Ecoline Windows is a locally owned and operated company based in Canada. It is a leading renovation organization that offers supply and installation of window and door products. Thus, as a continually growing company in size and clientele fed by trust, Ecoline Windows has conducted in-depth research on how to improve our workflow management system. Here comes the solution.
What Are We up To?
As an organization grows, tech stack almost always does too. Analyzing the organization’s size and its consistent YoY growth, Ecoline has come up with an idea to create a custom system to streamline cross-department processes for mid-size businesses focused on custom product retail and manufacturing.
We at Ecoline have examined and accessed all departmental functions, product processes, and means of services rendered, and we also have reviewed the results enough to decide the timely introduction of this brand new system. It is tailored to smoothen out the entire production processes of our medium-sized window renovation business to improve productivity and product standards.
The Challenge
Streamlining the sales process provides organizations with an opportunity to grow with fewer risks. However, it is typical to face some challenges along the road while optimizing all the sales processes:
- Strewn data. Such an issue emerges when the sales rep struggles to distinguish the selling content among the available solutions.
- The complex interaction among teams. If systems within the organization are not connected, such issues might arise as well. It leads to a confused flow of content and resources.
- Overflow of information. Sales reps obtain information faster than they are able to process.
- Inefficiency and disorganization. When sales reps can not execute the sales process within the expected time period, it leads to inefficiency and client dissatisfaction.
With all that in mind, Ecoline develops its custom system to eliminate all the issues above.
What Are the System’s Key Objectives?
Our custom tool readily adopts the use of a better tech stack and better operational processes within the organization. With the main focus on streamlining sales processes, we have set the following key goals that a prospective system should and should not perform.
Sales tools should enable us to:
- Make product data extremely accessible and actionable
- Make various tasks automated. The automation of these tasks will keep them simplified and less erroneous, and overall, less time-consuming.
- Work together without complex integrations
- Make it easier to hire, train and manage a sales team by using a foolproof admin system.
- Lift key metrics like lead velocity and close rate
Sales tools should not:
- Create more questions than answers
- Waste too much time of developers and admins
- Create busy work for sales representatives
- Make simple tasks harder to accomplish
- Require a time investment without proper financial return
How It Helps: Pain Points and Prospective Outcomes
A framework we’ve developed is breaking down the work that needs to be done and then seeing what kind of tool is required to level up. Put simply:
- Work that is high in value and requires a high touch should be accelerated.
- Work that is high in value but is low touch should be assisted.
- Work that is low in value and requires a high touch should be automated.
- Work that is low in value and requires low touch should be eliminated.
Putting this framework into practice for the Sales department might look like:
- Automate repetitive tasks like products, logistics, business rules management.
- Accelerate sales cycle by using a unique combination of software tools like custom product builders.
- Assist sales reps in the buying process by using data enrichment tools to populate relevant information about the lead and its order.
- Eliminate low-value work by creating self-serve resources like a smart work orders manager.
Researches indicate that businesses that do not use automation spend 71% of their time and resources outlining and setting up the processes. By automating time-consuming, repetitive tasks, we aim to free up the sales team’s time to focus on the critical activities that generate more sales and boost revenues.
The platform would consist of 2 main architectural elements:
- Enterprise Resource Management system which would work as a back-end management platform to create and operate the data-sets, business rules, users and permissions
- Department-specific front-end applications and functional elements
Unique Value and Quick Highlights
Streamlining the sales processes is a valuable effort that will not only help us boost cooperation within the organization but stand out from competitors as well. We are going to pave the way to:
The Total Elimination of Paper Use in the Industry
We aim to be the only window and door supply and renovation company that goes absolutely paperless in its operations. Ecoline will eliminate paper use by adopting a system that will make paperwork easily accessible by all departments in the company. Documents are going to be completely stored in the clouds. We are going to switch to the use of digital receipts, digital quotes, scanned paperwork, and invest in energy-efficient equipment in the company.
Regulation and Improvement of the Complex Processes
This revolved around supply, installation, and renovation of doors and windows. We have created a simple structure by having an automated framework to take care of the company’s repetitive tasks.
Customer Service Enhancement
Removing time-consuming operations in the company will allow professionals to pay attention to the work they do and ensure top quality.
Smoothing and Automation of the Complex Window Renovation Processes
Our replacement processes are spread out into 9 circles, right from customer inquiry to the cleanup processes after installation. Each process is with a minimum of 2-7 steps in them and a minimum of 5-15 action items in each step. This new innovative technology will speed up the installation processes and enable us to perform a better job.
Like no other, our system aims to allow complex workflows to be split into smaller parts, an advanced integration allows us to streamline and simplify the organization’s operation. Our end goal is to build a system to empower every department in the organization by automating time-consuming processes, reducing error rates, and allowing professional team members to focus on what they do best.
Manager using digital tablet in warehouse -DepositPhotos
