Customer Solution Case Study
/ / Retail Chain Improves Operations, Sets Foundation for Growth with New Business Solution
Overview
Country or region: India
Industry:Retail
Customer Profile
Gangar Eyenation is a fast growing retail chain of optical storesspread acrossMumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai and Pune. It provides the best eye care products of all prominent national and international brands.
Business Situation
Gangar Opticians was managing all store operations manually. As it was looking at business expansion, the company sought an integrated and scalable solution to integrate all the operational stores and extend functionality to new stores to be opened in near future.
Solution
With the help of Godrej Infotech, a Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner, Gangar Opticians implemented Microsoft® Dynamics™NAV4.0 which was later upgraded to Microsoft® Dynamics™NAV 2009.
Benefits
Improves customer satisfaction, increases sales
Simplifies stock management
Improves workforce management
Provides efficient financial management / “With these enhanced capabilities available due to Microsoft Dynamics NAV we are able to maintain overall customer satisfaction, profitability, and delivery objectives.”
Jigar Gangar, Director, Gangar Opticians Pvt. Ltd.
Gangar Opticians, optical stores’ are branded as Gangar Eyenationwith a chain of retail outlets and largest collection of brands and labels from the world over in frames, sunglasses and consumables.The company has crafted for itself a unique and irreplaceable brand image.With rapid growth, the company identified the need for a flexible business solution to integrate all its stores as well as processes with emphasis on improved customer services. Working with Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner, Godrej Infotech, it deployed Microsoft® Dynamics™ NAV 4.0 which was later upgraded to Microsoft® Dynamics™ NAV 2009.With the new business solution, Gangar Opticians optimized all its business processes, improved visibility into stocks across all the stores and enhanced staff management, thereby increasing profitability. Tax calculationsand billing are now automated resulting in operational efficiency and enhanced customer satisfaction level.The company gains from a platform that supports future growth.
Situation
For more than three decades, Gangar Eyenation has been a name that has merged precision with style. From a single store established in 1977 as Gangar Eyenationin Dadar TT in Mumbai, India, Gangar Opticians Private Limited has managed to transform itself into a fast growing and rapidly expanding chain of eyewear solutions.As a result of unwavering commitment to offer the most advanced eye care technology combined with style, it has already opened 24 outlets and is still growing.
Gangar Eyenationhas a commendable list of national and international patrons like Adidas, Blue Bay, Burberrys, Bvlgari, Cartier, Calvin Klein, Christian Dior, Prada,Daniel Swarovski,DolceGabbana,Rayban, Emporio Armani, Nike, Nikon, Essilor and many more international brands.The retail store chain comprises of 300trained staff and experienced optometristscommitted to provide for the unique needs of clients and offer a professional and friendly customer experience. It also provides accurate eye checkup by qualified and experienced optometrists with latest machines.
Gangar Opticians had gone corporate around three years back and hence considers itself a startup company. With no legacy software at its hands the company was managing all operations including billing, inventory, sales, purchase, and deliveryacross all stores manually. With 24 operational stores and a vision of 50 stores in near future, managing operations manually on a day to day basis was challenging.Not only was this inefficient but also a time consuming activity. The company identified the need for a stable, integrated business solution with skilled professionals to manage the same.
To support effective and precise operations, the management sought a single solution with modules for sale, purchase, finance, and inventory so that all retail operations could be executed in the same place and be more efficient and lucrative.“We knew that to sustain massive growth we should be capable to effectively meet customers’ needs on time, with right price and promotions,” says AbhinayArekar General Manager IT, Gangar Opticians Pvt. Ltd. “With the new solution we hope for SMS and email integration with customers for efficient customer care.”
To overcome the existing issues, the company decided to deploy an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution that would help to boostup the sales and beat competition to win over the customer base. “In today’s market scenario, with pressured sales and compressed profits, everybody is trying to achieve improved results with latest technology and fewer people,” explains Jigar Gangar, Director, Gangar Opticians Pvt. Ltd. “We sought an enterprise solution to better manage the everincreasingly complex business scenarios with minimum staff and maximum efficiency.”
Solution
To have an edge over its competitors, Gangar Opticians decided to deploy the best business solution available in the market like Microsoft,VMware, Citrix, Symantec.General Manager IT thus started evaluating various retail solutions.He also visited a few stores where these solutions werealready deployed. However, after analyzing the capabilities of each solution, the team shortlisted Microsoft Dynamics NAV 4.0.
“Retail being a customer-centric industry, wewere looking for a solution that would help us to serve customers in a better butcost effective manner,” explains Abhinay Arekar General Manager IT, Gangar Opticians Pvt. Ltd. “Microsoft Dynamics NAV offered usthe tools to manage inventory, sales, billing, customer service, all under a single roof. Brand Microsoft backing the solution was an added temptation.”
Gangar Opticians partnered with Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, Godrej Infotech to implement Microsoft Dynamics NAV 4.0. Implementation started in August, 2007 and was completed by March, 2008. The company later migrated toDynamics NAV 2009 with SP1.The solution was deployed for 42 users across the corporate office in Mumbai, the warehouse, assembly unit and 24 functional stores. All the base modules including LS Retail, Finance, Sales and Marketing, Purchase, and Warehouse were deployed.
To generate reports at a more granular level, the solution was customized by Godrej Infotech. For instance,with the sales analysis report the company can now explore new market opportunities. Similarly,to meet other business requirements,reports prepared for management, finance, accounting, sales and operationsare exact and can be generated and examined in a very short period of time.
The solution integrates all internal processes within a store as well as connects all stores with the head office to ensure lean operations and best customer experience. “We deal with huge amount of inventory as our retail operationsconsist of multiple stores. Thousands of crucial decisions related to cost, price, sales, purchase, and stocks are easily made and managed with the help of Microsoft Dynamics NAV,” states Abhinay Arekar, GM IT, Gangar Opticians Pvt. Ltd.
Microsoft Dynamics NAV has brought all operations under one comprehensive system providing a single real-time view. This in turn facilitates decision making based on actual information about the product’s position, price, and market trends. “We are able to locate and move products in a leaner way, thereby reducing delays in delivery to the customer,” says Abhinay Arekar, GM IT, Gangar Opticians Pvt. Ltd.
Benefits
The new business solution coordinates all retail process to provide maximum return on investment.It allows smooth functioning of stores with no room for errors.Overall the company receives the benefits of working with a richly featured business management solution that can meet present and future requirements.
Improves Customer Satisfaction, Increases Sales
“In the retail business, connecting with customer is a challenge and we are able to meet this challenge with the implementation of Microsoft Dynamics NAV,” says Jigar Gangar, Director, Gangar Opticians Pvt. Ltd.Besides products, Microsoft Dynamics NAV also manages customer life cycles. The CRM module helps toidentify the needs of customer’s, log their complaints and keep up with their service demands which in turn improve customer retention and loyalty.Customers’ feedback on products is recorded and reviewed.
Dynamics NAV helps in recording the eyeglass prescription of the customers and type of lenses used etc. These records arehelpful for customers who are visiting stores after two to three years for eye checkup.
Products booked by the customer on ‘order to buy’ bases are delivered with a high level of time accuracy. Before products reach the final customers, the system checks to see if all the products have had a quality check so that they keep up to the product standards of the company. This has led to an improved customer satisfaction and an increased goodwill.“It’s not only our employees but also the company’s customers who benefit from the new solution,” elucidates Abhinay Arekar,GM IT, Gangar Opticians Pvt. Ltd. “We are glad to say that after the deployment of NAV, we have seen a raise in revenue.”
Simplifies Stock Management
One of the key benefits the company has gained from Microsoft Dynamics NAV is the ability to track detailed stock attributes. The new business solution helps to manage and control stocks at all locations brand wise as well as product wise. Sales versus stock comparisons ensurethat enough productsof right brands at the right price are replenished in inventory. With online updated data and 24x7 connectivity, the team is able to push the desired product of coveted brand into a particular store where other brands are not moving. Jigar Gangar, Director, Gangar Opticians Pvt. Ltd.states, “With these enhanced capabilities available due to Microsoft Dynamics NAV we are able to maintain overall customer satisfaction, profitability, and delivery objectives.”
Jigar continues, “Because of better inventory management it is easier for us to open many more outlets within a short span of time.”
Improves Workforce Management
Now with the implementation of Microsoft Dynamics NAV, customer-handling ability of the workforce has been improvised. This has thoroughly increased the efficiency of employees and also assisted management in identifying employee training needs.
The accounting schedules generated in Dynamics NAV help in keeping a track of all the financial transactions taking place in every store of the company. The store-wise records maintained by the system not only make it easier for the management to take decisions but also make the decisions more accurate and efficient, resulting in a store-wise profitability. Account Managers can prepare their own reports without needing a specialized knowledge of report building. Also, the records produced by the system are highly accurate and in no way, can be hampered or changed. With training of the employees in Dynamics NAV, they can use these schedules as a reference for preparation of MIS reports.
Provides Efficient Financial Management
The management can now have, at any moment, in any location, full access to all segments of the company's operations.
The business solution gives a complete picture of how the company stands in terms of cash, credit, debit, and on-hand inventory.It helps to understand the revenue generated by store location, and to measure profits. “Dynamics NAV gives us a professional accounting environment,” says Abhinay Arekar, GM IT, Gangar Opticians Pvt. Ltd. “We can more effectively keep track of business account balances and transaction histories. The information is integrated, exact, and up to date. Billing at stores has also become easier.”
“Thanks to Microsoft Dynamics NAV, all business operations of Gangar Opticians are integrated within a one-stop solution,” concludes Abhinay Arekar,GM IT, Gangar Opticians Pvt. Ltd. “Because of the flexibility in use, we are able to handle system comprehensively and manage multiple locations in an effective way. Migrating to newer version wasalso simpler and easier.”
Microsoft Dynamics
Microsoft Dynamics is a line of integrated, adaptable business management solutions that enables you and your people to make business decisions with greater confidence. Microsoft Dynamics works like familiar Microsoft software such as Microsoft Office, which means less of a learning curve for your people, so they can get up and running quickly and focus on what’s most important. And because it is from Microsoft, it easily works with the systemsthat your company already has implemented. By automating and streamlining financial, customer relationship, and supply chain processes, Microsoft Dynamics brings together people, processes, and technologies, increasing the productivity and effectiveness of your business, and helping you drive business success.
For more information about Microsoft Dynamics, go to:
About Godrej Infotech
Godrej Infotech is a part of the diversified GODREJ group. It commenced operations as a separate corporate entity in 1999. It is SEI-CMM Level 4 Company and has ISO-9001:2008 Quality Systems Certification for design and development and development of commercial application software, ERP consultancy services and operations and technology. It is in the business of software development, e-solutions Development, ERP implementation, customization and ERP consulting services, database outsourcing and consultancy services. It has three decades of experience in providing cost-effective and high-quality IT solutions.