The Challenge
Prior to moving to TrueCommerce, Feelunique relied on email for the exchange of key business documents including orders, ASN’s and invoices, with its suppliers. Consequently, many of the company’s processes relied on manual intervention, for example, the rekeying of invoices into the company’s Microsoft Dynamics Navision ERP system.
In addition to the reliance on inefficient and error-prone manual processes, Feelunique also lacked full visibility of its supply chain and insight into its suppliers’ performance.
“We made the decision to implement an EDI solution as we recognised that we needed to streamline our operations and improve efficiencies to support our continued growth.” said Craig Wheeler, Operations Director, Feelunique. “Ultimately our aim was to avoid potential delays in our supply chain and to maximise product availability for our customers.”
The Solution
After a full review of the EDI market, Feelunique chose TrueCommerce’s supplier enablement solution delivered as a fully managed service.
“We shortlisted two EDI providers, but we were won over by the on-boarding element of TrueCommerce’s service.” said Craig Wheeler, Operations Director, Feelunique. “The efficient on-boarding of our suppliers was recognised as being pivotal to the success of the project and was therefore a key element in our decision making process.”
The TrueCommerce supplier enablement solution – which is entirely managed by the TrueCommerce dedicated Managed Service team – enabled the on-boarding of suppliers regardless of their size or technical capabilities, allowing Feelunique to maximise the number of suppliers that they trade with electronically. Suppliers were given the option to exchange orders, ASN’s and invoices through an easy to use web portal or directly from their ERP system.
The onboarding of suppliers was dealt with by TrueCommerce’s experienced team of implementation consultants who managed the entire process for Feelunique – from communicating with Feelunique’s suppliers regarding the initiative, to testing all supplier messages to ensure compliance.
The transition for Feelunique from manual processes to the automated, real-time exchange of documents, has increased the speed, ease and efficiency of trading with suppliers, whilst also reducing errors.
TrueCommerce’s invoice validation service has removed the invoice queries that Feelunique previously had to deal with on an individual basis. Invoices that do not meet agreed requirements are automatically rejected. Suppliers can then resubmit accurate invoices or contact TrueCommerce’s Service Desk for guidance.
“We are delighted with the time savings and improved accuracy that we have achieved since we moved to TrueCommerce.” continued Wheeler, “Our merchandising team is more efficient as they no longer need to print purchase orders, less time is spent receipting stock in our distribution centre and we’ve seen a reduction in the number of invoice matching errors.”
As TrueCommerce’s supplier enablement solution is delivered as a fully managed service, Feelunique benefit from a team of EDI specialists who look after the day-to-day running of EDI on its behalf, enabling the retailer to maximise the benefits of EDI without tying up internal resources.
“Feelunique join a growing number of retailers that are benefitting from TrueCommerce’s supplier enablement solution.” said Jerry Quinn, Senior Sales Manager, TrueCommerce Europe. “Our robust platform and pro-active managed service allows retailers like Feelunique to streamline critical supply chain processes and reduce unnecessary costs.”