Fast growing business picks up pace with EXO
Overview
Monacellars specialises in liquor and coffee wholesaling, retail and logistics.
Founded in 1991, Monacellars started as a small retail store in Victoria’s Gippsland town, Morwell. Today, with 47 staff members, Monacellars runs a large warehouse and distribution facility, multiple walk in and drive thru liquor stores, plus a logistics business that runs a number of trucks and vans to service over 700 customers throughout Gippsland and Greater Victoria.
Monacellars experienced fast business growth, but the company’s internal system was starting to slow the company down.
Problem
Business slows down
Monacellars was using MYOB Retail Manager with AccountRight Plus for 17 years. It was a good solution for what the business needed at the time.
“It was an affordable off the shelf solution that was very easy to use,” says Simon Kelton, General Manager. However, with business growing rapidly, “the database simply could not keep up.”
The ongoing sluggishness and frequent maintenance of the current system slowed down the business and didn’t offer the flexibility the company needed.
“We needed an increase in efficiency, flexibility and customisation – things our existing solution could not provide,” explained Simon.
Slowly introducing EXO
Things needed to change, so Simon started looking for a new solution.
“We looked at a number of Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) and retail systems but none of them integrated with each other, or Accounting Plus. They were all basically custom built at a huge expense.”
Simon continued his search online and found MYOB EXO. Through MYOB, he contacted Acacia Consulting Services, an MYOB EXO Partner.
According to Simon, “They were very responsive to our needs.”
Monacellars needed a lot of customisation, especially for reporting. “We have over 100 custom reports. Around 20 of these were created by Acacia and the remainder we created ourselves through their education forums,” says Simon.
Some of the standard reports Monacellars uses frequently include aged balances, stop credit, debtor transaction listing and sales analysis designer (real time profit and loss). The remainder of the reports are all custom built.
Simon adds, “We also use a lot of extra fields and SQL scripting in regards to pricing for our customers. For example, we created a chargeback scenario – an in depth setup where our suppliers offer a discount to our customers. On each invoice we pass the discount onto the customer with EXO, creating a rule to charge back that discount to our supplier.”
Simon continues, “These are just a couple of examples where Acacia has supported us with customisation. They have provided endless help to our business.”
Monacellars decided a slow implementation would work best for them so as not to “bombard” their staff.
This resulted in a smooth transition. “Staff took to it right away because they could see the benefits and how this was going to make their job much easier,” explains Simon.
After implementation, Acacia provided Monacellars plenty of support. Simon says, “They have a quick turnaround on any issues and hold meetings at their office and on-site to discuss possible developments. We talk through our needs and this discussion is always a positive experience.”
Outcome
Fast track to success
Monacellars has seen enormous improvements in its system and the way it does business with customers. “The flexibility and customization EXO provides has improved our business dramatically,” says Simon.
EXO has made business life a whole lot easier for the company. Simon says, “Invoicing is clearer. We now have real time data and additional custom product data. We can provide reporting to our management and sales teams.”
He adds, “Clearer statements and improved customer communication have made collecting debts easier. Stocktaking has improved our stock management, and sales order errors have decreased.”
When talking about the most significant contribution EXO has made to Monacellars, Simon says, “It has reduced individual workloads, increased efficiencies and allowed us to react to customers quickly.”
Now Monacellars plans to maximise EXO’s full potential by taking advantage of the solution’s wide range of tailored features, like EXO On-The-Go.
Before
- Internal system was slow, sluggish and required regular maintenance.
- Company outgrew current software.
After
- Custom built reports.
- Improved stock management.
- Workload reduced.
- Decrease in errors.
- Easier to collect debts.
