Ernst Flow Industries
Cuts Invoicing Time by 50% with Financial Management Solution
Located in Farmingdale, New Jersey, Ernst Flow Industries is one of the most respected names in the field of liquid level and fluid monitoring instruments. Ernst Flow Industries is dedicated to delivering the highest quality products available on the market, backed by the level of service that is synonymous with the Ernst® name.
The Business Challenge
Ernst Flow Industries needed easier access to critical business information for daily decision making, increased order accuracy and to reduce the massive amounts of redundancy in their business processes. eIS Business Solutions together with Ernst Flow Industries re-engineered business processes and implemented Microsoft Business Solutions with an integrated shipping system to satisfy those needs.
With the previous accounting system consisting of standalone machines and a large paper trail of spreadsheets, handwritten invoices and manual logs, there was substantial room for error as well as a large duplication of efforts. Purchase Orders were typed on a typewriter with a matching process laborious and time consuming. Each Purchase Order was handled two and three times before it was closed.
Another time-consuming task needing improvement was the shipping process. The previous method required the shipping department to manually re-enter all the shipping information into a separate UPS system, often leading to confusion and potentially incorrect shipments. When a customer called to get the status of their order an employee would make a trip to the filing cabinet, a call to the shipping department and sometimes a call to the shipping carrier. This entire process took too much time.
“eIS Business Solutions is continually making suggestions on how we can benefit from the latest technology and improve our business processes. They’re response time and support has been impressive. Whenever we need help, they are there for us.”
— Barbara Dayton, Accounting Manager
The Solution
“Microsoft Business Solutions helped our business to consolidate our ‘great profusion of information,’ enabling us to deliver a higher level of customer service and work more efficiently.”
Ernst Flow Industries migrated to Microsoft® Business Solutions–Great Plains® as a solution to these issues. The new solution took their business to the next level by saving both time and effort in information gathering and inventory control.
Return on Investment
Ernst Flow Industries began seeing the benefits of the new solution immediately…
The Results
Ernst Flow Industries began seeing the benefits of the new solution immediately. The company has eliminated nearly all of the spreadsheets and handwritten logs. They are able to find critical information in seconds compared to hours required to create just one report in the previous system. Ernst Flow Industries estimates that the inquiry capabilities of Microsoft Business Solutions with the integrated shipping system saves them 10–15 minutes per customer inquiry. This translates into increased customer satisfaction and greater productivity.
The new solution has completely changed the way Ernst Flow Industries creates purchase orders. Once a two-day effort, creating a purchase order is now a two-hour process. The new process has also eliminated nearly 100 percent of the opportunity for errors caused by data-entry mistakes. This can be a significant factor when each purchase order may contain a multitude of items. Fewer errors for Ernst Flow Industries means lower inventory carrying costs and improved cash flow.
The time saved by Ernst Flow Industries has also enhanced customer service. Customers are seeing a noticeable decrease in shipping time along with a favorable increase in accuracy.
Overall, Ernst Flow Industries has experienced increased customer satisfaction due to decreased shipping times, faster customer service inquiry resolution times & order accuracy. Internally, the ROI was measured by increased productivity, seamless integration of business processes saving Ernst Flow Industries significant time & money.
The Highlights
- Increased inquiry capabilities by over 1,000%
- Reduction in processes, i.e. reducing a two-day PO effort into a two-hour process
- Elimination of virtually all opportunities for data-entry mistakes
- Seamless link between critical processes such as ordering, fulfillment & shipping
- Shorter order cycles means increased accuracy and increased productivity
About eIS Business Solutions
Based in Red Bank, New Jersey, eIS Business Solutions is an established Microsoft Business Solutions Partner that helps businesses to leverage their existing business dollars to maximize productivity, efficiency, and increase revenues utilizing highly customizable business software and technology from leaders such as Best Software, IBM and Microsoft.
For more information on how eIS Business Solutions can help you enhance your business, contact Robert Smith 732-708-0022.
Website: www.eisBusinessSolutions.com