Integrating systems can be a complex and difficult process which is why we have done the hard work for you and built standard integrations with some common systems used by our intended clients – Online Retailers with their own warehouse. If you are not in this category don’t worry because the system is applicable to any business with straightforward warehousing and distribution requirements.
The simplest integrated solution we have is a direct integration with Shopify. If you are currently managing your order fulfillment through Shopify or your freight system (e.g. Starshipit) then this is the simplest and fastest way to get control of your warehouse and speed up your order fulfillment.
If your order management is more complex because you are also wholesaling then you will probably be using an inventory management system like Cin7 or Unleashed. We are ready to go with all both. If you are using Dear Inventory then let us know, as we are keen to build this integration next. Dear Inventory is also excellent inventory management system like Unleashed and Cin7 that connects to the major cloud accounting systems.
If you are using traditional PC accounting systems Reckon, Reckon Hosted and Quick Books then we also have a very good integration that will significantly lift your capability. These systems are old but still highly functional business systems with good enough inventory and order management. And they are cheap compared to the cost of upgrading to a mid-market ERP like NetSuite or SAP BBY. We have several integrations that help bring these systems up to date with webstore and market place integrations and database synchronisations for multi-company operations.
For mid market ERP users, we also have a SAP Business One integration is available through a third party developer for businesses. Integrations with SAP Business By Design, MS Dynamics 365, and NetSuite are on our agenda for later but the right customer will accelerate our enthusiasm.
Freight system connections are important for shipping, so we connect with Starshipit, Shippit, and SmartFreight. ShipStation and MachShip are most likely next so talk to us to find out more. These connections are relatively easy to build so ask us about your system if you are using something different.
If you run your own delivery fleet we connect with Yojee for simple delivery management and tracking for your local customers. We’ll have more options coming for fleet managers in future.
Returns can be a pain, so if you want to automate customer interactions with a Returns Management app we connect to Return Logic and Return Rabbit is on our roadmap. Return Rabbit is deeply integrated with Shopify and oriented towards retaining the customer and the sale. We think Return Rabbit has potential to be a major player in returns management so let us know if you are keen to use it.
Just a quick word to 3PLs. The LCC-WMS is a multi-client system with billing functions to support growing 3PL businesses. All of these integrations would be perfect for a 3PL business looking to serve the eCommerce market and would allow you to have a deep integration with your clients that most 3PLs don’t offer. Our built in middleware also allows for simple integrations of client purchases and sales orders/invoices from flat file integrations, email attachments, spreadsheet file uploads and even intelligent PDF data extraction (with an add on).
Integrations Help You Scale
One of the benefits of using a modular ecosystem of Cloud applications to run your business is that you can add or swap out applications when you need to upgrade as your business grows. If you need better functionality to help manage your warehouse now, but you also know that you will eventually need to upgrade your financial or inventory management systems, then you can upgrade to the LCC WMS and start getting the benefits now. Later, when you upgrade your other business systems all you need to do is update the integration to connect to the new inventory system. This way your warehouse team continues to operate with minimal impact from the other system upgrade. This also makes an inventory system implementation simpler as the warehousing and fulfillment processes are already being taken care of by the LCC WMS.
Below are some typical application ecosystems for different types and stages of business.
Stage 1 – Online Retail Start-Up
You’re not long out of start up in still in the garage or small warehouse unit. You can happily manage your fulfillment with Shopify or your freight system. This is simple and works well when your stock levels are low and everything is quick and easy to find in a small space. The process hits its limits when you start shipping orders in volume and need to hire more staff who don’t know your products or where items are located and they are much slower and make more mistakes than experienced staff. This puts a lid on your capacity to grow because you are dependent on people instead of process.
Stage 2 – Online Retailer Scaling Up Fulfillment
Online Retailers scaling up will usually have a warehouse problem as they grow and they may look to an inventory management system to solve it. But it will not. Inventory management systems are primarily designed to track dollars not boxes. Scale up your fulfillment with a warehouse management system designed to ship orders accurately and at high volume. If your inventory and order management are simple then your best investment to help you scale up is likely to be a warehouse system. The WMS will systematise your warehouse with standard processes guided by the mobile workflow that even newbies can follow easily. This will move you from people dependence to process dependence and is the most critical step you need to take to start operating at scale.
Stage 3 – Online Retailer with growing complexity
An Online Retailer with more complex inventory management needs such as more options for inventory costing, managing purchase orders, calculating landed cost when importing. This requires a Cloud inventory management system such as Unleashed or Cin7 or the big leap to an ERP. If you are unsure of whether you need a WMS and an inventory/ERP system then you probably need both. Implementing both together will cost less and is less disruptive to your business than doing them separately. Of course if you’ve already wisely invested in our WMS then replacing just your accounting and order management systems will be a lot easier.
Stage 4 – Online Retailer With Complex Inventory Management
As you grow and add more sales channels, supply sources and distribution centres, your inventory management will get complex. Purchase and distribution planning and forecasting will likely need the specialist functionality of a Cloud planning system such as inventory-planner.com, NetStock or SlimStock. Implementing a planning system has a very high value return for most businesses in reducing overstocks and understocks and helping to identify slow moving and dead stock that needs to be moved on to free up space for stock that sells.
Wholesale/ Retail Business
Wholesale/Retail business with traditional ERP system and complex operations. Logistics Cloud Co. can connect with your traditional on premises ERP such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 or SAP BBD, Pronto, Sage etc or a Cloud ERP such as Netsuite. We don’t yet have standard connections with these systems but if you are at this scale you may well need something bespoke. Call us to find out more.
3PL Third Party Logistics / Contract Warehousing Businesses
3PL Business need a multi-client WMS with the ability to collect activity data and use client rate cards to accurately bill for their work. The Logistics Cloud Co. Warehouse Management System can do that for you.
Every integration we already have can be used to connect to a client system. Plus our standard integration tables allow your clients or you to write your own integrations. The LCC WMS can also run very effectively without Client integration by allowing 3PL Clients to email their inbound and outbound orders to the WMS import email address to load the orders without manual data entry. All of this is existing integration capability you can use now. We can of course extend this with custom client integrations that we can build for you.
If you have complex requirements, then a bespoke implementation of the WMS on your own server or a cloud server we manage for you is also an option.
