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Case Study: Hauser Chocolatier
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By definition, fine chocolate is decadent. But, Hauser Chocolatier strives to go one step further,
"beyond traditional gourmet," to offer "truffies redefined."
Founded by Swiss-born Ruedi Hauser, Sr., a former luxury-liner chef patissier and confiseur,
Hauser Chocolatier has been featured in Bon Appetit Magazine. Made with fresh cream, and
a blend of select, premium chocolate, Hauser chocolates are often called the world's most
distinctive truffies. The company is now led by Rudi Hauser, Jr., a certified master chocolatier.
Out with the Old
Old-world quality may be great for a chocolate manufacturer, but old-style business systems are
not. Hauser Chocolatier learned this the hard way, struggling for years with outdated DOS-based
accounting software.
"The manufacturer had been sold several times, and nobody supported the software anymore,"
says Rudi Hauser, Jr., president. "Nothing was integrated. We had to reenter data over and over,
causing errors. We needed a seamless flow of information, all the way from order entry through
shipping. We also needed flexibility to accommodate our unique price structure. After looking at
many different accounting systems, we discovered Sage MAS 90 ERP."
Benefit of Many Modules
Today, Sage MAS 90 manages all business functions for the chocolate manufacturer. "It is our
basic accounting package, and much more. Our accountant uses almost all of the accounting-
related functions in Sage MAS 90. The Purchase Order module tracks raw materials coming in. We
also use the module as a work order system, since we generate materials in-house that we later
use ourselves in manufacturing," says Hauser.
The Inventory Management module helps the company with production planning. "The system
tells us what we have in stock. We no longer have to run out to the warehouse to check quantities
when a customer places an order," Hauser notes.
Hauser recently implemented an Extended Solution import utility
for the Sales Order module. "The utility ties our Web site to Sage
MAS 90, and makes all orders available on our servers," he says.
"With just a few keystrokes, we can download and import as many
as 50 orders at once"in the time that a single order would take.
Customers determine their shipping preferences on the Web site,
and the data goes immediately into the system, saving even more
time."
ACT! by Sage
"We use ACT! by Sage to manage our customer relations," Hauser
continues. "It tracks all customer contacts, including ordering
and telemarketing. Keeping detailed notes allows us to give more
personalized service. No matter who speaks with a customer, we
know their typical order. This is particularly useful for wholesale
accounts.
"ACT! by Sage integrates with the Sales Order module, so we place
orders while still on the phone. The order flows directly to shipping,
and is either set aside for custom processing, or is shipped right
away for off-the-shelf items," he adds.
Streamlining with StarShip
Hauser Chocolatier uses the StarShip module to automate its
shipping department. StarShip receives data directly from Sage
MAS 90, and generates shipping labels and bills of lading. "Because
StarShip eliminates redundant data entry, it helps us avoid mistakes.
For example, one of our vendors sent us three different deliveries last
year intended for someone with a similar name. We don't have those
kinds of problem anymore, thanks to Sage Software."
StarShip has resulted in dramatic efficiencies. "Our order processing
time has been cut by 75 percent. We've increased order volume by
20 percent in the last three years, and have not had to add new staff,
thanks to StarShip," Hauser says.
Rapid Reconciliation
"When our business partner urged me to get the Bank Reconciliation
module, I resisted. After all, reconciling your bank statement is fairly
simple. But after trying the module, I was pleasantly surprised. It
easily cut reconciliation time in half.
Launching the new Sage MAS 90 system went smoothly. "I've done
several system implementations before, and this was one of the
fastest and easiest. Within a month, we had cut over completely, and
were 100 percent live on Sage Software. Credit goes to our business
partner, who is so good that we rarely see him. If something needs
attention, he solves the issue remotely."
The biggest and most significant improvement from adopting Sage
Software, however, has come from company-wide integration. "It
makes life so much easier to have all of our disparate functions tied
together at last," notes Hauser. "Information flows from one module
to the next without us even noticing"exactly the way we wanted."
ABOUT SAGE SOFTWARE
Sage Software supports the needs, challenges, and dreams of more than 2.7 million
small and midsized business customers in North America through easy-to-use, scalable,
and customizable software and services. Our products help manage a complete range of
business functions including: accounting, operations, customer relationship management,
human resources, time tracking, merchant services and the specialized needs of the
construction, distribution, healthcare, manufacturing, nonproit, and real estate industries.