Radley and Co.
Overview
Radley manufactures and imports high quality handbags, luggage and other leather goods for the UK wholesale and retail markets and has established strong brand awareness as a young, innovative and design-led manufacturer.
Six years ago it acquired an automated sales and purchase order processing and accounting solution from Lakeview, “which has proved successful as a ‘reliable engine room of the business’ ever since,” says IT director, Jack Paddison, who joined Radley in September 2006.
Challenge
The joint goal of Paddison and the new Lakeview post-MBO management team was for Lakeview to provide a level of service support to match the market-leading quality of the company’s product delivery.
“This would require the right customer-focused structure and processes and a recognition by all staff as to the part they must play in delivering a positive customer experience, every time,” says business development director, Chris Hems. Paddison is equally pragmatic: “In achieving the service quality we wanted, we understood that effective communication had to be a two-way process.”
Solution
An initial series of face-to-face meetings was undertaken to establish the framework for an improved working relationship, with agreement that the key to success lay in improving customer access to relevant Lakeview specialists throughout the business.
The result of a more open dialogue has been to ensure that technical problems are dealt with swiftly and the adoption of a more proactive stance in looking at software developments to support Radley’s evolving and rapidly growing business.
An example of how this has developed can be seen in the area of management reporting and the ability to link to other Radley systems. As with any software developer, Lakeview continues to look at how to improve its software offering in response to the evolving requirements of its customers’ markets and, in particular, work is underway in developing increased functionality in these areas.
In the meantime however, Lakeview has been able to put the company in touch with a specialist software partner - together with reference customers - and then link the third-party solution to the existing Lakeview infrastructure, in order to provide a more immediate response to Radley’s specific reporting requirements.
At the same time, Paddison has found the Lakeview User Groups useful in helping to drive better service. “They provide the opportunity to get a broader perspective, by discussing matters of common concern and interest,” he believes, “and supports Lakeview in maintaining a strong product and service support offering.”
Results
“We required an integrated solution which would manage our batch system for processing transactions efficiently and give us essential visibility of the entire sales order to invoicing process,” says Paddison. “In short, the Lakeview solution delivers what we want, in supporting the business in an undramatic yet effective way.
“And the value of this should not be underestimated, as we operate in a highly competitive market, supplying major retail outlets whose tough requirements demand that we maintain strong control of a supply chain in which many products are sourced from as far afield as India and the Far East.”
In addition, he is positive about the momentum which has been generated in the area of service delivery. “Unlike some larger competitors, Lakeview demonstrates a tangible level of commitment to our business. Quite simply, the significant improvements we have achieved have been down to one thing – communication.”
We would welcome an opportunity to talk to you in more detail about how we can directly benefit you and your organisation.
To arrange an on-line demonstration, please call Vickie Goddard on 0845 388 3329 or email vickieg@lakeview.co.uk