Data analytics success for Pronto ERP customers using Phocas

Many Pronto customers using Phocas are in the wholesale distribution sector and need to keep stock moving and get profit margins down to a fine art. Wanting more reporting power and deeper insights from the data sitting in their business systems, many Pronto users are turning to business intelligence (BI).

TechTarget reported that by implementing BI applications, organizations are gaining key business value advantages, “ranging from simple cost avoidance (such as saving on labor, printing, and distributing reports) to competitive advantages (such as recognizing hot selling items quickly enough to respond to customer demands).”

In the last year alone, the number of Pronto customers moving to Phocas has rapidly increased. In fact, more Phocas customers use Pronto than any other ERP system. Why you may ask? Because Phocas provides a quick and simple option for users to make sense of their data and gain competitive advantages taking their business to the next level. But don’t just take our word for it, here are some of their success stories:

Run your own reports

Australia’s leading distributor of quality meat, Vic’s Premium Quality Meat, supply meat to 80% of the top restaurants in Australia. Also operating two retail outlets in New South Wales and selling over 20 tonnes of meat per day accurate, timely reports are key to their ongoing success.

Chief Financial Officer, Guy Haslehurst explained it was always the responsibility of finance to provide reports and information to staff. “One of the reasons I introduced Phocas was to make it easier for people in the business to located information that they need without relying on someone else.”

Before Phocas, the team at Vic’s used to run reports for specific enquiries by building a data grid in Pronto ERP. If they needed general sales information, they used to drop the data into Excel which was not only time consuming it left room for human error. Since implementing Phocas, Haslehurst said the efficiency was pretty much instant. “The other day I was sitting with our CEO, and we were discussing some specific stock items and wanted some related sales information. With Phocas, I just logged in and I had my answer within 4-5 clicks!”

To read more on how Phocas has helped Vic’s Premium Quality Meat, check out our case study.

Develop clear strategies for growth based on real time data

Heritage Brands, formed through a merger of Creative Brands and Incolabs, is an Australian owned business that caters nationally to the health, wellness and beauty markets.

Based in Melbourne, Heritage Brands sells directly to the major mass variety retailers and over 4500 pharmacies Australia wide. As part of the merger, Heritage Brands restructured its sales force to cope with the increased volume of existing sales and to develop strategies for further growth. Their data, however, was being held in a range of ERP and backend systems (one being SAP, the other Pronto) maintained by the two previous companies.

Systems and applications manager Jamie Pole explained they identified a need for a BI solution that would allow them to merge all their data (such as debtor code conversations, over 2500 duplicates, as well as stock code conversions) to one central database.

Pole explained that while it was a challenge merging the two systems, Phocas was a very necessary tool to assist the restructured sales force to come to grips with new products, sales history, and new customers. “It also allows us to do gap analysis quickly and effectively to target customers for other products. It also allows us to help our customers increase sales and grow their business.”

To read more on how Phocas has helped Heritage Brands, check out our case study.