Furniture manufacturing · Barcode data collection
Handheld barcode data collection for a major East Coast furniture manufacturer.
One of the largest furniture manufacturers in America hosts the bi-annual East Coast Furniture Market, drawing retail buyers into a 10,000 square foot showroom to select items for purchase. Associates escorted customers through the floor, then reported back to managers verbally on which pieces drew interest. Those conversations became handwritten notes — and those notes determined what the company manufactured and displayed at the next show.
It worked, but it was slow. Compiling item popularity from a nationwide group of sales reps could take one to two months — long enough that production decisions were being made on stale information.
TSS designed and implemented a handheld barcode data collection system built around how the showroom floor actually works. Complete item data — stock numbers, serial numbers and pricing — downloads from the host system onto the handheld scanner.
On the floor, an associate scans an item, enters a quantity, and prints a report. Item details surface instantly on the handheld, so the associate can give the buyer an on-the-spot report and price quote without leaving the customer's side.
It's easier for our sales reps to read notes and get quick feedback to the customer — but the most important thing is getting feedback on what was popular in that market. Before, it took a month or two to get information from the sales reps.
Information Systems Project ManagerEast Coast furniture manufacturer
Market feedback now reaches managers while the show is still running, instead of weeks after it ends. Across 15 to 20 associates working the floor, the time saved compounds on every customer interaction — and buyers get reports and price quotes without anyone leaving their side.
The customer expanded the application across additional automatic data collection projects, and cited service and support as the reason they chose TSS over larger competitors.
It's personal, and TSS wants everything to be right. Technology Services & Solutions did a really good job.
Information Systems Project ManagerEast Coast furniture manufacturer
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