Cloud Ease Consulting started in January 2014 as a dedicated cloud software consultancy to support small and medium business owners moving to the cloud. As an early adopter to the cloud and Xero, Cloud Ease always had an interest in the add-on programs and how they can create a complete business solution. We had a chat with CEO Andrew Collins about how Cloud Ease and Unleashed partner together.
Who are your clients?
Predominantly in the manufacturing and wholesaling industries. Our customers can vary from a small wholesaler who is selling through a single channel to larger wholesalers / manufacturers who are selling via multiple channels (online, retail outlets and wholesale).And how did you find Unleashed?
I initially saw Unleashed at one of the first Xerocons which I went to in New Zealand. I then had a client who was looking to moving to Xero and needed an inventory management solution so recommended Unleashed to them. My first impression of Unleashed was I could not believe the number of features which it contained and how a small business owner could get the power of a fully featured inventory management solution without the investment into a full ERP system.Why do you think Inventory Management is important?
Inventory management is the lifeblood of a product based business. If you sell a product then you need to manage demand and maintain sufficient inventory to respond to this demand. You also need to have accurate costings for the product so that you can have accurate margins on each product.What are the challenges your customers are facing with Inventory Management?
- Lack of visibility of what inventory they have on hand.
- Lack of accurate product costings which are based on the landed cost of the product not just the unit cost.
- A lot of manual processes in place which are slowing the fulfilment of orders.
What benefits does Unleashed bring to your customers?
- Increased automation of processes allowing for efficient fulfilment of orders.
- Complete visibility of stock on hand and available stock in real time
- Accurate product costings which can incorporate purchase costs so that each product can have a landed cost.
- Accurate margin reporting so that the business has real-time visibility on products which are making them money.
How did you find the partner setup with Unleashed?
The partnership relationship is fantastic. The Unleashed team is so responsive and I am able to get answers and support as required so that I can provide the best service to my customers.How has Unleashed helped your customers grow?
- By being able to automate a lot of their existing processes.
- By allowing them to accurately price their products.
- Expanding into other sales channels - ecommerce, retail stores.
- Expanding into other countries.
How do you find the integration between Unleashed and other softwares?
The implementation and integration of Unleashed with other systems is what we enjoy the most. We like how seamless the integrations are with Unleashed so that the business owner can have an integrated solution designed for their business.Some customers avoid changes but they may be missing out on getting more efficiency. What do you say about that?
Yes that is very true. We have had customers who like the idea of implementing Unleashed however the enormity of the change became too much for them and they did not proceed. Whilst we support the business through the change of systems and provide them support in the transition of data the business needs to be committed to the change.Why do you recommend Unleashed?
We recommend Unleashed as it has a good range of features, its ease of use and the feedback which I have received from customers.Awesome! And is there something your business is particularly proud of?
Our business is incredibly proud of the number of customers which we have helped to move to cloud based software solutions and the productivity gains which they have received.How does the future look for your business?
The future is looking good for Cloud Ease as we are involved in such a dynamic industry and our client base (small and medium businesses) are looking to improve their systems and processes so we are looking forward to a big 2017.And finally, what do you enjoy about working with us?
The responsiveness and the support which we receive from the Unleashed team.