Bizlinc^TM

Solatube with Bizlinc and Saasu

We sat down with Maria Douglas from Solatube to find out how they’re using Bizlinc and the Bizlinc-Saasu connector to create a 360-degree solution for their Natural Daylighting Product dealer network…

By moving to Bizlinc, our dealers have a more inclusive system to manage their sales process, from the initial enquiry to the installation. With a cloud based accounting system and using direct connectivity to Bizlinc, we have a more robust integration process that was simple to set up and use.

Solatube and the system they’re creating for their dealer network

Solatube sells and distributes Natural Daylighting Products to a network of dealers that provide customers with product and installation quotations based on their lighting needs.  Solatube needed to provide an efficient system for quote generation, inventory management and portal access that could be used as an operational model and could be presented to their dealer network as a “best practice” framework.

By connecting Bizlinc to Saasu right from the start, Solatube would have an integrated system delivering sales, quoting and delivery/install management with Saasu as a back-end accounting system.

Attacking inefficiency with no re-keying and no double handling

One of the primary motivations for adopting cloud technologies such as Bizlinc and Saasu – and connecting them was to reduce inefficiencies when managing data. By synchronising data between Bizlinc and Saasu, administration staff no longer have to perform duplicate data entry between operations and accounting activities. By simply monitoring the connector, team members are now alerted to any inconsistencies within the data and can resolve issues as they arise – rather than perform labor-intensive data reconciliations.

Our move to Saasu has proved to be a success and made life easier by being completely in the cloud and having seamless integration with Bizlinc. 

Quotations created in the field

The primary feature that enabled Solatube and it’s dealers to move away from paper or spreadsheet-based operations was the ability to create or approve quotations via mobile devices in the field. Solatube dealers visit customer sites directly to get a better understanding of their lighting requirements as well as take measurements and discuss the product options with the client. Certified installers can generate quotes directly on a laptop or tablet device and present the customer with a number of quote options based on their findings on-site. Quotes are obviously reflected in real-time time back at the dealer’s office for checking and subsequent follow-up at a later date.

The ability to customise Bizlinc’s fields and layouts was key to the success of this project. Dealers and certified installers have a significant amount of industry-specific data that needs to be collected during the site visit. The ability to add as many custom data fields, formulas and pre-configured drop-down pick-lists meant that information is easy to enter and permanently record directly against the quote. Quotes can be delivered directly to the customer’s email address while the installer is still on-site.