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Featured Testimonial
— Peter Johnson,
BostonBean
OCS case studies
• Treasure Valley Coffee Uses Advanced Software Tools from Streamware to Help Expand its Business• BostonBean Relies on DeliveryMAX to Improve Inventory Accountability
Treasure Valley Coffee Uses Advanced Software Tools from Streamware to Help Expand its Business
The Company
Tom Boyer founded Treasure Valley Coffee (TVC) in 1984 in Boise, Idaho. Under Boyer's leadership the company has grown steadily, both geographically and operationally. Covering a wide swath of territory from eastern Oregon to all of Idaho, TVC now has 75 employees and 24 routes, and offers 4,500 items to its customers.
Extending well beyond the typical OCS operation, TVC's product line includes vending, coffee service, bottled water, cleaning supplies, and first aid supplies—virtually everything office clients might require.
The Problem
Boyer is a classic "early adopter" of technology. He began using handheld computers in 1994 to manage his growing business. He used handhelds to maximize the productivity of his sales force, to manage the ever-growing product line, and to streamline the entire operation. Ten years later, however, he needed to find a new solution.
Committed to finding a solution for the long-term, Boyer evaluated three leading vending and delivery solutions. His primary goals for the new software/handheld system were:
- Capability of "pre-selling" at each account with a handheld
- Print "load sheet" for each route and day
- Reduce shrink
- Improve inventory control
- Provide salespeople tools and info to manage each account
When the new technology solution was in place, Boyer expected to have the ability to warehouse and stock up to 10,000 products while delivering to each customer just the products they needed using small vans.
The Streamware Solution
Since TVC is not your average OCS operator, Streamware has teamed with Boyer to make DeliveryMAX work for his diversified operation. Given the thousands of products TVC stocks, a key benefit of DeliveryMAX is getting the right product on the truck each day. "This system takes the guesswork away from stocking the truck. The handheld's invoice screen tells us the previous sales history, today's order, and allows the salesperson to complete an order for the next delivery even if it's 4 weeks away," said Boyer. "This lets my vans go out with just what's needed without any impact on customer service." Boyer's salespeople also use "par” levels, take an inventory at the account, and control their own "standing orders" to track exactly the products that each account uses.
The DeliveryMAX system has the capability of "rolling up" all of a day's orders into a load sheet for each salesperson, allowing them to stock their vans with just the products needed for each account that day.
For example, TVC's bottled water routes typically have a few coffee accounts. With DeliveryMAX, Boyer can schedule the coffee delivery four weeks in advance and not carry around unnecessary coffee product. "When it's time for the coffee delivery, the load sheet pops up and the driver adds the items to the van for the account," said Boyer. "We're managing inventory, minimizing truckload, and maximizing customer service."
Results
Boyer estimates his company saves approximately one hour per driver per day by using DeliveryMAX to manage his inventory. He said that extra hour means, "My salesmen can stay in the field longer and sell more items, maybe introduce some new products to our customers."
Boyer also has complete control of the inventory at all stages of his business – in the warehouse, on the routes, and at his customer accounts. As a result, he has been able to reduce overall inventory.
As TVC continues to expand, DeliveryMAX will be a valuable technology partner. "We can sell a whole warehouse worth of product without loading the warehouse on the truck," Boyer observed. "I can continue to diversify my product offerings and expand my customer base with confidence because I have the tools to handle it."
With DeliveryMAX fully implemented throughout his 24 routes, Boyer plans to expand its use to six other licensed Treasure Valley Coffee distributors in the Northwest and Texas.
BostonBean Relies on DeliveryMAX to Improve Inventory Accountability
The Company
BostonBean of Woburn, MA was founded in 1960 by the father and son team of Ernest and Dave Ryder. Originally a distributor of coffee, tea, and spices to the hotel, restaurant and institutional markets, the company landed its first OCS account in the early 1970's. Soon, the Ryders decided to refocus BostonBean exclusively on the OCS market. In 1979, Peter Johnson joined the firm and is today Dave Ryder's partner and president of the company.
BostonBean has grown steadily to a 12-route company offering the full spectrum of OCS products to clients in the corporate, university, and healthcare fields.
The Problem
One of the first OCS companies to embrace the value of new technology, BostonBean began using handheld computers in 1994. In a somewhat cumbersome arrangement, the company used one provider for its software and another for the handhelds. As time went on, the software provider failed to keep up with new technology. It was not Windows-based—a real disadvantage for BostonBean—and the software lacked critical features, such as bar-coding. Furthermore, the handheld provider advised BostonBean it would no longer support its handhelds.
To Peter Johnson, the time was obviously right to evaluate new technology solutions. His "must haves" for a new software/handheld system were:
- Open architecture that would ultimately integrate with a planned e-commerce Web site
- A Windows-based operating system
- Bar-code scanning in the warehouse
- Reliable, easy-to-use handheld
Johnson was particularly anxious to improve his inventory capability. "A physical inventory would take an entire day and it was so time-consuming we only did it twice a year," recalled Johnson. "I was looking forward to a new system that would have a significant impact on our ability to manage product."
The Streamware Solution
BostonBean evaluated several OCS solutions and, after a thorough review, selected DeliveryMAX from Crane Streamware. Johnson said DeliveryMAX had all of the features BostonBean was looking for, along with a strong commitment to service from Crane Streamware. He was particularly impressed with the product's signature capture capability on the handheld. "Our front office always wasted a lot of time searching for invoices," explained Johnson. "Once we learned about DeliveryMAX's signature capture, we were sold on the time-saving value of that feature."
BostonBean and Crane Streamware implemented DeliveryMAX in phases, with the first route installed in late 2003. In January 2004, all routes were switched over to the new software and handhelds. The changeover went smoothly, according to Johnson, and BostonBean's employees quickly learned to use the new Delivery MAX handheld.
DeliveryMAX is now central to all aspects of the operation. On the road, the company's Route Managers are selling off the handheld. With signature capture, there's no time wasted copying—or misplacing—invoices. Drivers have more flexibility and control over their schedules and routes, and DeliveryMAX makes it easy to change the day of the delivery or shift it to another driver.
In the office, Customer Service staffers use DeliveryMAX to take orders, answer customers' questions, and run the many reports that help BostonBean and their clients run a smoother operation. The flexible invoicing capability has also been a big plus. "Our large customers with 20 or 30 locations want to track each department's orders but don't want to pay 30 invoices," explained Johnson. "With DeliveryMAX we can itemize all the information from each location on a single bill."
Results
In the 18 months since its installation, DeliveryMAX has delivered on its promise. Said Johnson, "Our inventory management has improved, our ability to service customers has improved, and our reporting has improved." In the warehouse, the inventory that used to take five people an entire day can be done with the handheld by three people in two hours. "Inventory is such a snap we do it every month instead of twice a year, said Johnson. "As a result, our accountability has improved dramatically."
DeliveryMAX's advanced technology helps Johnson and his management team run a smarter operation. For example, said Johnson, "DeliveryMAX lets me transform reports into excel spreadsheets which I can then modify for my needs of the moment."
In summary, Peter Johnson said that DeliveryMAX has become BostonBean's "lifeline; it's the heart and brain of our operation."