How Skeleton Key Helped a Manufacturing Company Streamline Production
Skeleton Key specializes in leveraging the power of the Claris FileMaker platform to streamline operations for companies in every industry. Here’s how we helped a manufacturing company develop a more seamless experience for customers, employees, and the production process.
The Work Rut at Vistabule Teardrop Trailers
Based in St. Paul, Minnesota, Vistabule designs, manufactures, and sells highly customizable teardrop trailers. All of their trailers are made to order, so tracking orders at every stage of the production process is critical to customer satisfaction. Previously, customers had to download and fill out an Excel worksheet to place an order. The process was time-consuming, confusing, and prone to errors because customers had to work with a complicated pricing sheet in Excel.
On an operational level, relying on Excel spreadsheets for tracking trailer orders made it difficult to stay on top of critical metrics. Vistabule had no easy way to report on or predict future costs related to the parts they used. This struggle also resulted in shortages of in-demand components, leading to delayed manufacturing timelines. And if manufacturers placed recalls on specific parts Vistabule had used in the past, there was no easy way to track which parts had ended up on which trailer so they could notify customers.
In short, Vistabule was plagued by a complicated customer experience along with needing a centralized platform for data management, pricing orders, order status tracking, shipping timelines, invoicing, reporting, and customer relationship management. Vistabule had hit a work rut that was holding them back from achieving their broader business goals.
How Skeleton Key Helped Vistabule Overcome Inefficiency
The Claris FileMaker solution Skeleton Key built for Vistabule has provided them with:
Seamless Integration
To tackle the problem of an inefficient, complicated ordering system, our team first developed a solution with a building and estimating tool. This tool integrates with other features of their system to track orders, invoicing, the status of specific parts, expected shipping dates, demand forecasts, and customer engagement. Now Vistabule has access to the critical data they rely on for day-to-day operations consolidated in one centralized platform.
WebDirect Ordering
Our team is also in the process of rolling out an intelligent and guided WebDirect version of their Claris FileMaker solution to make it easier for future customers to place orders directly on Vistabule’s website. That way customers will no longer be confused by a tedious spreadsheet, and Vistabule will no longer struggle with trying to track orders in Excel.
Improved Customer Safety
The Claris FileMaker solution we built for Vistabule makes it easy for their team to prioritize customer safety. Part orders are linked to customers and tracked in the system, so all of the components Vistabule uses on a trailer are connected to the owner. In the event of a recall, Vistabule will know exactly which customers are affected and be able to notify them accordingly.
Simplified Customer Relations
Vistabule now has the ability to track potential customers who are interested in their products, making marketing a breeze while converting prospects into happy customers.
Forecasts for Parts
Vistabule’s Claris FileMaker solution accounts for how many customers order specific parts to ensure that those critical parts are always on hand by the time they’re needed in the manufacturing process. They can also create intuitive reports that help them align their operations and inventory with what customers want.
More Efficient Workflows
Ultimately, with our solution, the team at Vistabule saves substantial time that in the past would have been spent putting in orders and tracking down parts. Tracking customer orders and parts is now an intuitive process. Actionable information is always just a click away, and orders are delivered to customers in a more timely manner.
Skeleton Key Is Here to Help You Next
Has this case study given you some ideas about how a Claris FileMaker solution can help streamline your business operations? If so, contact the experts at Skeleton Key today. Our team will work with you to create a customized solution around your unique inefficiencies and broader goals. When you partner with Skeleton Key, your team always has the tools to succeed today while preparing for the challenges tomorrow may bring.
