Data mining is more efficient for Colony Tire Service and Atlantic Distributors
To solve the company’s reporting and data mining needs, it deployed Phocas Software.
In need of better reporting
Having multiple shops and warehouses with a large wholesale operation means reporting and tracking KPIs is critical to the success of the business. Unfortunately, it hasn’t always been easy.
Adam Evans, Director of Technology, Colony Tire and Service and Atlantic Tire Distributors, noted that he was spending hours and days writing database queries, or ODBC connected with SQL or other apps to do the data mining.
Evans added, “Even with all the time and effort, it was difficult to manipulate the data and monitor important data points such as the flow of cars in a certain area or the lack of inventory at a retail location. Our previous reporting solution could provide sales data and P&L, but we couldn’t drill down into the details.”
Giving end-users the information they need
Phocas data analytics makes it easier for managers and salesmen to log in, pull data from ASA and drill down and finesse the data.
“Phocas narrows the data down to what is needed by our team,” said Evans. “Within 3-4 clicks, they have the information they need to know about the previous day, trends that are occurring, and areas they need to focus on. They know all this when they first log in.”
Evans and his team use Phocas’ email feature, so some reports and dashboards are emailed overnight. So, even if managers aren’t at their computers, they still get the report by simply opening their smartphone.
“It’s such a timesaver,” added Evans. “Everything they need to do is contained in the information at their fingertips.”
"Within 3-4 clicks, they have the information they need to know about the previous day, trends that are occurring, and areas they need to focus on. They know all this when they first log in."
Adam Evans, Director of Technology
Getting to the heart of the problem with visual dashboards
From inventory and inventory turns to ageing inventory, the company requires a lot of analyzing of tire types and groups, as well as services performed by store and area.
“In some areas, off-road tires or light truck tires are more popular, while in others, urban or passenger tires are our top sellers,” said Evans. “We are constantly analyzing our sales and inventory levels to make sure we have the right mix of product in the right places. In addition, we need to track the type of services we are performing, and the types of vehicles receiving the service, so that we can be prepared with the inventory and staffing to meet demand.”
Phocas allows Colony Tire and Service and Atlantic Tire Distributors to flag areas within the data so salespeople and managers can quickly and easily get to the heart of the problem and answer questions. Each company's managers have specific things they need to know for their specific locations, such as where the flow of business is coming from, while the warehouse needs to accurately track sales trends.
Prior to Phocas, Colony Tire and Service and Atlantic Tire Distributors were spending hours and data pounding out special code, trying to get all the information on one screen. With a few clicks in Phocas, the raw data is presented in interactive dashboards with easy-to-read tables, charts and graphs. Phocas dashboards and widgets allow the end-user to create a personal landing page that includes the information that is relevant to his or her store or warehouse, such as monthly and year-over-year sales, salesperson performance, and inventory turnover.
“Phocas provides our end users with a great deal of flexibility,” said Evans. “The customizable widgets, graphs and charts make the information easier to understand and more engaging to the sales team and managers. Phocas’ graphical interface is a powerful tool.”
Exceeding expectations
The easy access to information, preset reporting, and automated email to users have improved the company’s efficiency and reaction time.
“Our sales teams and managers have the answers they need to make critical business decisions, and Phocas allows us to focus on driving the company forward, not on building reports and dashboards,” said Evans. “The time savings, level of detail and ability to drill down into the data are amazing. Phocas has made us more efficient, even above our expectations.”
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