Question – Can a generic ERP software provider offer your a drinks industry professional as a strategic and software support adviser?
Answer – Probably not.
Customer support has often been a factor that isn’t fully considered when a business purchases a software product. When customers buy a car, they question the type of support that is available to them after they buy. They want to know about the level of warranty available, the insurance they’ll need, and they’ll want a commitment from various providers relating to service level agreements that are in place if they were to encounter faults or experience a breakdown. Often, people buy a car based on the aftercare provided for their driving experience, and yet, such aftercare is often neglected as a deciding factor when a company commits to purchasing software that can cost six figures, or more.
When tech users think of software support, they may tend to think of bug fixes, app updates and being left on hold for tens of minutes to speak to an adviser. Support can be purely reactive, impersonal and can leave users feeling like agents are fighting fires, rather than developing long-term strategies to not only fix problems, but to increase a user’s rate of success with the technology that they have invested in.
Companies can spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on software from providers who have tens of thousands of customers. Buying from such providers can deliver an impersonal service with little engagement. Users definitely don’t influence product design or module development. ‘Support’ agents provide ‘solutions’ for a variety of industries, yet they themselves are experts in none.
Gaina Software is Different
Our ongoing aftercare and support package, Gaina Connect, is much more than bug fixes and answering questions about our software. Gaina Connect comprises of four key areas:
Software Support Helpdesk
Our helpdesk is made up by the development team who builds and maintains our software. Your tickets are lodged and actioned by professionals who’s experience ranges from 11 to 36 years of working within the technology sector, specifically within the drinks industry. One of our team members has worked for our organisation since its inception in 1983! Our support team have a CSAT score of 4.8/5 for our existing customers, and in 2018 had a 100% record of addressing and completing 5145 tickets within the agreed SLAs!
Customer Success Management
Gaina Connect isn’t just about bug fixes or reacting to any unwanted issues. Our customers can avail of account management from drinks industry professionals, all of whom have worked with drinks distribution companies for at least 11 years. Unlike the generic support that other providers offer, our team consists of experts who will reach out to you proactively with vital information that could relate to anything from new product releases, advice on how you can maximise our technology for the benefit of your business, or to offer guidance on issues such as bonded warehousing or expansion into new markets.
Proactive Systems Monitoring
Imagine you’re in a restaurant, and your waiter keeps refilling your wine glass before you finish it. Or they top-up your plate of chips so you never run out, without you ever asking… That’s essentially what our Nagios monitoring service does, only we do it for your IT systems. Gaina solves problems before you ever know that they exist. Much like a swan’s legs paddling like crazy under water, Gaina works hard to ensure that your Control-IT system runs seamlessly and that fires are put out before they’re ignited. Your system remains swan-like. Our monitoring system safeguards your servers from overflowing by defining threshold parameters that alert us to their capacity being approached. We offer ongoing data backups so that in the worst-case scenario, you can recover all of the data that is key to your business existing on the terms that you’ve worked hard to achieve.
Access to our Product Roadmap
You’re a drinks business that has no need to use or pay for a module that would enable you to sell shoes, yet with off-the-shelf providers, their development time and resources could be spent on providing such modules that are obsolete when it comes to your business growing and scaling effectively. That doesn’t happen with Gaina software. We offer you full visibility of our short, medium and long-term commitment to the development of both our products and services, all of which are specific to the drinks industry and will help you to navigate a fluctuating market. Not only do you have access to said roadmap, you have the power to influence it in a way befitting to your individual business needs.
Case Study, Product Roadmap Influence
Several years ago, Counterpoint Ireland discussed the need for a mobile sales app that their reps could use, allowing them to make orders in a digital capacity while offering bespoke promotions to individual customers. So that’s what we built for them.
ORCA is integrated with Counterpoint’s data that is held on their Control-IT system, and allows reps to undertake surveying of outlets, to view live customer account and sales information, and comes with a profit indicator that ensures that reps only make profitable orders. (Control-IT is Gaina’s main ERP software product)
ORCA is now being successfully used by other Gaina customers, such as Comans. Not only does the mobile app assist reps, it’s also been beneficial for office staff who no longer need to receive calls or manually enter orders after they are made via a telephone call from a rep.
Of the ORCA app, Jonathan Colclough (Sales Director of Comans) said, ‘‘I’m getting more time to talk to and sell to my customers because my admin time has been significantly reduced. I’m giving the best deal to the customer while ensuring maximum profits for the company.” The intimate Connect relationship offered to Gaina customers could help you too, to build modules and products for your business. This is a service that simply can’t be offered by a generic ERP software provider.
Case Study, Support Helpdesk
Dermot Mathers, Software Support Specialist
Every 6 months, Gaina Software awards a prize to a member of staff who is deemed to be the Value Champion for the previous 6 months. Value Champions are determined by factors such as workplace integrity, customer service, their work ethic, successful project delivery and an ability to exceed KPIs.
Such a recognition and understanding of the importance of our Gaina Connect package and its delivery, resulted in Dermot Mathers being voted as our most recent Value Champion by colleagues and company directors.
What our staff said about Dermot
“He always does the right thing! Dermot will resolve the source of a support issue, not just the effect, and does so in a timely manner that reduces cost for our customers.”
Kealan Curran, Customer Experience Manager
“Dermot is the perfect example of consistent excellence. He regularly exceeds customer and staff expectations to help our customers’ business excel”.
Andrew Nelson, Managing Director
What Dermot said
Gaina Software has allowed me to excel in a role that not only suited my educational background but enabled me to effectively utilise my customer management and service experience within the role of support. This, along with having a strong team ethos and relaxed office environment, helped me build up solid working relationships with our entire customer base. Knowing our customers are happy with the support and development that we offer as a company, makes all the job roles within Gaina a lot easier to fulfil and more beneficial to our customers.’
When you’re making your next ERP investment, remember that your service shouldn’t end when the software is implemented. You need a business partner that you can trust, that comprises of industry professionals and that will proactively and strategically to increase your bottom line by offering a top level of support. Invest in Gaina Software, and we’ll invest in you.