carried out in Xero enabling the finance team to bring this in-house and make further savings whilst having more control.
- As there were no stock, customer or supplier records in place all data would need to be captured, formatted and imported into the new systems.
Because of these issues, we then completed thorough research of the options available and worked with the client and team. We then went through a process of testing, selection, implementation and training.
- Improved internal systems have increased team productivity
- Annual accountancy saving of approx. £3,000
- Automate sales data into Xero from Vend
- Live daily breakdown of sales data
- Accurate profitability by product line on a real time basis
- Reduction in stock levels held
- Removal of over reliance on a few key individuals
- Training and procedure documents for all staff members
- Unit level reporting and profitability by unit
