Caswellsgroup

About Caswellsgroup

Caswellsgroup, a leading supplier of industrial consumables, implemented K8, the flagship ERP solution from Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS) during the lockdown period and
has not looked back since! 

The K8 system was implemented remotely as nobody could physically visit the site when strict lockdown rules were in place.

Although a new approach had to be adopted by all to deliver the project, it was a great success and brought immediate benefits to the business.

'KCS took a pragmatic view of the project and how we would get it from A to B while not being on-site. The important thing we found throughout the process is that you don’t need to be a technical whizz to make the implementation a success - it really is intuitive, and the team were great to work with,' said John Caswell, Project Manager at Caswellsgroup.

James Platt, Operations Director, explains further:

I was part of the KCS team that delivered the K8 project into Caswells, and it was a pleasure to work with such like-minded individuals, despite the strange times in which we all found ourselves.
James Platt - Operations Director at Caswellsgroup

Upgrade to the latest K8

Since joining Caswells, James has upgraded to the latest release of K8. 

'We are an ambitious business, and we want to take complete advantage of all that K8 has to offer. Therefore, it just makes sense to implement these new functions and processes on the latest software release,' said James.

'That way, we know we’re taking advantage of all the latest innovations from KCS. I’m a firm believer in the mantra “Get current, stay current” because it’s bad practice to let your core business system fall behind. And particularly as so much is changing so fast all around us!'

I was greatly impressed with the goals and ambitions that the business had for its digital strategy and IT infrastructure, which focused around delivering greater efficiencies and excellent customer service.

I joined Caswells to help the business move to the next level, and I’m really enjoying delivering exciting projects that are already adding significant value.

James Platt - Operations Director at Caswellsgroup

Digital solutions that add real value

Caswells have now embarked on the next stage of their digital journey, implementing the latest apps from KCS.

They have rolled out the K8 ePOD app, which enables drivers to download their delivery manifest and then be guided to each drop. When there, they can easily check off the goods while capturing signatures and any images and pictures that help confirm delivery.

'There are huge benefits to having our drivers use ePOD. Not only does it make the delivery process much more straightforward, but it also ensures that once a delivery is confirmed, it’s immediately available for invoicing,' explained James.

'If the driver finds an issue, they can immediately notify us via the app. We can then deal with the issue there and resolve it for our customer. The fact that the signed POD and images are immediately uploaded to our system means that we have instant access to this information in the event of a dispute,' James said. 

Delivering to your customers with K8 ePOD

• Proof of delivery made easy!
• Keep your customers informed
• Embed signature and images on PODs!

Discover digital solutions that deliver enhanced customer service and connect you with your customers and suppliers.

Extending its internet presence

Caswells is also planning to extend its web presence beyond the personalised portals that are currently offered to customers. It sees this as a core element of its digital strategy and wants to ensure that this is fully integrated with the core business platform. 

K8’s openness is crucial to us. We can utilise K8’s core APIs and other tools to integrate our web solutions seamlessly. So, we can avoid re keying in transactions and avoid all of the potential errors. Also, it’s important customers see price and stock availability in real-time and know that the moment they place their orders, we are on it for them.

James Platt - Operations Director at Caswellsgroup

Fast and accurate goods receipt

The eReceipts app enables the team to receive and book goods in a single action, ensuring that they are immediately registered. Additionally, any issues found can be notified electronically to the management team so they can take swift action. ‘eReceipts really makes a difference to our picking and backorder clearance process. We now find that inventory is available for picking throughout the day, not just when somebody finally gets around to booking the goods in at a terminal.’

Empowering the sales team

James is also planning to introduce the SalesRep Portal. This app enables the remote sales team to capture orders on their phone whilst visiting with a customer.

'There are huge benefits to having our drivers use ePOD,' James said. 'Not only does it make the delivery process much more straightforward, but it also ensures that once a delivery is confirmed, it’s immediately available for invoicing. If the driver finds an issue, they can immediately notify us via the app. We can then deal with the issue there and resolve it for our customer. The fact that the signed POD and images are immediately uploaded to our system means that we have instant access to this information in the event of a dispute.'

 

We have already delivered a wealth of information to our sales team to help them better understand our customers’ needs, so it just makes sense to automate this process fully. Naturally, they’re all really excited at the benefits this will bring.

James Platt - Operations Director at Caswellsgroup

Empower your staff to make data-driven decisions!

Business intelligence is made easy with K8. Offering powerful business insights from day one, our innovative solutions deliver enhanced management information across your business. Make better-informed decisions with K8!

Smart Dashboards

'Our senior management team also have K8 Smart Dashboards on their phones. As a result, they can immediately see a live view of bookings, billings and other key data. This keeps them in full contact with the business, whatever their location,' explained James.

Tailored insights 

James and the team have also introduced a range of K8 Workplaces. These are tailored screens that contain all the information, dashboards, and KPIs needed to help management see what is happening across the business and act where required.

James expressed that, 'As an example, our warehouse manager loves the view that this gives him into what’s happening at our facility at any time. He can keep on top of activities and tasks and make sure that resources are utilised to the best effect to service the needs of our customers. Our embroidery process involves adding customer logos and other detail to our apparel, so using the K8 works order process to manage this has greatly improved our efficiency.'

Not only do we better control our margins, but he can see immediately the state of readiness of all orders to be shipped – and all from one screen. The facility to fine-tune these K8 Workplaces so easily is key to ensuring our team can see the right information at the right time.

James Platt - Operations Director at Caswellsgroup

K8’s dashboard gives you real-time insight into your sales, operational and financial information, allowing you to identify which areas of your business require the most attention. You can drill into specific data and track your progress against KPIs in just a few clicks. 

A single customer view allows you to ensure your staff can see the data they need when they need it. Empower your teams to make better decisions and quickly react to customer requirements.

Financial performance and analysis at your fingertips!

Consolidate your business finances, lower costs and reduce paperwork with the latest version of K8. The solid digital platform gives you ready access high-level management information and the option to drill down into detailed transactions. It provides you with full support to effectively manage your debtors, creditors, cash and other resources from one central ERP solution.

The integrated financial management capabilities that are core to K8 have allowed the finance team to develop further the management tools that the business needs. For example, with the creation of automatic journals to reflect all of the transactions, they are right up to date with what is happening and have already benefited from the efficiencies that this offers.

Automated supplier invoice processing

'We will also shortly implement EasyAP, the solution from KCS that enables supplier invoices to be received via email, then automatically uploaded onto our system and matched to our purchase orders. As one of our finance team is planning on leaving us soon, we felt that this was the right time to bring this project onboard,' James said.

He also added that, 'Not only does this automate what can be a labour intensive process, it will also free up time for our finance team to become more involved in our day to day operations and to utilise their skills to help others in the business. We are also really excited at the opportunity to reduce paper and energy usage significantly and to have all of these documents automatically filed.'

Going paperless in this regard means no printing or storage costs and the easy retrieval of documents from our system. As a result, this brings a significant boost in our productivity whilst delivering even more environmental benefits.

As I said earlier, sustainability and profitability really do go hand in hand, and K8 is helping us achieve our goal of greatly reducing our carbon footprint.

James Platt - Operations Director at Caswellsgroup

Manage your supplier invoice processing through EasyAP

A sophisticated solution that enables you to electronically upload supplier invoices from email attachments directly into K8. Once imported, these invoices are automatically matched and stored within K8, removing the cost of manual data entry and printing. 

Saving time and money – and reducing waste!

With quick access to the customer and financial information needed to chase outstanding debt, your team can drill through transactions to access order and delivery details. They can also view any queries and be fully informed to get the job done efficiently!

The future looks bright - the future is digital for Caswells

The business also has ambitious plans to leverage the power of K8 to drive greater efficiencies by automating a number of its warehouse processes.

James explained that, 'We run a very tight warehouse operation. We always strive to get the goods to our customers on time, every time. However, we can see that implementing the latest K8 eWarehouse suite will make us even more efficient and help us to physically manage our inventory. The digital apps are simple to use yet powerful. They will really help us automate more of our day-to-day processes and reduce waste and paper.'

'We do not stand still at Caswells; we are a very ambitious company and continuously seek improvements. It’s fantastic that K8 has so much to offer our business and, ultimately, our customers. We are all very excited to have embarked on our digital journey. We have seen tremendous improvements in what our systems have to offer so far, and we are committed to taking advantage of all of the latest innovations as they become available,' he added.

'That’s why it is so important for us to get ourselves onto the latest release and ensure we are always in a position to do that. The support offered by the KCS team to Caswells is as strong and professional now as it was when I was with the business. We think it is second to none, and that’s tremendously important to us as we move forward. We know we’ve selected the right partner with which to continue to grow our business over the coming years,' continued James.

KCS is proud to support Caswells on their digital journey - the latest release of K8 has so much to offer to the business.

James Mitchell - Managing Director at Kerridge Commercial Systems

K8: The strong digital platform for your future

Go digital, grow profits

Wherever you are on your digital journey, growing the profits of your business can be made easier with the right platform to keep your business moving. Easily integrate and manage your core processes with a digital platform designed for your business both now and for years to come.

The latest version of K8 has all the tools you need to deliver your digital strategy and allow you to compete better in the connected world. Go digital now, and grow profits for the future.