How NetSuite Can Improve Your Lighting Showroom Operations

1. Product & vendor management

Some of the most time-consuming tasks for staff is when product updates from LightsAmerica or XOLogic require manual entry, or when keying in wish lists/quotes that do not transfer automatically. Then there is the time spent uploading price lists from the vendors/manufacturers not included in Lights American or XO Logic and other products offered in your showroom.

An ERP can make all the difference. With an ERP the system can be configured to automatically download an update on a set schedule for all price lists, including Lights America, XO Logic, and other manufacturers. You can also monitor free freight days and signal to buy when you meet freight minimums for multiple manufacturing saving you from high freight costs.

2. Inventory Management

With over 200 lighting manufacturers and hundreds of thousands or more possible items in inventory, having an accurate account of every item can be a daunting task. You may have multiple showrooms, warehouses, and hold inventory to manage. Added to the mix are discontinued items, one-of-a-kind items, and returned items.

Moving to an end-to-end inventory management system will allow you to monitor inbound/outbound items in real-time. Order scanning and bin management are efficiencies that make a huge difference in inventory management.

3. Showroom Management

Showroom management includes both inventory management and customer experience tasks. For example, Lighting tags need to be kept up to date with current pricing. Discontinued items may need to be identified, moved/relocated, and/or retagged. Retail customers may expect to take home their purchase that day and staff can locate an item quickly. What about your showroom terminals, can staff easily bring up items or quickly locate customer records? Having cumbersome software takes away from the experience.

Your retail showroom is your chance to impress your customers by giving them a fantastic experience. By moving to an integrated ERP system your showroom staff can quickly and efficiently bring up an item and open a customer account which allows more time for more customers.

4. Customer Data Management

Nothing is more frustrating for your customers and your staff than the need to reenter basic customer information with every interaction. Today, customers expect not to repeat information you should already have in your system.

You also have customer segments with different needs. Whether you’re serving a home builder, designer, or retail customer how your bill/invoice needs to meet their expectations. The designer may want pictures of the items ordered, where the builder just wants the item number, and where the light is to be installed. How much time could you save by eliminating the need to manually modify bills/invoices?

Customer data management is what CRM is all about. An all-in-one location of the entire customer lifecycle with your business, a seamless flow of information allows you to better serve your customers. An ERP that contains a CRM component not only provides the customer lifecycle but also includes customer segmentation. Giving you the ability to create custom invoices and tailored marketing for each customer segment.

5. Commissions

Happy employees equate to happy customers! How you handle commissions is important to employee engagement and happiness. Giving your employees the tools to accurately record sales allows you to better manage commissions. It saves you time each month in calculating and paying commissions.