CASE STUDY
For instance , Epicor Data Analytics ( EDA ) has been deployed for sales and operational information . Finnon ’ s team utilises the capability to create a real-time copy of the Audiotonix database and extract data in whatever form the business needs and feed it into the analytics tool . “ EDA allows our sales teams to access data and to very quickly and easily sort or restrict data by brand ,” said Finnon . “ We can build a single model and then identify who can see which brand . This enabled us to take ownership of all our data models and manage them in a remarkably simple and seamless way .
“ We have become self-sufficient and in control of our data . If someone asks for a certain view , we can quickly and efficiently drill down on KPIs and deliver exactly what is needed .”
Another example is Epicor Enterprise Content Management ( Epicor ECM ), which gives the business the ability to store documents such as shipping notes , terms and conditions and customer-facing materials in the system . “ Epicor ECM has accelerated our initiative to reduce or eliminate paper trails and given us a single repository ,” said Finnon . He cited one example : “ Every machine runs on a test bed before shipping , which provides diagnostic information . With Epicor ECM , those test files are attached to the serial number of the product so if there is ever a support issue , our service engineers can easily access the initial factory diagnostics .” additional benefits . A major one is supporting Audiotonix ’ s sustainability initiatives , a key focus for Audiotonix . As an example , Finnon cited that several of the company ’ s manufacturing facilities are equipped with solar panels , saving approximately 35 % in energy consumption .
Finnon shared : “ Simply being in the cloud , and on an Azure cloud in particular , offers many sustainability gains . We don ’ t need to run hardware on-site , eliminating all the overhead that accompanies an onprem footprint .”
“ Plus , having Epicor in the cloud keeps us current on features and capabilities ,” he added . “ Running on current versions of any ERP system is always a good practice , purely because underlying technology , governance mandates and security credentials are continuously evolving . Having the latest version in the cloud really pushes us along .”
Epicor Kinetic further allows harmony between standardised processes and agility to meet discrete business needs . Finnon elaborated : “ At the outset we developed a blueprint of common processes for each of our businesses to follow within the constraints of the Epicor solution . However , they all present slightly different challenges and needs . As a toolset , Epicor Kinetic gives us the flexibility to tune to those specific needs .”
The next module slated to on-board is Epicor Automation Studio , to be integrated with Zendesk . Today , customer support is managed with Zendesk . If a customer reports a problem , a ticket is raised in Zendesk and if a replacement or RMA is needed , the information needs to be duplicated in Epicor . “ With Epicor Automation Studio , Zendesk and Epicor will speak to each other , eliminating the need for duplicate data entry ,” said Finnon .
He continued : “ We see a lot of other potential benefits with Epicor Automation Studio . For instance , we receive a high volume of products from offshore contract manufacturers , thousands of pieces , each with their own serial number . Today , it ’ s a manual process to get those numbers into the system . Epicor Automation Studio will automate that process and save many man-hours .”
This frees Audiotonix employees to spend more time to focus on addressing customer needs and give customers a much smoother after-sales experience .
Cloud wins
Above and beyond the advantages that Epicor Kinetic helps to deliver , cloud deployment has generated
And , if the Audiotonix team ever runs into any issues , award-winning Epicor support is just a click or call away . “ We ’ re direct with Epicor from a support perspective and I have to say that the support is excellent . It ’ s really good . The support system , EpiCare is also very good ,” Finnon said .
He concluded : “ At a recent user event , I was sharing how great it is that we don ’ t really need to manage the system , test upgrades , or worry about infrastructure . It is a huge advantage .” p
THE COMPANY NEEDED A SINGLE 360-DEGREE VIEW OF THE BUSINESS
TO ELIMINATE SILOED
SYSTEMS , IMPROVE VISIBILITY AND CONTROL AND DRIVE EFFICIENCIES .
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