Keeping Your Business Running Smoothly During Shelter-in-Place Mandates

With the Coronavirus pandemic prompting shelter-in-place mandates across the U.S, many companies encountered difficulty trying to keep their business processes running smoothly. Customer service and sales teams accustomed to working side-by-side in support of clients had to find a whole new way to collaborate remotely from their home offices.

To solve this challenge, many companies are relying on their Microsoft cloud solutions and programs. One such example is Hyland’s—the country’s oldest and largest homeopathic medicine manufacturer and a division of Standard Homeopathic Company.  Microsoft Dynamics 365 enabled the company to turn on a dime when the pandemic hit. All customer service reps operated remotely rather than reporting to an office that does not accommodate physical distancing and might put their health at risk.

“With Dynamics 365 [Finance and Supply Chain Management] being cloud-based, we were instantly able to work remotely, protect our employees, and service our customers,”
says Steve Hey, the VP of IT for Hyland’s. “We did not have to deal with VPN, remote desktop, and the time entailed in setting up those technologies.”

Expanding Dynamics 365 Capabilities to Streamline Product Shipments

A key add-on tool that Hyland’s relies on is 365ParcelShip by Western Computer. The solution is an innovative shipping solution that consolidates carriers, rates, inventory, orders and customer details within Dynamics 365 Finance. There’s no additional programming or integration, no searching for multiple carrier sites, and no paying for costly third-party shipping integrations. 

“365ParcelShip by Western Computer has streamlined the process and reduced our packing and shipping effort by 50% while also maintaining the accuracy of our shipments,” Hey points out. “It is now 80% easier to manage our Amazon shipments because 365ParcelShip uploads all of the shipment information to Amazon. We are also able to provide proactive detailed tracking information to all of our customers automatically. 365ParcelShip is one of my favorite features in Dynamics 365!”

Product Sales Set New Records

With customer service reps working efficiently from their home offices, and with streamlined Amazon shipments, Hyland’s actually experienced its highest sales on record in the two months following the first stay-at-home mandates. Hyland’s attributes the remote success to Dynamics 365, gaining improved efficiencies in processing orders while not experiencing any performance issues.

The success that Hyland’s has enjoyed operating in the cloud presents an effective business model other companies can emulate. Those struggling to function under the burden of stay-at-home mandates can gain access to all the tools their employees need to share information and collaborate. More importantly, they can continue to provide products and services to customers.

Contact us today to find out how we can help your company leverage the power of the cloud to keep your business running smoothly during shelter-in-place mandates.