WorkSmart specialises in delivering cloud based systems to its clients, serving small to medium size businesses across a wide range of industries and their vertical markets. With the emergence and growth of Xero and its Add-on software ecosystem, WorkSmart identified a specific need in the market. We had a chat with Director Todd Dunick about how WorkSmart and Unleashed partner together.
Tell us a bit about WorkSmart
We believe an opportunity existed for a business like WorkSmart to provide a specialist service. Our focus was about bringing all parties including end business users, their advisors and software vendors together, smoothly, to ensure the best possible outcome for the client in relation to cloud software adoption. With internal IT and accounting knowledge, multiple software partnerships and an approach of being non-competitive with core accounting services, we believe this places WorkSmart in a position of being able to serve its networks and clients impartially with the absolute view of gaining the best outcome to those we serve.
Who are your clients?
Our clients include fully integrated businesses that produce their own raw materials and add value through manufacturing processes selling to wholesale and retail markets both locally and internationally. Furthermore, WorkSmart also provides services to a range of wholesaler, distributor and retail trade participants within supply chains. WorkSmart's industry experience includes working with businesses manufacturing in the food and beverage industry, fashion industry, electronics industry, health and pharmaceutical industry and many more.
And how did you find Unleashed?
We came across Unleashed at a very early stage in our businesses lifecycle. Unleashed stood out as the most prominent Inventory Management System that could be integrated with Xero and we were looking for credible well developed applications to form solid partnerships with. Our first impression was really positive, it was clear Unleashed had undertaken a lot of development spend and there was an evident commitment for ongoing system enhancements and improvements.
Why do you think Inventory Management is important?
Inventory management is a common sense business process. Proper systematic management helps make a business more profitable by reducing the cost of goods sold and increasing the sales. It helps increase speed, accuracy, accountability and mobility in all the operations and processes within a business. Careful management ensures businesses can maintain optimal stock levels to meet demand trends therefore avoiding overstocking and locking up key cash resources needed for other business operations.
What are the challenges your customers are facing with Inventory Management?
The key challenges WorkSmart comes across is accuracy in the costing of manufactured products. We often see incorrectly categorised expenses often left out of manufacturing processes. This often impacts the setting of profit margins and also leaves business at odds with financial reporting requirements. Aside from that with small business we generally see a lack of process and incorrect stock on hand figures whether accounted for periodically or perpetually. 
What benefits does Unleashed bring to your customers?
First and foremost Unleashed provides for a systematic process to be followed ensuring the correct recording of procurement, production and sales activities, it does this in a relatively simple way which really helps our customers understand the impact of day to day operations throughout each aspect of their business. With its integration with Xero and product level mapping to chart of accounts Unleashed ensures financial transactions are recorded correctly on a perpetual basis ensuring reporting is both real time and meaningful to end users and management levels within business.
How did you find the partner setup with Unleashed?
Partnership setup was reasonably detailed but at the same time expectations were clear from the outset, educational requirements were structured and with high pass marks expected as they should be. Our relationship with Unleashed has gone from strength to strength particularly over the past 18 months with a close relationship fostered with the software's founders. We have found the team to be responsive and enjoyable to work with and that always makes things a lot easier.
How has Unleashed helped your customers grow?
The transition to Unleashed has helped our customers grow through internal visibility over their operations and associated costs. Unleashed helps them understand the impact of price setting on sales and also assists with evaluating marginal cost at the production level and its relationship to resources. Further to this Unleashed has allowed for a much more efficient Inventory Management process particularly where customers have moved from older legacy based systems or even spreadsheet management.
How do you find the integration between Unleashed and other softwares?
Unleashed continues to develop and grow its base of native integrations. We have found integration to Xero, POS and Ecommerce relatively simple with good systems in place to correct issues where API problems arise so that is always good.
Some customers avoid changes but they may be missing out on getting more efficiency. What do you say about that?
Yes this is quite common but it does reflect a typical market. Some businesses are innovative and wish to lead the charge with adopting really great systems and they truly benefit from these and stay ahead of competitors. At the other end of the spectrum you have businesses that resist changing systems as they do not wish to move away from what they know. We see those businesses as missing a massive opportunity to not only reduce internal costs but tap into new markets and new sales channels at a relatively low cost through using a system like Unleashed coupled with Xero and integrated Ecommerce. The more businesses that adopt change will not only lead to better outcomes for their owners but also the NZ economy as a whole.
Why do you recommend Unleashed?
Our team recommends Unleashed because it is a well developed best of breed inventory management software with really good functionality with strong financial backing. This ensures we have a level of certainty that the product will deliver on expectations and isn't just going to disappear in future leaving our clients stranded.
Awesome! And is there something your business is particularly proud of?
Sure, we are really proud of our service track record with our clients, accountants and software partners. We have always gone the extra mile to make our clients transitions are as pain free as possible and they love that. The pleasing thing is either our clients or their accountants are always happy to provide really great testimonials or video's endorsing our services and that speaks for itself.
How does the future look for your business?
We believe the future is really bright, we are excited about the continued growth of the cloud, the IOT and the many applications we work with continuing to grow and get even better, we believe this will not only be good for the future of business in general but beneficial for WorkSmart. At the moment it's business as usual but there are some things in the pipeline you may have to wait 6 months to find out though...
And finally, what do you enjoy about working with us?
We really enjoy the networking side of things not only with Unleashed but with all partners. We have made some really good friends and get to see some really cool software partners headquarters and Unleashed is no exception, we look forward to continuing to grow those partnerships and friendships long-term.
