Business Challenge

Over the years, MTP had been facing several challenges in managing their business processes effectively, including outdated technology, manual processes, and inefficient workflows. With the growth of the business, it became increasingly challenging to manage all the different aspects of their operations manually. Therefore, MTP reached out to IMS to find a solution to these challenges and improve their business processes.

Solution

IMS collaborated with MTP and assessed their current and future business requirements. They identified that a complete solution needed to be implemented in several stages as it was a completely new system and would require a big learning curve for MTP staff. The solution would have to maintain minimum disruptions to their day-to-day business operation.

As the initial stage of implementation, IMS implemented MS BC financial module and supply chain management with some extended customization to the bill of material process, which suited MTP’s operation. In the second stage, they implemented their payroll system with liveware payroll extension for staff members over 50 employees. Overall, this saved a substantial amount of time by improving the system and some automation with readily available features in business central.

In the third stage, IMS developed a fully automated business-to-business eCommerce platform to manage online presence and give a more customized ordering experience to MTP’s customer base. MTP customers can place orders online and track the progress from the order placement. They can also review all the financial status of their accounts, payments, credit, and refunds. As this eCommerce platform is fully automated, MTP only needs to manage pricing, stock balances, promotions, and customers in one single place, which is MS BC. Also, sales orders, invoices, and payment are taken care of by this automation, making the account team less data entry and more efficient in the bank reconciliation process.

Apart from the above implementations, there was a major challenge in handling over the counter EFT transactions at their three locations on daily basis. The process involved a significant amount of manual checking and transaction entries into the system, and refunds posed a lot of issues to manage on daily basis. After consulting with MTP Management Team, IMS proposed a solution to overcome this issue. MTP management agreed to implement this solution to further streamline the business process. IMS developed a point of sale (POS) system, which is directly integrated with Microsoft Business Central ERP system and provides a direct communication channel to the Australian major bank EFTPOS machine for cash sales and refund transaction processing. After live deployment and some fine-tuned enhancements, over the counter sales process has been automated, increasing the accuracy of transactions and saving a significant amount of time on manual data entries and checks.

Lastly, universal printing became a more expensive outcome for MTP due to the nature of their business, as they print many forms and documents. IMS developed a cost-effective printing solution to overcome this issue with fewer steps and at a fraction of the cost compared to what MTP used to pay. MTP Management actively participated in testing and deploying the solution, which resulted in a significant impact on printing from Microsoft Business Central, particularly from each branch for sales invoices and other important documents during the sales and purchasing process.

Results

The implementation of the new system brought significant results for MTP. The new system streamlined their business processes, making them more efficient, reducing the amount of time spent on manual tasks, and improving accuracy. The automation of several processes also allowed MTP staff to focus on more important tasks, resulting in better productivity and better customer service. The eCommerce platform provided MTP with an online presence that allowed them to offer a more customized ordering experience to their customers. The POS system improved the accuracy of transactions and reduced errors, resulting in more efficient bank reconciliation processes. The Power BI solution provided MTP with more up-to-date sales and financial analysis in a timely manner.

Conclusion

IMS’s successful partnership with MTP for over 20 years highlights the importance of understanding the client’s business requirements, providing customized solutions, and continuous improvement. The implementation of a complete solution in several stages proved to be an effective strategy to overcome MTP’s business challenges and improve their business processes. The results speak for themselves, with significant improvements in efficiency, accuracy, and customer service.