At a2b, we believe that technology is the driver in our industry and therefore we continuously explore and implement solutions that result in higher efficiencies and better quality.
Our best-of-breed systems are supported by dozens of information technology professionals, and span five major categories: Business Intelligence, Warehouse Management System (WMS), Shipping Intelligence, Order Management (OMS), and Contact Center.
Business Intelligence (BI)
Clients are provided with complete visibility into our operation from any web browser through our BI platform called a2b Engage, which allows you to gain insight into your organization’s data, including Inventory, Orders, Receipts and Returns, Shipping and Trends, all complete with graphical reporting and mobile capabilities. Deep analytical applications are available to support data mining and trending activities.
Warehouse Management (WMS)
Leveraging an enterprise-class Warehouse Management System (WMS), a2b maintains a completely paperless distribution environment where an intelligent system orchestrates and directs all activities.
Each of our warehouse and fulfillment associates interact with mobile devices (typically mounted to equipment or worn on the body). Bar code scanning is incorporated multiple times through the receiving, storage, and order fulfillment processes, practically eliminating errors of any kind. And visibility into inventory and all activity is in real-time.
Here are just some of the many features that our system supports:
- Lot and Expiry Control
- Configurable FIFO/FEFO/LIFO/LEFO by sku
- Multiple and Customizable UOM support
- SKU Profiling and Slotting
- SKU Aliasing and Substituting
- Kit-to-Stock (pre-building of kits via formal Work Order process)
- Kit-to-Order (kitting on demand)
- Item Bundling
- Directed Putaway
- Directed Replenishment
- Directed Cycle Counting with variance reporting
- Multiple Picking and Packing Process Options
- Crossdocking
- Customizable Packing Lists with Complex Logic Messaging
- Customizable Labels and Documents
- Notification Engine
- Integration Engine to seamlessly connect to external systems
- EDI Enabled
- Secure Online Reporting Portal
- Secure Online Ordering Portal
- more
Shipping Intelligence
Our Shipping Intelligence system applies logic to outbound orders so that you always use the right carrier and service based on a particular goal without paying a penny more than you should.
The two main logic categories are Cost and Time-in-Transit:
Cost
Oftentimes, lowest cost is the most important metric. Our system will seek out the lowest cost carrier and service while also taking into account carrier surcharges, such as residential and delivery area surcharges, weight and size penalties by service, and more to ensure that the best decision is made.
Time-in-Transit
Many shippers today are looking for a balance between time and cost. Our system can look at the address that we’re shipping to and determine the time in transit by service and then apply the least expensive service that satisfies the transit time goal. For example, if a 2 day transit is required, our technology will determine if regular Ground service reaches that address in 2 days (and most of the time it will based on our proximity to most US and Canadian consumers). This sophistication means that the package is shipped at a fraction of the cost of 2 day express service. Never pay for express service unnecessarily again!
Order Management (OMS)
The Order Management System (OMS) is an exceptionally sophisticated platform designed to manage the entire lifecycle of customers and their orders. a2b’s OMS will help you consolidate orders from multiple sources (web, call center, ivr, etc.), facilitate payment processing, multi-pay and continuity programs, and then serve as the platform for maintaining the customer relationship, including Customer Care.
Leverage the system’s advanced reporting to analyze where your sales are coming from and how well those sales sources perform after considering returns and continuity stick rates. Manage everything from back orders to bad debt. Our system is pre-integrated with the industry’s leading shopping carts, inbound call centers, payment processors and other value-added service providers.
Here are just some of the many features that our system supports:
- PCI DSS Level One Certified
- Back Order Management
- Payment Processing (Auth & Settle)
- Tokenization Support
- Single and Multi-Payment Support
- Sales Tax Engine
- Continuity and Subscription Management
- Offer / Media / DNIS Tracking
- RMA and Refund Management
- Customer Care Platform
- Notifications Engine
Contact Center Platform
Our cloud-based contact center platform is built with flexibility and redundancy in mind. Inbound calls begin in a carrier-grade, tier-1 facility and then routed to a2b agents based on skill and performance-based metrics. The appropriate script is called to the screen and the system whispers to the agent who the call is for and even the nature of the call if known based on an IVR selection.
All voice traffic is encrypted and call recordings stored securely for monitoring by our Quality Assurance team as well as by our clients on demand. Our Contact Center trainers can live monitor and live coach agents, where only the agent can hear the supervisor, providing a real world training experience, bringing our agents up to speed in record time.
Our powerful Interactive Voice Response (IVR) platform can be utilized not only to route calls but also to provide answers to common questions.!