Officemax improves its services with help from Grupo ASSA
Online, August 13, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Grupo ASSA, a Consulting and Outsourcing company that helps clients with their Business Process Transformation through Information Technology, modernized the technology platform at OfficeMax, bringing improved service for supplier and customers and allowing them to purchase products in a more practical fashion.
The challenge facing OfficeMax has always been to focus on offering great service to customers that purchase their products, whether through stores, ordering by telephone or purchasing through the Internet, whether B2C (Business to Consumer) or B2B (Business to Business).
To reach this objective, the retailer needed to have the right products at the right time in its warehouses. Thus, a full review of their supply chain was conducted and, based on the areas of opportunity detected, it was determined that intermediaries had to be removed from the process at the time orders were placed. It was also deemed necessary to increase the scope of services offered to suppliers, and both these actions would lead to a closer and better relationship with clients and suppliers.
The solution was to implement a new platform to allow the company to work together with suppliers, through the effective integration of communication and based on a portal designed to resolve problems in the supply chain - from the creation of the purchase order to unloading and referencing in cross-docking and in stores, with the final objective of allowing the customer to purchase the product in the store, through telemarketing or e-commerce.
In addition, suppliers now have the benefit of scheduling appointments in the distribution center to avoid crowding while unloading, of printing ASN tags that allow identification and quick processing of pallets in the distribution center, and of accessing invoices, charges, processed or past due payments and account statements.
"We are happy with the results we have obtained, and in consequence we have decided to continue our working relationship with this wonderful provider, Grupo ASSA. It helps that now HSBC is an important part of Grupo ASSA's capital structure, and thus we have also decided to work with this company on B2B and B2C, two very important projects for us", ended Jose Luis Cisneros, Systems Director for OfficeMax.
The implementation of the new system and the supplier portal has revolutionized the business, because by applying specific interaction solutions the degree of mobility that the business required was achieved. The office supply retailer has benefitted through a reduction of up to 30% in the time it takes to complete the process.
The relationship with Grupo ASSA as a partner to OfficeMax has brought, and will continue to bring, changes to keep moving forward together.