Gain Critical Sign-offs On Order Management System Deliverables

One essential element to good project management is to have critical sign-offs on key deliverables as the project progresses. Through our experience in implementing Order Management Systems (OMS) and work as an expert witness in software litigation, we find that review and sign-offs by management, your team and the vendor’s raises the awareness of the detail plans and results as the project progresses. Much of the success of OMS implementation comes from planning and communication. These major reviews improve the quality of the process and end results.

Here are some major examples:  

By adhering to these milestone sign-offs, you will uncover faulty assumptions, have more time to correct errors and meet the expectations of management and the users in terms of the project’s goals and implementation experience and quality.

Contact Jeff Barry at 804-264-8040 or jbarry@fcbco.com to schedule a call to discuss how we can assist with your systems project.

Order management software

How to Implement Your Order Management System On Time and Within Budget

Installing a new Order Management System (OMS) is a big financial investment and considerable work for the department managers in your company, in addition to their regular jobs.

Our experience in implementing OMS and from IT industry surveys shows that more than 50% of major IT projects are not installed on-time and within budget. I’m sure this isn’t your management team’s expectations. Here’s what you can do to improve your success: 

Many companies and vendors deliver on-time and within budget. Improving project management will greatly improve your success too.

Contact Jeff Barry at 804-264-8040 or jbarry@fcbco.com to schedule a call to discuss how we can assist with your systems project.

Order management software

Taylor Gifts Selects ManageMetrix for Business Intelligence Solution

Taurus Software
PRESS RELEASE:  Taylor Gifts Selects ManageMetrix
November 3, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Catalog and Online Unique Gift Company Taylor Gifts selects Taurus Software’s ManageMetrix Business Intelligence Solution to Streamline Inventory and Merchandising

Redwood City, Calif. – Taurus Software, a premier provider of business intelligence solutions for multi-channel retailers, announces that Taylor Gifts, an online and catalog merchandiser of retail gifts and novelties, will implement Manage Metrix business intelligence solution. Developed by Taurus Software and F. Curtis Barry & Company, Manage Metrix provides inventory, merchandising and marketing analyses that enable companies to track key performance indicators including inventory turns, fill rates merchandise assortment performance, vendor scorecards, as well as promotion and channel performance.  These analyses are supported by business consulting and guidance to measure and optimize improvements.

Taylor Gifts joins over 70 Ecometry clients that have been empowered with business intelligence from Taurus Software. As an application-independent solution, Manage Metrix is a robust business performance management program allowing the ability to increase efficiency, decrease costs and maximize profitability for multichannel retailers.

“Having been in business since 1952, a lot has changed in how we approach our merchandising and inventory. We look forward to the ability to more accurately determine our carrying costs and overall management of our product mix using Manage Metrix,” said Joe Falcone, Vice President of Operations of Taylor Gifts.

About Taylor Gifts
Based out of Paoli, PA, Taylor Gifts has been offering unique gifts since 1952. Their products include novelties, house wares, gifts, organizational solutions, pet products and accessories, and “As Seen on TV” products. Products are available both online at www.TaylorGifts.com and through their print catalog.

About Taurus Software
At Taurus Software, making liquid data means helping companies access their data easily. Taurus products include a variety of applications developed to help clients get more from their data by allowing them to Move, Map, Measure, and Manage data regardless of where it resides. Learn more about Taurus Software and our offerings designed for various data platforms and applications.  Call 650-482-2011 ext. 1, or visit www.taurus.com.

About F. Curtis Barry & Company
F. Curtis Barry & Company is a consultancy specializing in multichannel operations and fulfillment for catalog, e-commerce, and retail businesses.  F. Curtis Barry & Company offer clients expertise in direct commerce systems (order management, warehouse management, and inventory management systems); warehousing and distribution; call center; inventory management and forecasting; and strategic, financial, and operational planning for all business channels.  To learn more about F. Curtis Barry & Company, visit our web site at www.fcbco.com.

For More Information
Call Taurus’ Sales Department
Phone: 650-482-2022, ext. 150
Fax: 650-482-2010
sales@taurus.com

Business Intelligence Tools

How Do I Evaluate Whether Third Party Logistics Can Help Grow My Business?

Problems:

In all of these situations, third party logistics might be the answer.

Solution:

Third party logistics options, such as call center and fulfillment, are not the right decision for every business.  Here are some tips assessing third party logistics versus internal fulfillment:

  1. Experience with your product.  Example: if you are an apparel website, do the potential providers have experience with large numbers of color/size SKUs, cleanliness requirements, processing large numbers of returns and refurbishing them?
  2. Total annual cost.  Make sure all costs are included.  Separate startup costs from ongoing charges, and make sure you’ve calculated your own costs for the comparison.  Third party logistics services often use a laundry list of charges based on the services you use; put together an estimate of all the services and volumes of each and develop an accurate pro forma budget of those costs.  Be certain the appropriate metric is applied to the right volume.
  3. Infrastructure assessment.  Include your website and platform needs (development and hosting options) and functions needed from the vendors’ Direct Commerce Systems.
  4. Call handling.  If you are evaluating a vendor for call center or chat services, review how they monitor their call sessions.  What are their call standards?  Listen in to a number of calls and evaluate how well the customer is handled.
  5. Personnel.  How would you rate their management and staff?  Can you see them taking good care of your customers?  Is there “good chemistry” between their team and yours?
  6. Facilities.  Visit their facilities.  Do they appear to have the capability to meet your requirements?  Do they appear to be clean and organized?  Do they have the available capacity, flexibility and scalability?
  7. Reference check. Make reference calls to a large number of their clients, especially those in your niche.  Would they use thir dparty logistics and, especially, this vendor again?
  8. Gut check. Do you trust them to do the right thing when problems arise, since the thir dparty logistics vendor directly services your customer?

Benefits:

Call or email Jeff Barry at 804-264-8040 or jbarry@fcbco.com to schedule a call to discuss how to search, select and utilize a third party logistics vendor. F. Curtis Barry & Company is a national consulting firm that works with eCommerce, catalog, retail, manufacturing and wholesale distributors on projects focusing distribution centers, order management systems, warehouse management systems, inventory management and forecasting, and freight rate analysis.

Supply Chain Strategies

How Do I Get the Most From My Installed Order Management System?

Problems:

After all the effort of implementing new order management systems, it takes 8 to 12 months to begin to get the full benefit of the system; even then, companies often only use 25% to 30% of the built-in functionality.  Order management systems have the potential for broad base improvement to company productivity and growth; not only do companies often fail to gain the maximum intended benefit, but a less effective installation has the opposite effect.

Solutions:

After 30 days, perform a post implementation audit.  Identify:

Three months later, revisit the implementation and see:

Benefit: 

Gain much higher utilization and return on investment of the software you implement.

Call or email Jeff Barry at 804-264-8040 or jbarry@fcbco.com to schedule a call to discuss how to get the most from your installed order management system. F. Curtis Barry & Company is a national consulting firm that works with eCommerce, catalog, retail, manufacturing and wholesale distributors on projects focusing distribution centers, order management systems, warehouse management systems, inventory management and forecasting, and freight rate analysis.

Order management software

How Do I Develop a Liquidation Strategy for Slow Selling Products?

Problems:

Inventory is the largest single balance sheet asset in most e-commerce businesses, but around 80% of sales are typically generated by about 20% of products—and more than 50% of products often either do not meet, or exceed, their burden in terms of contribution to profit.  Many centers have significant space occupied by slow selling product; you can’t afford to sit on such high dollar inventories whose fully loaded costs include product costs, inbound freight, customs, marketing, fulfillment, inventory carrying costs, and eventual loss of margin through liquidation.  Yet merchants are often reluctant to act quickly on overstocks that sap profits.

Solutions:

  1. Internet/Website based
  2. Relist/Repeat
  3. Return to Vendor
  4. Clearance Catalog
  5. Bind-In Clearance Inserts
  6. Package Inserts
  7. Sale Page
  8. Outlet Stores
  9. Telephone Specials
  10. Warehouse Sales
  11. Sales for Employees Only
  12. Roving Tent Sales
  13. Charitable Donations
  14. Jobbers

Benefits:

Call or email Jeff Barry at 804-264-8040 or jbarry@fcbco.com to schedule a call to discuss how to develop a liquidation strategy. F. Curtis Barry & Company is a national consulting firm that works with eCommerce, catalog, retail, manufacturing and wholesale distributors on projects focusing distribution centers, order management systems, warehouse management systems, inventory management and forecasting, and freight rate analysis.

Inventory Management, Supply Chain Strategies

How Can I Improve My Gross Margin?

Problems:

Inbound freight cost as a percent of gross sales is 2% to 4% for domestic and 6% to 12% for imported product.  These costs are not only eating company profit, but as a component of the cost of goods sold on your P&L, inbound freight is reducing gross margin and causing companies to charge more for product.  By allowing the vendor to select the freight carrier and routing, you generally pay a premium, as freight is a profit center for many vendors.

Solutions:

Benefits:

Call or email Jeff Barry at 804-264-8040 or jbarry@fcbco.com to schedule a call to discuss how to improve your gross margin through improving inbound freight costs. F. Curtis Barry & Company is a national consulting firm that works with eCommerce, catalog, retail, manufacturing and wholesale distributors on projects focusing distribution centers, order management systems, warehouse management systems, inventory management and forecasting, and freight rate analysis.

Inventory Management, Supply Chain Strategies

How Do I Improve Inventory Tracking and Labor Utilization in the Distribution Center?

Problems:

Solution:

Implement bar coding and scanning of your product inventory, along with any of the manual processes in the warehouse for which you can get an ROI.  The processes to consider are dock receiving, cross docking product, stock put away confirmation, replenishment of forward pick locations, pick verify, pack verify, inventory control and cycle counting, shipping/manifesting and returns processing.  Implementation of this technology should be a priority for most operations.  Use the labor cost input to develop a weekly labor budget and expense analysis report.

Benefits:

Allows you to gain total inventory control, tracking product through the four walls of the DC, with improved real time tracking of product and customer orders.  Reduces “can not find” inventory that holds up orders and inventory processing.  Also reduces inventory shrinkage and increases inventory accuracy to 99.9%, while improving accuracy and controls of warehouse paperwork.  Use of bar code scanning as a labor tracking device, with transaction input to departmental labor and individual productivity analysis, reduces labor costs through more efficient use of labor by department and individual.

Call or email Jeff Barry at 804-264-8040 or jbarry@fcbco.com to schedule a call to discuss using bar code technology in your DC. F. Curtis Barry & Company is a national consulting firm that works with eCommerce, catalog, retail, manufacturing and wholesale distributors on projects focusing distribution centers, order management systems, warehouse management systems, inventory management and forecasting, and freight rate analysis.

Supply Chain Strategies

How Do I Develop and Implement a Vendor Compliance Program?

Problems:

When vendors don’t deliver on time, it means lost sales and/or back order costs that for most businesses range from $7 to $12 per unit of product.  When vendors don’t conform to routing guides, it increases freight costs.  A lack of standards can cause receipts to back up in receiving and put away, and not be available for customers.  If vendors decide to provide “good substitutes” that are not what you described to your customers, you risk losing sales or adding costs for rework; fixing vendor errors or omissions (such as price marking) delays processing and increases labor and processing costs.  A lack of paperwork standards means more time needed to reconcile accounts and pay vendors; plus, without vendor compliance you cannot implement advanced supply chain techniques such as ASNs (advance ship notice), vendor source marking, inbound transportation scheduling, EDI of purchase orders and invoices.

Solutions:

Benefits: 

Call or email Jeff Barry at 804-264-8040 or jbarry@fcbco.com to schedule a call to discuss how to develop and implement vendor compliance policies. F. Curtis Barry & Company is a national consulting firm that works with eCommerce, catalog, retail, manufacturing and wholesale distributors on projects focusing distribution centers, order management systems, warehouse management systems, inventory management and forecasting, and freight rate analysis.

Inventory Management, Supply Chain Strategies

What Are Typical Vendor Compliance Policies that I Should Include?

So you have made a decision to move forward to develop and implement a vendor compliance program. You have an idea of what should be included into the manual to send to your vendors, but your not quite sure that you have all of the right sections. We have developed the following compiled list of sections from dozens of manuals that we have worked with our clients on. Sections to be included are:

You can include others that are important to your specific business as well. These sections will ensure that your vendors have all of the information required to ship the appropriate products ordered and in the way that you require them to do so.

Call or email Jeff Barry at 804-264-8040 or jbarry@fcbco.com to schedule a call to discuss questions regarding specific policies to include in your vendor compliance program. F. Curtis Barry & Company is a national consulting firm that works with eCommerce, catalog, retail, manufacturing and wholesale distributors on projects focusing distribution centers, order management systems, warehouse management systems, inventory management and forecasting, and freight rate analysis.

Inventory Management, Supply Chain Strategies