Simple, Powerful: Phocas a Successful Addition to MS Dynamics CRM at Provet

Before Phocas, numerous independent systems made data extraction difficult. Since the implementation of Phocas Business Intelligence Software, Provet management and staff are able to “slice and dice” their data, allowing for simpler, faster and data-driven decision making every day.

Situation:

Although many existing systems were in place to allow access to their sales data, Provet CIO Andrew Foote found that “in our experience getting data out of Great Plains is very difficult”.

In addition, Provet’s IT resources were stretched to the limit, as sales staff were unable to write their own reports, leading to constant demands on the IT team.

“Before Phocas, our IT people probably spent at least one man day a week compiling reports for sales”. Probably the most frustrating aspect for the sales staff at Provet was the complete reliance on the IT department to access the data. There was little opportunity for them to explore the data themselves. Having identified a need for a more comprehensive solution to managing their data, they enlisted the help of Phocas.

Provet setup Phocas for key staff in Australia and New Zealand. They have been using Phocas now for a couple of years. Foote says that whenever people ask him about Phocas, his response is “Simple, easy, powerful – we think it is a great product”. “Since having Phocas, the IT department no longer receive requests for reports, which in itself probably pays for Phocas".

Result:

Phocas is now used by key Provet service and line managers. As a result, they are able to make business decisions much faster – all the data they need is available to them instantly. More importantly, the ease with which the users are able to access and analyse their data has led them to become enthusiastic users of their own data.

"We make quicker and better decisions based on hard data – not on gut feel. In fact we are often able to supply data to our customers about their sales faster than they can access their own data.

While we have used other business intelligence tools in the past, comparing Phocas to other BI tools is like comparing chalk and cheese. Phocas is much simpler, easier and more powerful. The end result is that users can access and slice and dice their data anytime any place”, Foote said.

Provet COO Joe Best agrees with Andrew Foote. “Phocas has made a big difference – it has given our management the ability to slice and dice data, and they don’t need to waste time manipulating spreadsheets, pivot tables etc. We use it to look for gaps in customer spending – leakage, what’s up/down, measuring results / impact of marketing campaigns. For example, customer sales may be up, but Phocas may spot leakage they would not have known about before”.

To sum up, Best says “I’d recommend Phocas to anybody managing a large number of customers and products. Could we do without it? NO – we are making better decisions and faster decisions as a result of Phocas. It’s a great product”.