Penumbra embarked upon a set of modernization initiatives to enhance their processes by taking advantage of new technologies. The aim was to improve efficiency, increase employee productivity and free up time for higher-value tasks. One such initiative focuses on digitizing field operations. The process of managing and reconciling product stock at their 2000+ customer locations worldwide was challenging, and the underlying complexity had several opportunities to benefit from new technology and process changes. The field personnel frequently reconcile contracted inventory at customer locations. This requires accurate recording of inventory used and replenishing used inventory either through travel stock carried by the field personnel or by placing an order. The main subprocesses were:
Penumbra was looking for a system / solution which could help increase efficiency, reduce stock discrepancies, and provide a unified view of their field operations in near real-time.
Team Accellor understood the objective and designed a unique solution using the Salesforce platform to manage their entire Field Operations, eliminating the need to have multiple systems, and automating previously manual steps. With a fast-track proof of concept, we were able to demonstrate that Salesforce was the right choice. The alternatives were mostly industry-specific products specializing in the medical devices supply chain. However, we were able to highlight critical business process automation through process flows and configuration.
The MVP was launched in 2 months with an enhanced Consignment Assignment and reconciliation process. A custom application with business processes on the Salesforce platform was deployed for the users. Salesforce mobile SDK was used to provide rich functionality for field sales personnel. The integrated mobile application had a built-in barcode scanner, the ability to perform stock checks, and stock transfers. The field sales personnel have an option to plug in an external handheld scanner and have support for offline mode in case of no connectivity. Transactions, acknowledgements, and reports stay in sync as soon as connectivity is available to the device.
The solution has addressed complex functionality.
Product
Penumbra Field operations team today has a fully integrated platform that is both a System of Engagement and a System of Record. The new system has increased efficiency, reduced errors, and delighted users while reducing the costs of operations. A single application to transact, hardware scanners are no longer used; Manual steps were eliminated.
Reduced
