We use the solution to run our entire organization from beginning to end. We started with the CRM for opportunities and leads prospects. We also customized it with custom fields to make separate line items and then used that to spit out reports on calculations of gross margin expected based on those opportunities.
We could have multiple line items underneath specific opportunities as the opportunity information's collected at the header level. We would generate sales orders based on approved quotations and a customer PO and we would put in a sales order. The way we configured it was just before we put the sales order in, we would enter all the item information. We would go into the item master, set it up with the associated vendor who was going to provide that material. That way, when you put the sales order in and you selected that item, and you completed and saved it, it would automatically generate the purchase orders without having to reenter all that information.
The product would see the sales order, understand the requirement, and it would generate demand, and then generate purchase orders. It could also generate work orders if it had a labor component associated with it. From the work order, you could generate POs. Basically, it saved a lot of redundant entries from that perspective. It saved us time and allowed for customizations that helped us with workflows.
In the sales orders, we were able to create custom fields so that we could measure our performance against promise dates. What we did was we created custom fields and there was some scripting behind that, which is one of the reasons we used NetSuite. We could put in the customer's original expected date, what our promise date was, and then measure against how we performed.
If that date was missed, we could then, in a third data field, put in the new date and a reason code. We made that mandatory, so that this way if any dates changed, we knew why. We were able to measure vendor performance against those dates, customer changes against those dates, and our performance against those dates. It was very helpful from that perspective. Having good dates allowed us to also do better cash projections in terms of shipments and invoicing.
It saves paperwork down the line. The only purchase orders that had to be done by purchasing were those that were planned. We had ongoing projects, yet only the planned orders needed to be purchased. Rather than reduce headcount, we were able to take the buyer who was working on the planned or the non-planned purchases and retrain them as an inventory analyst, so that we could focus more on the planned purchases.
It enabled us to really align the skillsets and the needs that we had as the business evolved as a result of the digital transformation. It really facilitated that ability without having to add headcount. We simply retrained. We didn't need to reduce headcount as all part of a growth strategy.
What I would also add is that it not only saves redundant entry there, but it saves redundant entry as it goes through to the fulfillment side on the logistics as all the information's already there. There's nothing to be reentered. When it comes to the invoicing, again, there's nothing to be reentered. It's all pulled from the sales order. In the end, you have a 360-degree view of all the related documents. Finding related records, POs, sales orders, invoices, fulfillment records was easy due to the fact that they were all connected.
