In this Q&A with With Dena Frljak ( Senior ERP Consultant) and Simon McCarthy (Principal Consultant and Centre of Excellence Lead) they share the common issues they see every day and the practical ways to fix them.
Keeping warehouses, supply chains, and deliveries running smoothly isn’t getting any easier. Market uncertainty, changing tariffs, and disconnected systems make it harder to stay on top of stock, plan shipments, and keep customers happy. Small gaps in the process can quickly turn into big problems.
A: The biggest challenge we see is businesses managing multiple systems that don't communicate with each other. For example: sales data in one system, inventory tracked in spreadsheets, and customer information in a third platform. Monthly reporting becomes a complex puzzle of pulling data from multiple sources and manually combining it - a process that can take days to complete.
This disconnection is especially problematic for companies that have grown through acquisitions. They often end up managing multiple legal entities and subsidiaries, each with their own systems and processes.
Website integration challenges are also increasingly common. Many businesses have their online stores running on separate platforms that don't connect to their core systems, forcing staff to manually enter orders and update inventory levels. These inefficiencies add significant operational costs and can cause delays that impact customer satisfaction and supplier relationships. The solution is bringing everything together into one integrated system with a central database that all departments can work from.
A: The biggest struggle is getting a complete picture of what's happening across the business in real-time. When sales, purchasing, warehouse, and delivery data sits in separate systems, it becomes difficult to make informed decisions quickly.
We often see businesses misjudge their true product costs because their systems only show the purchase price. Add in £2 import duty, £1.50 freight, and £0.50 handling, and that £15 item actually costs £19. Without full visibility, they set prices on incomplete data - and margins shrink without them knowing why.
Integration solves this by creating one unified view where all your operational data connects. Instead of pulling reports from multiple systems, everything flows into a single platform that shows how each part of your operation impacts the others.
Companies see significant improvements in decision-making speed once they have integrated systems, as managers no longer need to wait for reports from different departments.
A: The biggest challenge is knowing what you actually have and where it is. Without synchronised data between warehouses, retail locations, and distribution centres, businesses struggle with basic questions: What's available to sell? Where should we send the next delivery? Should we transfer stock between locations?
Real-time inventory tracking solves this by providing a single source of truth across all locations. You can see exactly what's available where, make better allocation decisions, and prevent the costly situation where one location is overstocked while another faces shortage.
Stock transfers become much more strategic too. Instead of discovering imbalances after the fact, you can proactively move inventory based on demand patterns and seasonal trends.
Your business can significantly reduce excess inventory and improve stock availability within months of implementing centralised inventory management.
A: Unpredictable delivery timing creates chaos throughout the supply chain. If you’re running a busy warehouse where deliveries arrive randomly throughout the day, it’s difficult for staff to plan their work, and you're constantly firefighting.
Systems with transport scheduling features solves this by letting customers choose specific delivery windows that work for their operations. Instead of hoping deliveries arrive at convenient times, businesses can plan their resources accordingly.
This scheduling also creates efficiency gains in the warehouse. When deliveries are scheduled in advance, warehouse teams can optimise their picking routes, batch similar orders together, and work systematically rather than reactively.
Scheduled deliveries can reduce warehouse labour costs and significantly improve delivery reliability.
A: Sales performance analysis with margin visibility is where most businesses start because it directly impacts profitability. You need to see your sales data broken down by customer, time periods, and regions to understand trends. For example, are your customers in the north buying different products to your customers in the south? Are sales growing or declining year-over-year?
The real power comes from flexible data analysis. Instead of requesting separate reports for sales by branch, by customer, by product category, and by sales representative, you can work with one data set and view it from different angles. Start with overall sales performance, then drill down to see which products are driving growth in specific regions.
Your business can make faster decisions and identify more revenue opportunities when they have flexible data analysis capabilities.
A: Most businesses see significant productivity improvements within the first month, simply from reducing time spent navigating between systems and having operations teams work from screens tailored to what matters most to them.
Modern ERP system like GenetiQ will create a better user experience for your operations team through interface design. Instead of juggling multiple windows that stack on top of each other, everything opens in tabs. When you're on a call reviewing financial reports, you can quickly switch to inventory data or customer information without losing your place or closing windows.
For multi-location businesses, streamlined inter-branch operations deliver immediate gains. You can transfer stock between branches directly within the system, and when transfers happen between different legal entities, the system automatically creates the necessary sales and purchase invoices. One client eliminated 15 hours of manual paperwork per week just from this automation.
Real-time visibility becomes available from day one. Operations staff who previously had to request reports from different departments can now access comprehensive data immediately.
Most businesses see significant productivity improvements within the first month, simply from reducing time spent navigating between systems and having operations teams work from screens tailored to what matters most to them.
A: The common thread connecting all operational challenges is the need for integrated systems that provide real-time visibility and eliminate manual work. Whether you're managing inventory across multiple locations, coordinating deliveries, or analysing sales performance, success comes from having all your business data in one place.
The most successful transformations focus on three principles:
The businesses that see the biggest impact view operational technology as a competitive advantage rather than just a cost. They transform delivery schedules from sources of stress into reliable competitive advantages, turn inventory management from reactive scrambling into proactive optimisation, and convert data analysis from time-consuming chores into real-time decision support.
Companies that approach transformation strategically can see strong returns on investment and significant operational efficiency improvements over time.
Ready to transform your operations? The key is starting with your biggest pain point and building from there. Whether that's inventory visibility, system integration, or delivery coordination, the right approach can turn operational challenges into competitive advantages.
Author: Simon McCarthy and Dena Frljak