RETAIL
Rapidly changing production and supply chain dynamics are driving the Retail industry to automate their processes and data. Uncertainties apart, you need to achieve higher operational efficiency to expand your Retail business. Wipro Infotech leverages project management and IT infrastructure support experience to help you drive your business towards higher profitability.
We support your front-end, back-office and enterprise software with a comprehensive range of IT services tailor-made for the Retail sector. From retail automation software to POS systems and RFID technology, we cover your IT requirements with the latest technology and quality processes that reflect our high service delivery standards.
Critical business processes that we focus on include:
• Supply chain planning: Advanced planning and scheduling, procurement management, transportation management and vendor management
B2B & e-procurement
• Supply chain execution: Warehouse management, merchandise and pricing management, automated replenishments systems, inventory management
• Store front end operations: POS solutions, call centre, mobile applications, e-Retails, online stores applications
• Demand chain: CRM applications and customer facing applications, direct sales management, demand forecasting
• Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence (DW/BI): ERP data warehouse, Cyber mine - e-business intelligent solution, analytical CRM data warehouse, business intelligence portals
• eCommerce portals and B2C implementation covering Order Capture, Order management and Order Fulfillment process
Our services in the Retail sector across applications are:
• Strategy and architecture
• Complete life cycle application development
• Maintenance and production support
• Re-engineering of applications
In addition, Wipro Infotech is associated with industry leaders in wide ranging partnerships with leading technology providers including Oracle, SAP, Manhattan Associates, etc.
Our solutions for Retail enterprises include:
Retail: Inventory management, smart shelves, reducing shrinkage, customer convenience
Logistics: Asset utilization, automated sorting, shipment route tracing, delivery automation
Manufacturing: Quality control, lot tracking, regulation compliance, inventory accuracy
Government: Homeland security, military/defense supply tracking, TSA luggage tracking, port security
Healthcare: Equipment tracking, anti-counterfeit, drug recalls, patient ID
Other: Farm animal tracking, contact-less payment systems, theme park applications
Gaining expertise through real-time implementation
Providing implementation knowledge for application across various domains
Building the knowledge base by testing various tags and readers and the frequencies they operate with
Testing permeability of RF waves into different medium / material based anti-collision
Familiarizing ourselves with different equipments, accessories and associated software packages required for
effective RFID implementation
RFID enterprise architecture
Data integration
Data analytics
Edge server services
Application development and deployment
Technology infrastructure support services
Point-of-Sale (PoS)
Integration of PoS systems
Developing compliant PoS solutions
Compliance audit and modifications
Web-enabling and enhancing PoS systems
Globalization of existing applications
What is ERP?
ERP stands for Enterprise Resource Planning. ERP is a way to integrate the data and processes of an organization into one single system. Usually ERP systems will have many components including hardware and software, in order to achieve integration, most ERP systems use a unified database to store data for various functions found throughout the organization.
The term ERP originally referred to how a large organization planned to use organizational wide resources. In the past, ERP systems were used in larger more industrial types of companies. However, the use of ERP has changed and is extremely comprehensive, today the term can refer to any type of company, no matter what industry it falls in. In fact, ERP systems are used in almost any type of organization - large or small.
In order for a software system to be considered ERP, it must provide an organization with functionality for two or more systems. While some ERP packages exist that only cover two functions for an organization (QuickBooks: Payroll & Accounting), most ERP systems cover several functions.
Today's ERP systems can cover a wide range of functions and integrate them into one unified database. For instance, functions such as Human Resources, Supply Chain Management, Customer Relations Management, Financials, Manufacturing functions and Warehouse Management functions were all once stand alone software applications, usually housed with their own database and network, today, they can all fit under one umbrella - the ERP system.
APPLICATION OF ERP
Planning
Generate plans on demand, analyze material requirements, control production costs and scheduling, and manage resource efficiency.
Inventory
Manage detailed inventory records, maintain optimal inventory levels, simplify inventory transactions, automate frequently performed tasks, ship and receive goods, track material location/lot information, track serial numbers, utilize bar coding and bar code labeling, and perform cycle counting and physical inventories.
Engineering
Create and maintain multi-level visual bills of material, manage product data, design routings and standard processes, and track and control engineering changes.
Purchasing
Manage procurement, organize and maintain detailed vendor information, maintain a bid matrix, create purchase orders or generate purchase orders from planned orders, manage requisitions, and receive and inspect vendor shipments.
Manufacturing
Plan and schedule production, enter and track work orders, control the shop floor, monitor production status, manage material and equipment capacity, promise deliveries, and track time and attendance.
Finance
Create budgets and monitor cash flow, process accounts payable and accounts receivable, generate general ledger activities, reconcile financial accounts, and track material, labor and production costs. Create professional presentations with your financial statements.
Quoting / Estimating
Provide quotes and estimates to customers and automatically convert quotes to sales orders. Easily create new items (and associated bills of material and routings), copy and modify existing items, or quickly configure an item on-the-fly.
Order Processing
Provide quotes and estimates, enter and maintain complex sales orders or convert quotes directly to sales orders, create new items, bills of material and routings on-the-fly, maintain price matrices, and ship finished product.
Advanced Configuration
Quote, sell and deliver complex, custom-configured products, compress the quote to delivery cycle, view design and pricing changes automatically, and simplify the collection and management of critical product data.
Quality
Inspect incoming (purchased) and outgoing (manufactured) materials, inspect returned materials, trace defective parts to their original location/lot, and maintain data on instruments and equipment.
Intuitive SPC
Perform real-time Statistical Process Control at all inspection points throughout the system, including work-in-process, purchasing, and material review/return.
Return Material Authorization
Handle the return of materials, automatically de-book sales, commissions and taxes, create customer credits, and request and document RMA samples.
Intuitive Forecasting
Generate forecasts based on usage data and multiple forecasting methodologies, generate demand requirements based on forecasts, and analyze forecasts compared to actual data.
Payroll / Human Resources
Manage your employee's salary and job histories, benefit eligibilities and uses, and process payroll.
Alert Messenger
Maintain real-time workflow communication by automating customized messages to vendors and customers as well as employees for specific system events, via e-mail, on-screen messaging, or pager.
Project Management
Establish projects and master projects associate Project IDs with all facets of the system, maintain a Project ID in multi-level manufacturing and procurement orders tied to a given sales order, report on revenues, expenses and profit/loss for any project, and report on progress billing.
Intuitive Mobile: Use wireless handheld devices for shop floor and inventory transactions.
THE IDEAL ERP SYSTEM
An ideal ERP system is when a single database is utilized and contains all data for various software modules. These software modules can include:
Manufacturing: Some of the functions include; engineering, capacity, workflow management, quality control, bills of material, manufacturing process, etc.
Financials: Accounts payable, accounts receivable, fixed assets, general ledger and cash management, etc.
Human Resources: Benefits, training, payroll, time and attendance, etc
Supply Chain Management: Inventory, supply chain planning, supplier scheduling, claim processing, order entry, purchasing, etc.
Projects: Costing, billing, activity management, time and expense, etc.
Customer Relationship Management: sales and marketing, service, commissions, customer contact, calls center support, etc.
Data Warehouse: Usually this is a module that can be accessed by an organizations customers, suppliers and employees.
ERP IMPROVES PRODUCTIVITY
Before ERP systems, each department in an organization would most likely have their own computer system, data and database. Unfortunately, many of these systems would not be able to communicate with one another or need to store or rewrite data to make it possible for cross computer system communication. For instance, the financials of a company were on a separate computer system than the HR system, making it more intensive and complicated to process certain functions.
Once an ERP system is in place, usually all aspects of an organization can work in harmony instead of every single system needing to be compatible with each other. For large organizations, increased productivity and less types of software are a result.
IMPLEMENTATION OF AN ERP SYSTEM
Implementing an ERP system is not an easy task to achieve, in fact it takes lots of planning, consulting and in most cases 3 months to 1 year +. ERP systems are extraordinary wide in scope and for many larger organizations can be extremely complex. Implementing an ERP system will ultimately require significant changes on staff and work practices. While it may seem reasonable for an in house IT staff to head the project, it is widely advised that ERP implementation consultants be used, due to the fact that consultants are usually more cost effective and are specifically trained in implementing these types of systems.
One of the most important traits that an organization should have when implementing an ERP system is ownership of the project. Because so many changes take place and its broad effect on almost every individual in the organization, it is important to make sure that everyone is on board and will help make the project and using the new ERP system a success.
Usually organizations use ERP vendors or consulting companies to implement their customized ERP system. There are three types of professional services that are provided when implementing an ERP system, they are Consulting, Customization and Support.
Consulting Services - usually consulting services are responsible for the initial stages of ERP implementation, they help an organization go live with their new system, with product training, workflow, improve ERP's use in the specific organization, etc.
Customization Services - Customization services work by extending the use of the new ERP system or changing its use by creating customized interfaces and/or underlying application code. While ERP systems are made for many core routines, there are still some needs that need to be built or customized for an organization.
Support Services- Support services include both support and maintenance of ERP systems. For instance, trouble shooting and assistance with ERP issues.
ADVANTAGES OF ERP SYSTEMS
There are many advantages of implementing an EPR system; here are a few of them:
* A totally integrated system
* The ability to streamline different processes and workflows
* The ability to easily share data across various departments in an organization
* Improved efficiency and productivity levels
* Better tracking and forecasting
* Lower costs
* Improved customer service
DISADVANTAGES OF ERP SYSTEMS
While advantages usually outweigh disadvantages for most organizations implementing an ERP system, here are some of the most common obstacles experienced:
Usually many obstacles can be prevented if adequate investment is made and adequate training is involved, however, success does depend on skills and the experience of the workforce to quickly adapt to the new system.
* Customization in many situations is limited
* The need to reengineer business processes
* ERP systems can be cost prohibitive to install and run
* Technical support can be shoddy
* ERP's may be too rigid for specific organizations that are either new or want to move in a new direction in the near future.
WHAT IS SAP?
* The name SAP is acronym for Systems, Applications and Products in Data Processing. SAP is an extremely complicated system where no one individual can understand all of it.
* SAP runs on a fourth generation programming language called Advance Business Application Programming (ABAP). It has many of the features of other modern programming languages such as the familiar C, Visual Basic, and Power Builder. Your programs name conventions begins with a letter yxxx or zxxx.
* SAP graphical user interfaces (SAPGUI) runs on Windows / NT / UNIX / AS400. When you are using 3.x you can used the SAPGUI 4.x, there are no conflicts as the SAPGUI is basically a front end tools.
* If you create dialog screen, remembers to tick Development Tools (utility programs for the Screen Painter) when you are installing SAPGUI 4.x.
* In SAPGUI 4.x, you can configure whether to use the present 3.x screen design or the new 4.x Visual design (which is very graphical and computer resource hungry).
* Disable the login image to reduce the memory usage. In transaction SM30, table SSM_CUST; create new entries with Name HIDE_START_IMAGE and Value to be set YES.
* SAP have move towards the Windows Explorer Screen Format (all the Menu on the left of your screen).
* SAP is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software product capable of integrating multiple business applications, with each application representing a specific business area. These applications update and process transactions in real time mode. It has the ability to be configured to meets the needs of the business.
* SAP is categorized into 3 core functional areas:
• Logistics
+ Sales and Distribution (SD)
+ Material Management (MM)
+ Warehouse Management (WM)
+ Production Planning (PP)
+ General Logistics (LO)
+ Quality Management (QM)
• Financial
+ Financial Accounting (FI)
+ Controlling (CO)
+ Enterprise Controlling (EC)
+ Investment Management (IM)
+ Treasury (TR)
• Human Resources
+ Personnel Administration (PA)
+ Personnel Development (PD)
WHAT IS CRM?
Customer relationship management (CRM) is a comprehensive way to manage the relationships you have with your customers—including potential customers—for long-lasting mutual benefit. Effective CRM systems capture information about customer interactions and present that information to customer-facing users to service those customers more effectively and efficiently.
Customer relationship management combines business processes, people, and technology to achieve one goal: keeping satisfied customers. It's an overall strategy to help you learn more about your customers and their behavior so you can develop stronger, lasting relationships that will benefit both you and your customers.
CRM Systems
CRM systems can vary in size and complexity, depending on your company’s needs and budget. You may choose on-premise CRM—if you have IT resources and infrastructure—or you can cut costs with a hosted CRM tool, also known as Web-based CRM, where you pay to use CRM software as a service (SaaS).
CRM Systems: What They Do
With a CRM system, you can manage your contacts and customer activities, enforce your business strategy with technology to consistently meet customer needs, share a single 360-degree view of your customers with your company, and personalize new and ongoing customer interactions to cost-effectively acquire, nurture, and retain good customers.
CRM: Then and Now
There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all CRM solution. Organizations differ in how they do business and serve their customers—and their CRM solutions vary, too. Back in the late 1980s when CRM was in its infancy, the client/server model for on-premise CRM software implementations required an IT infrastructure, including networks and servers. Today, hosted CRM—also known as online CRM or Web-based CRM—is offered as a subscription: You pay to use this software as a service (SaaS) and access your CRM applications online, making it cost-effective, easy to use, and quick to deploy.
CRM: The Payoff
Customers with successful CRM systems report growth in revenue, higher profits, lower costs to attract and retain customers, greater customer loyalty, and smoother, more streamlined workflows. Specific benefits cited include more timely and targeted customer services, improved employee productivity, shorter sales cycles, improved visibility into business performance, more accurate sales forecasting, greater cross-sell and up-sell success, better-informed marketing decisions, more-efficient call center operations, and fewer customer problems.
CRM APPLICATIONS
Transform Your Business
Everything your company does meet a customer’s needs. Can you do those things better? Are you sure your right hand knows what your left is doing?
CRM systems streamline your business processes by automating them. Ensuring your sales, marketing, and support efforts are all working toward a common goal means you can take your business success to a whole new level.
Sales & Marketing
With a CRM solution, you can generate more leads with effective marketing campaigns via multiple channels, optimize lead management, convert leads into customers, view all account-related information and activities, analyze your sales pipeline, and see what’s working and what’s not.
Activity Management
An effective CRM solution lets you view all customer transactions, respond confidently to customer calls or emails, capture important information about customer interactions, and manage your tasks and follow-up activities.
Service & Support
Using a CRM solution helps you collect customer support requests from various channels, assign support cases to the appropriate agent, leverage the best solutions to customer problems using knowledge management, escalate support cases when needed, help customers find solutions via your Web site, and identify areas for service improvements.
How CRM Can Help You
Businesses that rely on CRM can’t imagine ever operating without it. Virtually every department can reap some benefit:
* More responsive and targeted customer services
* Greater cross-sell and up-sell opportunities
* Shorter, more effective sales cycles
* More efficient call center operations
* Better-informed marketing decisions