Direct Selling Companies Achieve Success with QC Software's Warehouse Control System
QC Software has been a leading provider of warehouse control software for over 15 years. They have worked with many direct selling companies with a combined annual sales volume of $3 billion. As these companies expanded into new markets in North America and Europe, QC Software facilitated their growth by optimizing warehouse performance.
lia sophia, which offers high-quality jewelry through an extensive network of consultants, is one of QC Software's direct selling customers. Tom Lang, Executive Vice President of Global Finance and Operations, states, "We've worked with QC Software since 2006. They are a tremendous business partner to work with and are extremely dedicated. As we've added automation and technology, QC Software has been there to support it. We've found their responsiveness and execution to be flawless."
Direct selling companies have some unique order fulfillment requirements due to the nature of their business. Consultants sell the product directly to the consumer, which means that most orders are customized. Therefore, inventory control is more complex and orders must be individually packaged in high volumes. QC Software's agile solutions are specifically designed to handle this type of dynamic environment. Following are some key examples.
QC Software's inventory management system accurately tracks inventory throughout one or multiple warehouses, allowing the customer to maintain proper inventory levels, improve order fulfillment rates, and reduce backorders. QC Software's order management system streamlines orders for picking efficiency and uses carton optimization to reduce shipping and material costs. Customers have typically increased order fulfillment capacity by 300% or more, while achieving nearly a 100% order accuracy rate.
To accommodate the addition of new products, equipment and systems, QC Software's flexible applications easily adapt to the customer's changing business environment. For instance, when one customer added a new warehouse management system, QC Software was able to quickly implement additional enhancements to fine-tune operations with minimal disruption to the customer. As the product line changes, customers can easily add new inventory to the system and reconfigure the layout for optimum picking efficiency.
When lia sophia expanded internationally, QC Software's applications were installed in their new distribution center in Europe. The functionality of QC Software's warehouse control system was about 95% identical to their U.S. facility. After making minor modifications to the software to accommodate European shipping rules, QC Software facilitated a smooth installation and quick startup. With multiple locations, QC Software can usually modify and install software at a fraction of the cost incurred with the first installation.
QC Software provides customizations to further improve warehouse efficiency. For example, their customer's conveyor system was not designed to accommodate small packaging and orders had to be shipped in larger cartons. QC Software's engineers developed a new process that separated small orders from the regular pool and the company added a new line dedicated to small orders. The customer saved shipping costs and reduced waste, while orders continued to be shipped on time without increasing labor costs.
According to the Direct Selling Association, worldwide sales were an estimated $117 billion in 2009. As direct selling companies continue to expand and evolve, QC Software's innovative applications and dedicated team will continue to support their exponential growth and long-range goals.
QC Software's warehouse control system, the QC Enterprise, allows customers to streamline their warehouse operations with the lowest total cost of ownership in the industry. The RFID-enabled software is modular, scalable and configurable to suit a wide range of user requirements. As the customer's business grows and evolves, QC Software's agile applications easily adapt to changing market conditions.
