Antelliq – Distributor Portal and Install Base
Antelliq is an international corporate which provides technological solutions for animal identification, control & monitoring , controlled by the American pharmaceutical Merck & Co.
The main users of the company’s products and services are operating in the cattle, dairy and aquaculture industries. The numbers are of hundreds of millions animals around the world. The company’s products are based on hardware and related software, managed in the cloud.
As an international company, the company’s business model is built on an array of local distributors in each territory, managed under regions – in different locations around the world.
The company’s end customers are the dairy industry (eg. dairy farms), cattle, aquaculture and the pet care Market.
Needs, pains and challenges
- Product Warranty – Warranty events were managed manually and not automatically, which was suitable to a small company, but as it grew – the process had to become automatic and monitored.
- Lack of control over product license management – There was no linkage between a specific product and an end user.
- Service – long service time and lack of synchronization
- Important data that is not accessible to the company – As in many B2B companies, where the company’s direct customers are its distributors, and not necessarily the end user, the big challenge is to reach data about users in order to optimize the company’s business plan
The solution
Development and implementation of a distributor portal system used as an install base data bank.
The web based system developed by Mount Apps , encompasses all business activity interfaces in the three circuits – Antelliq, the distributor and the end customer. In fact, by using this system, the distributor manages all the daily activities with the end customers in complete transparency to the decisions meker , which can use the accumulated DATA for the development and improvement of products and services.
System modules:
- End customer list management
- Inventory status view
- Sales registration for end customers
- Warranty Events reporting at RMA
- Customers products data view
- Service calls management
- Activation of products in the field
- Interfaces with the products in the field
- API with the company’s billing, CRM and Priority system
- Notifications
- Reports
Technological characteristics of the solution
The system database is managed in Priority ERP suit. The natural decision to manage the project in Priority stems from the objective of simplifying the integration to the internal organizational Priority system, in addition to the fact that this system already contains the basic entities – customer, product, delivery notes, service calls, RMA.
The web server is ASP.NET WEB API and the user interface is developed in Angular.
Data is transferred to Priority using Priority’s ODATA REST API.
The site has a separate user management system that allows administrators to set up an unlimited number of users at no extra cost.
The user interface is uncompromisingly designed and precisely tailored to the needs of the users, to result a website that has a clean – intuitive look, very short response times, and inexpensive to operate and maintain on a regular basis.
The added value
- The system is a powerful and significant tool in the company’s interface for its distributing customers. This is a tool that empowers them in their day-to-day interaction with end customers, in parameters such as – automation, agility, customer data availability, contact with the company.
- A global end customer database which provides a broad and in-depth picture of the market, the needs of the market and customers, consumer behavior, etc. – which allows the company to adapt and specify the courses of action.
- A critical path in the sales process – the hardware is ordered by the distributors according to the sales forecast, and it is registered as the distributor’s inventory automatically as soon as it is sent from the company. Sales made by the distributor to end customers are recorded by him on the website. upon the registration on the website, the license (software) is activated in the field at the customer’s site, and the company bills the distributor for the software – completely automatically. The data is cross-referenced, verified and enables control of licenses by end users – and in fact serves as an interface point between the company-product-distributor-and the customer in the field.
- Accelerate shortening and automation of warranty processes – In warranty events (RMA) the distributor knows – In real time – what is the warranty status of the product and what is the monetary value in case of a credit. He can report warranty events, understand the warranty status of the product (warranty / non-warranty / credit in relation to the age of the product) and close the ticket quickly and efficiently. The data and info availability to the distributor, combined with the rapid processes, contributes to the distributor’s motivation to promote more of the company’s products over competing products they represent.
- Service – accessible information contributed to all levels of customer service. The notifications enable the technicians to accurately understand the problem, the response time improves, and the entire system is “calibrated” for providing the fastest and best service in terms of response time, fault prioritization and quality response of the technicians in the field.
Summary
Since its implementation, the install base system has become a critical path and the company’s main sales pipeline.
For distributors – the system is used as a significant and everyday tool in their work and interface with end users – in terms of sales, service and technical response.
The very success of the project is reaching the finish line – to a state where the system works, simplifies processes, saves time and money and users are satisfied – it is a great success, and especially the fact that it contributes to agility both as a concept and in the process at all interfaces – company, distributor and end customers.a