ERP and BizTalk integration leads to high-level customer service for Q•Media

A faster learning curve for enterprise system users and accurate inventory data from an ERP system are helping Q•Media provide better customer service. Yet many of the value-chain benefits of the system stem from the relative ease with which it can be customized, as well as its ability to integrate with customer systems, says Liz Dobson, corporate systems manager, Q•Media.

The Vancouver-based company makes accessory kits, documentation, and software CDs for some of the biggest names in the computer industry. Its customers demand highly accurate order fulfillment and fast turnaround times.

What's more, says Dobson, they're asking for a greater level of integration—e.g., automated invoicing, or automatic receipt of purchase orders.

"Once they know we have capabilities like sending electronic invoices, they want more," says Dobson, "We have a good foundation for accommodating such requests."

That foundation is the Navision ERP system from Microsoft Business Solutions—deployed across four sites—combined with Microsoft's BizTalk Server integration middleware.

This solution emerged after Q•Media acquired a couple of sites that ran a Tier 1-focused ERP solution. Left with a mix of enterprise systems, Q•Media had to decide whether to implement one of the existing systems across all sites, or look for a new solution.

That road led Q•Media to Navision. Nearly 80 people use the system for order management, manufacturing, accounting, and distribution. Ease of use and real-time transactions combine to speed up business processes.

"The biggest benefit has been streamlined cycle times, simply because the system is easy to use," says Dobson. "There's not much overhead in terms of the steps it takes to get orders through the system."

The suite runs on a Microsoft Windows Server platform, with Microsoft SQL Server as the database. This component has made it relatively easy to integrate the system with bolt-on solutions for shipping/fulfillment and e-commerce, says Dobson.

Another customization uses the Internet to access a customer's portal and, via a programming interface, download the latest order data into Navision's materials planning worksheet. Navision then indicates if the order can be fulfilled from materials on hand, or if an order needs to be cut. Before Navision, says Dobson, the process required rekeying data from the customer portal.

BizTalk, paired with Navision, handles send/receipt of intercompany transactions such as invoices and purchase orders, says Dobson. "BizTalk speeds up our processes and reduces errors," she says. "Once you have two systems that know how to talk to each other electronically, you improve the process."

Initially, Navision's portal functionality was targeted to be used heavily by customers, but Dobson says that in practice, most customers want order and inventory data pushed to them. Some e-mail and FTP messaging customizations have been made to the system to handle this, but going forward, says Dobson, Q•Media will evaluate standard messaging being developed for the system.

Overall, Dobson adds, the use of BizTalk and the ability to easily customize Navision has led to a higher level of integration with customer systems. At the end of the day, that's part of what customers are looking for.

"The system is adaptable to changes in terms of the type of information and mode of information delivery our customers are after," she says. "From the customer's perspective, they want us to act as if we are part of their company. This means we have to take integration to the next level."