Robotic Process Automation Helps Healthcare Distributors Save Money and Time
Customer Background
Pisces Healthcare Solutions specializes in providing a wide range of medical and therapeutic products. They offer items such as wheelchairs, mobility aids, orthopedic braces, lymphedema and compression products, and various rehab and therapeutic aids. Their product line is extensive and includes innovative solutions like the HelpUp Patient Lift with Airlift Technology, which is designed to safely lift individuals after a fall.
Pisces Healthcare Solutions serves different customer segments, including veterans, clinicians, and general consumers. They have several distribution centers across the United States located in Longmont, Colorado; Sterling, Virginia; and Fort Myers, Florida.
Industry
Challenges
Prior to partnering with Sigma Solve, PHS faced challenges in managing its order and inventory systems. Despite a healthy order volume, a lack of streamlined processes led to delays in order fulfillment and disorganized inventory management. This inefficiency hampered their ability to focus on customer satisfaction, causing delays, resource allocation issues, and rising operational costs.
- Manual Order Processing: Pisces Healthcare Solutions (PHS) relied on manual order entry that consumed significant time, hindered productivity, and increased error vulnerability.
- Inefficient Resource Allocation: Managing 7,000 monthly orders required full-time efforts of 5 reps, leading to high operational costs worth $250,000 annually.
- Inefficient Platform: The existing eCommerce platform lacked scalability and features to manage daily operations effectively.
- Payment Delays: Managing 90-day payment grace periods with manual authorization created complexities.
- Limited Search Functionality: Ineffective search criteria made it difficult for customers to find the desired products.
- Disorganized Operations: Unstructured workflows led to delivery delays, inventory mismanagement, and inefficient resource allocation.
- Limited Data Extraction: Traditional tools made information extraction a cumbersome process.
The Solution
Recognizing the operational challenges hindering PHS’ ability to deliver exceptional care, Sigma Solve helped create an eCommerce store, inventory management, shipping solution for its warehouses, automated order data, and an ERP system to streamline operations. This collaborative effort involved migrating PHS to a robust and scalable eCommerce platform, nopCommerce, finale for inventory management, and Shipstation.
Our software developers implemented automation tools and integrated functionalities to take order data and insert it into the backend of their eCommerce system. By working together, Sigma Solve empowered PHS to manage its order volume effectively and deliver exceptional customer service for veterans and service members.
- Automated Order Processing: Sigma Solve implemented a Robotic Process Automation (RPA) solution powered by OpenBots to automate order entries, saving 3.5 reps’ time and reducing manual entry.
- Efficient Resource Allocation: Sigma Solve’s RPA solution helps PHS translate manual data entry processes into automated workflow, saving $184,000 annually.
- Streamlined Payment Processing: For draft orders that require manual intervention, the bot has cut down the reps’ time by at least 50%, as it pre-fills most of the order information, needing only verification.
- Payment Gateway Integration: Integration with CardPoint Payment Gateway facilitated a smooth 90-day grace period process with upfront card authentication for order confirmation.
- Platform Migration & Customization: PHS migrated to a feature-rich, scalable platform, nopCommerce, with the ability to customize functionalities for their specific needs.
- Enhanced Product Search: Sigma Solve integrated Algolia ElasticSearch with defined criteria, enabling a more user-friendly and efficient product search experience.
- Improved Inventory Management: Sigma Solve implemented solutions to optimize inventory management, ensuring proper stock levels and efficient fulfillment.
- Integrated Shipping & Accounting: ShipStation for seamless medical equipment shipping and QuickBooks for streamlined accounting were implemented.
The Outcome
The partnership between Sigma Solve and Pisces Healthcare Solutions (PHS) provided sales volume. By implementing a suite of strategic solutions, PHS witnessed a significant boost in operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. Let’s delve into the key outcomes achieved through this successful collaboration.
Cost Savings: RPA automation has led to net annual savings of $184,000 and daily time savings. It has significantly reduced the financial burden of managing an extensive workforce.
Order Processing Boost: The bot’s implementation has reduced manual processing time by 67%, with an automation accuracy of 91%, enabling PHS to handle a higher volume of orders efficiently.
Productivity Surge: RPA automation, which saved the daily working hours of 3.5 reps, helped PHS divert its workforce to more strategic and higher-value tasks.
Efficiency leap: nopCommerce migration improved overall web portal efficiency by 78%, ensuring a 97% error-free uptime on the eCommerce platform.
Customer Satisfaction Soars: Overall customer experience improved by 80% due to error-free fast order fulfillment.
Improved Inventory Management: Streamlined processes ensure optimal stock levels and efficient fulfillment.
Client Testimonial
