How PGI integrated their VMS with online ordering to work smarter, not harder.
Work across all industries looks a bit different these days. In order to adapt to new customer needs and demands, operators have had to become agile in their service offerings. Even before the pandemic hit in 2020, operators had to have digital transformation at the top of their minds to realize long term success. PGI Services, a full-service operator, realized long before COVID-19 that taking their business online was the only way to evolve.
Mike Brown, President at PGI Services, is a 30-year industry veteran and has been quick to implement new technologies to drive additional revenue across the operation and create efficiencies.
“Pre COVID our OCS & Delivery business had grown exponentially, we were looking to implement an online eCommerce solution even before the pandemic because of the growth. We needed a better way to manage customer demand, products & invoicing. Now, more than ever, it is very important to have the option available to customers to order online.”
As the team at PGI looked to add an online ordering platform to their technology stack, it was crucial that there was the ability to integrate it with their current VMS.
“It was critical to have the ability to streamline our current process. We are Seed Delivery customers and the ability for orders to automatically flow into Seed was very important.” – Mike Brown
There is a good reason for this requirement. If an operator plans to use an online ordering platform that does not integrate into their VMS it can result in several inefficiencies.
For example:
- Orders that are placed on the online site need to be re-entered into Seed, this can end in manual errors and ultimately slows down the entire process
- Product and price changes made in Seed need to be re-entered on online site
- Double entry of orders also requires extra time to double-check information to ensure accuracy
PGI selected an eCommerce system and has been working diligently with the product teams to fully grasp the benefits of both adding online ordering to their current service offerings and why a third-party integration with their VMS was key to remaining efficient.
Benefits that PGI has realized since implementation of online ordering platform:
- The ability to introduce & promote new products
- A vehicle to liquidate product- promote & send offers on products to reduce spoilage
- Recommendations feature results in upsell opportunities
- Customer budgets- keep track of overall spend/manage invoicing
- Acts as a historical database- in the event of employee turnover at a customer location
- Customers want it!
According to Mike, “With the way the world is right now, several operators have shifted into a so-called “survival mode” which can mean having to run a leaner operation”. The ability to add online ordering, while keeping everything within one central system, helps to enable that.
Benefits of a 3rd Party eCommerce integration with Seed Delivery:
- No additional cost/fees
- Orders made online automatically flow into Seed Delivery to be serviced.
- Price & product changes updated in Seed automatically update in the online store
Learn more about the integration. - Avoid manual errors & costs: End-to-end connectivity eliminates the possibility for costly human error & saves office workers’ time.
PGI Services used 2020 to successfully set-up and launch an online storefront that now integrates with Seed Delivery. They are prepared for people to return to work and for the OCS & Pantry business to be back in full swing very soon.
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