Processes Improvements

As companies grow and develop, processes which were once fit-for-purpose can become inefficient: slow, labour-intensive and error-prone.

Will Marr has experience of improving finance processes, and in particular how technology can be used to help achieve this. The aim is to produce accurate outputs, quicker and with less human intervention.

Case Study – Seacourt Ltd

Background: At Seacourt printers, the sales process was long and labour-intensive. Jobs bags had to be physically moved around the building, multiple people were involved and the incumbent ERP system was not being used to its fullest extent. Invoices were taking too long to be raised, statements were never sent out, and there was not enough time to chase overdue invoices.

Scope of Work: Will Marr spotted that some significant improvements could be made. He liaised with the suppliers of the ERP system, the in-house accountant and other members of staff. He scoped out a new process, and then worked with the in-house accountant to ensure that the process was properly implemented and embedded in the business. Throughout this implementation, Will ensured all issues and problems were identified and eliminated.

 Result: The end result was that the sales process was quicker, more efficient and scalable:-

  • Invoices raised within 72 hours of delivery, compared to 15 days previously,
  • The sales month-end completed after 3 days, compared to 10 days,
  • Statements sent out to all customers every month, which did not happen previously,
  • Debtor days dropped from 68 to 45, resulting in an extra £175k of cash received.

Testimonial

“On the back of some rapid sales expansion, we knew that our sales process was not working as well it could, and would not allow the business to scale as it needed. Invoices were not being raised quickly enough and debtors were rising significantly. Sales managers were getting frustrated.

Will put in place a stream-lined sales process, and focused on using the software that we already had in place but were not fully utilising. This enabled us to continue to scale the business upwards, and also freed up significant cash by reducing debtor days.”

Gareth Dinnage,

MD – Seacourt Ltd