Queensland Gaskets keep their cool with Sales Order Automation from Redmap

Given the size of QG’s product range, and the varying quality and detail provided on customer orders, converting purchase orders to sales orders was a complex, time-consuming, and, at times, error-prone process.

Between them, QG’s two-person sales admin team manually input 500 to 600 purchase orders monthly. Customers emailed QG their system-generated purchase orders (or even just their QG quote) in PDF format. Upon receipt, one team member would open the PDF and copy the order details into QG’s Pronto ERP. The other team member would check the entry to ensure each order captured the correct product code and apply the freight handling charge based on the customer’s location. At this stage, the purchase order would be converted by Pronto into a sales order to be picked, packed, and despatched to the waiting customer.

“We’re not a typical out-of-the-box company with just 1000 lines,” explains Bruce Roffey, Sales Account Manager for QG. “We custom make a lot of products for our customers, so our database is massive with around 60,000 part numbers – many of them unique to specific customers. So, orders can come in with just the part number, only the product description, or a combination of both. Sometimes, we get such cryptic purchase orders that we can’t match up the description or the number, so these require even more personal attention.

“The process was so complex and detailed, and our product list so large, that it wasn’t surprising we had errors sneak in.”

Having experienced the benefits of process automation in a previous job, Bruce was confident QG could improve the accuracy of their sales orders and, in turn, minimise customer returns or account queries. So, in 2022, the company set the wheels in motion to raise the sales order quality bar.

“It wasn’t just about using a sales order automation solution to make the process more time-efficient and manageable,” says Bruce, “as the monthly volume wasn’t that huge. Our primary objective was to improve the quality of the purchase order information captured in Pronto – to ensure all the sales order details were correct – from delivery addresses to part numbers and quantities. We wanted to get it right first time.”

QG turned to Pronto for a partner recommendation – and they suggested Redmap.

“While we ended up looking at three potential partners,” says Bruce, “Redmap’s proven expertise and range of happy Pronto customers made the decision easy. Their close affiliation with Pronto also meant there was no need to reinvent the integration wheel.”

The experience of working with Redmap was a positive one, says Bruce. “We found Redmap’s project team to be very good. They took care to understand our business and requirements thoroughly and were very quick to respond to any questions or requests during the implementation. Redmap were proactive with project updates and communicated really well – so we always knew where we were up to.

They were very clear if there was going to be a change to the project timeline, and most emails were answered within the hour. Our experience working with Redmap was excellent.

“Once the system was implemented. our team had a couple of training sessions to get them up and running. It’s pretty easy to use, so there wasn’t a steep learning curve.”

QG’s sales admin team no longer needs to enter the details from every order manually. Those that are perfect are sent to Redmap untouched, and the team only supplements or corrects data where required.

Once sent to Redmap, the customer data is scraped off the PDF and turned into a sales order in Pronto. The team do a quick visual check on the entry at that stage, and then the order is actioned.

“Redmap has improved our sales order accuracy as well as speeding up the whole process,” says Bruce.

“Their sales automation solution has picked up errors we’ve missed, such as customers with the same ABN or those without an ABN in the system. This has been incredibly helpful to us in cleaning up our database and removing duplications.”

Bruce says that given their satisfaction with their sales order solution, Redmap Accounts Payable Automation is next on the agenda.