South America case library: 8 projects across 8 industries

Challenge

Customers are mostly small and mid-sized retailers operating on credit, and receivables depended on sales staff memory and paper ledgers. Exchange-rate movement forced quotations to be recalculated. A single order might be collected in three instalments, and finance could not match each payment to its order.

What we delivered

• Customer credit control covering limits, overdue history and order-blocking rules
• Orders linked to instalment collection, with each instalment written off individually
• Quotations generated at the day’s exchange rate with historical snapshots retained
• Receivables dashboard covering ageing, overdue customers and collection ranking by salesperson

Outcome

Receivables moved from what the salesperson remembers to what the system shows. Instalments are written off one by one, so finance no longer searches chat history, and overdue customers are blocked at order entry.

Challenge

Stalls and the warehouse operated separately, so customers waited for warehouse confirmation of stock. Stock transfers were arranged by phone, producing regular conflicts between what the stall claimed and what the warehouse held. Centralised payment collection and revenue split rules were unclear.

What we delivered

• Stall-side order entry with barcode price lookup, live stock and available quantity
• Warehouse integration covering transfer orders, dispatch checks and substitution suggestions
• Centralised payment collection and revenue split, settling rent and turnover by stall
• Operations dashboard covering sales by stall, inventory turnover and slow-moving goods

Outcome

Stall quotations now rest on actual available stock, reducing the “we have it” then “we do not” pattern. Transfers moved from phone calls to system transfer orders, and the market operator can see actual turnover by stall for the first time.

Challenge

Mine customers require cost accounting by project, while the existing system only reported by order. The material catalogue is wide with strict batch requirements, and inventory accuracy was poor. Deliveries to remote mine sites had unpredictable lead times, generating complaints.

What we delivered

• Project accounting consolidating procurement, transport and warehousing cost by mine project
• Batch and expiry management with batch-level in/out and slow-moving alerts
• Delivery tracking with vehicle location and proof of receipt
• Customer portal showing project consumption and settlement detail

Outcome

Project cost moved from month-end estimation to real-time consolidation, and inventory accuracy improved, reducing emergency purchasing. Deliveries are traceable, so complaints can be answered with evidence.

Challenge

Export customers require end-to-end traceability, but records sat in paper and spreadsheets. Cold-store temperature records were discontinuous, so a problem could not be evidenced. Post-harvest handling and container loading were tracked separately.

What we delivered

• Batch traceability binding block, harvest, sorting, packing, cold store and container loading
• Automated cold-store temperature and humidity capture with threshold alerts and tamper-resistant records
• Quality inspection entry and grading for brix, firmness and calibre
• Export documentation generating traceability reports and inspection records in customer formats

Outcome

Traceability reports for export customer enquiries are produced quickly. Continuous cold-store data allows quality disputes to be evidenced, and accumulated quality data has stabilised sorting standards.

Challenge

Documents, duties and customer settlement for each shipment sat in separate spreadsheets. Customers called to ask about progress. Exchange rates and duties changed frequently, and quotations carried loss risk.

What we delivered

• Document management archived by shipment, with missing-item alerts and version history
• Duty estimation by category and exchange rate, with quotation-versus-actual review
• Customer portal for progress, documents and cost detail by shipment
• Settlement and invoicing by shipment, supporting multiple currencies

Outcome

Progress enquiries moved from phone calls to self-service. Quotations now have an estimation basis, so loss-making shipments are visible in advance, and document archiving is orderly enough to face inspection with confidence.

Challenge

Customers described model and year, and staff located parts from experience; wrong parts meant returns. Stock was not shared between stores, so fast movers were missing in one and overstocked in another. There was no online lookup, so customers had to visit.

What we delivered

• Fitment database mapping brand, model, year, engine and part number
• Shared multi-store inventory with transfers, showing availability by store
• Online ordering with in-store pickup and fitment validation prompts
• Returns routed separately for fitment errors and quality issues

Outcome

Parts lookup moved from experience to vehicle query, reducing wrong-fit returns. Shared inventory improved turnover of fast movers, and the online entry point brought in customers who would not have visited.

Challenge

Dish costs were unknown and price changes were made on instinct. POS data differed between stores, so head office could not compare. Delivery and dine-in orders were handled on separate tickets, scrambling kitchen sequence.

What we delivered

• Dish bills of materials with cost calculation, updating margin automatically as ingredient prices move
• Unified POS and head-office reporting comparing revenue and margin by store
• Dine-in and delivery orders handled on one screen, sequenced by preparation time
• Inventory linked to purchasing, with purchase suggestions generated from sales

Outcome

Price changes now have a cost basis, and head office can see which store and which dish is eroding margin. A unified preparation sequence reduced delivery delays.

Challenge

The website showed product photos without specifications or warranty terms, so support answered the same questions daily. After-sales ran on WhatsApp where tickets were easily lost. Warranty decisions left no record, producing disputes.

What we delivered

• Product site with Portuguese specifications, compatibility, warranty policy and FAQ
• Service desk ticketing by serial number with progress tracking and overdue escalation
• Warranty assessment checking proof of purchase against serial number, with records retained
• Spare parts and unit replacement workflow management

Outcome

Repeat enquiries are absorbed by structured answers. Service tickets are no longer lost and handling time can be measured, and warranty disputes have a record to refer to.