AIM Computers Solutions Provides Epicor Consulting Services for Kirlin
Highlight
- AIM Computer Solutions delivered Epicor consulting services to integrate and optimize Kirlin’s Epicor ERP software solution
- The integration plan included process improvements and ERP automation
- Kirlin Lighting now shares real-time performance data with its network of 95 independent manufacturer’s representative agencies around the country.
The Challenge
Kirlin Lighting, a leader in specification grade commercial and healthcare lighting in the United States since 1895, was looking for integration consulting services to more efficiently use its Epicor ERP solution. Looking to streamline and automate certain operations, the company sought process improvements in sales and purchasing that would help them utilize the ERP software to its fullest.
Specifically, the company engaged with AIM Computer Solutions to provide Epicor Consulting Services. Services such as evaluate existing processes with its Epicor ERP, make recommendations, and manage the design, development and implementation of services with a focus on three departments: sales, purchasing and communications with 95 outside independent manufacturer’s representative agencies.
Kirlin’s products are sold around the world by a network of 95 independent manufacturer’s representative agencies. To run the business successfully, the Kirlin sales department needs to share relevant and timely performance data with each agency, every month. As the company’s sales grew, compiling all this information manually each month was proving to be nearly impossible, and required multiple dedicated employees using spreadsheets, the ERP system, and paper notes to compile the reports which they then shared out one-at-a-time via email.
“In the absence of effective technology, we were relying on team members from the quotations, customer service, sales, and executive leadership team to manually compile the reports we needed,” stated Kirlin Lighting, V.P. Sales & Marketing, Chris Brownell.
The Solution: Epicor Consulting Services
Epicor Consulting Services were crucial in the solution. AIM Computer Solutions designed and implemented an integration plan to automate sales reports and disseminate real-time performance data with the company’s network of independent manufacturer’s representative agencies. The integration plan gives Kirlin Lighting the ability to export sales report data from its Epicor ERP solution using a Business Activity Query (BAQ) and present it on the company portal on its website. The plan included a means to obtain data in a format compatible with the company’s existing website.
Creating custom reports from Epicor data, AIM was able to automate the relevant Commission Payments, Communications, Price Sheets, Product Mix and Sales Results for each of the company’s 95 manufacturer’s reps. AIM also engaged a third-party website developer to provide access to the reports via a new menu on the company’s manufacturer’s rep portal on its website.
AIM also recommended ways to create network directory structures to support the staged data file storage and to grant secure access to their own reports for the manufacturer’s rep agencies while maintaining confidentiality among the different agencies.
In addition, acting as Kirlin Lighting’s in-house Epicor expert and integrator, AIM worked with the third-party website developer. Together they collaborated to create a compatible website process to automate manual tasks and streamline sales reporting.
“With Epicor as our ERP system, we were able to manage nearly our entire business in one place; but the most glaring exception was the need to manually create and email multiple sales reports to 95 agencies every month. With a major assist from AIM, we were able to automate that manual process, which means that our team can now focus even more time on growing our business, and less time generating and disseminating reports,” observed Kirlin Lighting, V.P. of Sales & Marketing, Chris Brownell.
The Results
Now the company uses its Epicor ERP solution in a much more efficient fashion, automating monthly sales reporting data and commission statements with its outside manufacturer’s rep agencies. Before AIM’s project, three staff members had been manually generating and emailing time-sensitive monthly sales reports and commission statements to the manufacturer’s rep agencies. Today, these team members have reallocated their time and activity to value-creating sales efforts. The integrated automation process offloaded manual, time-consuming work each month. The website portal is now a more useful and effective communication tool for the company’s manufacturer’s reps.
“ERP automation from AIM helped our team reclaim their workday from menial tasks to focus instead on growing our business,” expressed Kirlin Lighting V.P., Chris Brownell.
