The company offers packaging solutions and OEM components, catering to businesses of all sizes and industries. It has a diverse line of custom packaging options available, including wooden pallets, crates, and specialized packing solutions with advanced tracking systems.
A global supplier of lumber to the manufactured housing industry faced challenges with its internal ordering systems, which were cumbersome, complex, and slow. The approval process for orders took weeks, and the internal procurement team spent significant time manually processing and researching routine IT purchases.
This inefficiency led to delays and frustrations, especially for standard purchases that should have been straightforward. Employees were waiting on items they needed to perform their daily tasks for weeks to months on end.
Softura automated the entire procurement experience by deploying a curated product catalog with online selection, price, and availability with simplified check-out and automated approvals for standardized products.
The cost to process orders with the new Automation process was significantly more efficient, removing many costly areas of a manual process.
The solution implemented resulted in a 99.99% increase in efficiency, revolutionizing the company's procurement processes. The time required for procurement was dramatically reduced from 4 to 6 weeks down to only a few days from when the order was placed to when the employee received what they needed to do their job.
Implementing an internal order Chatbot, known as an "OrderBot", simplified the ordering process. Employees could easily engage in conversational ordering and receive real-time updates on the status of their orders. By simply expressing their needs, such as "I need a mouse," the Chatbot understood the employee's addresses, budgets, and cost centers, automating the procurement workflow.
To streamline the process further, the solution offered auto-order approval for products that fell within their approved budget or product list. This feature eliminated the need for manual approvals, reducing delays and ensuring faster access to work essentials..
The solution utilized Microsoft Teams as the communication platform, providing employees with proactive status updates in a single channel. This centralized approach reduced inbox overload, minimizing email and voicemail noise. Employees could easily track their orders and stay informed through the designated channel.
The implemented solution seamlessly integrated with various internal systems, including Active Directory (AD), Human Resources (HR), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), IT Service Management (ITSM), Content Management System (CMS), Supply Chain Management (SCM), and Third-Party Logistics (3PL). This integration ensured smooth data flow and enhanced efficiency across different departments and processes.
