Introduction
The client is a large retail business that sells a variety of house decor solutions. The client has been in operation for many years and is located globally. The owners were looking for ways to improve their operations and increase efficiency. They realized that they spent significant amount of time collecting and organizing receipts and sales data and were looking for a more streamlined solution.
Challenges
The client's primary challenge was the time-consuming process of distributing/collecting receipts, keeping records, and generating sales reports. Therefore, they wanted a solution that would allow them to collect sales data and create receipts easily and quickly. Additionally, they wanted a solution that could be accessed from anywhere and on any device.
Moreover, they also wanted a combined solution enabling them to leverage approval process for Head of Sales departments to approve or reject submitted data.
Solution
After consulting with the client, we proposed the development of a web interface and a mobile app on Android, iOS, and the Web that would facilitate the seamless collection of sales data and the generation of receipts.
We relied on Optical Character Recognition or OCR-based processes in the application. This allowed the sales team to record and upload documents of a transaction such as Cheque over the application and create pre-filled forms to generate receipts in various forms such as PDF, SMS, Email, etc. Through an automated process.
However, we noticed that OCR has limitations due to geographical complications. Therefore, we built a non-OCR workflow. This workflow was used to record cash and non-cash transactions done by the Sales representatives through a semi-automated procedure.
In the non-OCR workflow, to ensure security and avoid fraud, we introduced an authentication procedure. This includes entering a One Time Password [OTP] received from the dealer for successful verification.
To ensure there’s proper approval flow, all the submitted receipts will go to the Manager for approval and will sit on the cloud after successful verification only.
Results
The development of the mobile and web app was completed within a few weeks. The app was launched, and the client's employees were trained on how to use it. The app proved to be a game-changer for the client, as it significantly reduced the time and effort required for record collection and receipt generation.
Key Benefits Included
Improved efficiency
Streamlined the record collection and receipt generation process, saving the business owners and their employees significant amounts of time.
Increased accuracy
Eliminated the need for manual data entry, reducing the chances of errors.
Faster Approvals
Due to approvals going straight to the Manager without any delay, it helped with quicker approvals
Real-time sales reporting
Provided real-time sales reporting, allowing the business owners to make informed decisions about their operations.
Remote access
The data from the app was getting saved to the cloud-based storage which allowed the sales team to access their data from anywhere and on any device.