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What problem(s) did you face before working with OPAL?

We were experiencing significant bottlenecks related to processing Wayfair orders. Prior to OPAL, we were required to manually process each order in the extranet and print out labels separately for each order. In addition, we did not have a good way to get accurate inventory information to Wayfair (we needed specific logic to take into account on hand quantities, allocated quantities, BOM sub-components, etc.).

What made OPAL a good fit for you?

OPAL is extremely customizable, so we were able to make changes to meet the specific needs of our business – both from an order processing perspective and from an inventory reporting perspective.

What results have you achieved by using OPAL?

We have been able to dramatically cut down the amount of time it takes to process each order for Wayfair. Before, we were processing orders on the Wayfair extranet, now we are clicking a single button to batch all orders together and print all labels at the same time. This has allowed us to increase our number of orders processed daily by three fold….all while keeping the same staff that we had prior to OPAL. In addition, we are now reporting much more accurate inventory values due to the fact that we have customized our inventory feed being sent out, which takes into account allocations and raw materials inventory.

What would you say to someone else who is considering OPAL?

I would highly recommend OPAL. I would tell the person to make sure that they have a clear understanding of how their entire business process works and where the bottlenecks and issues are. From there, you can focus the attention of OPAL on those key areas and automate where necessary in order to provide a clear ROI.

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What problem(s) did you face before working with OPAL?

We used to manually enter all purchase orders by hand in to our QuickBooks order system. This was labor intensive and also created lots of mistakes, errors and return shipments. Also we manually entered all FEDEX small parcel labels and Bill of Ladings for LTL shipments. 

What made OPAL a good fit for you?

Opal provided a solution where EDI partner orders can be automatically imported in QuickBooks eliminating manual entry. Also we were able to automatically create and print shipping labels with pre-set rules that made our shipping process much faster. Training for Opal was under an hour and operating the entire procedure is very simple which made it easy for us to train our employees.

What results have you achieved by using OPAL?

Since we started OPAL for our automated processes for order entry and label creation, we were able to focus on the core of the business and the fulfillment processes. Our resources that we have allocated for order entry and shipping label creation opened up for us to use them in other areas. Our trading partners quickly saw the capacity increase in our fulfillment process and we were able to secure a larger number of orders. 

What would you say to someone else who is considering OPAL?

I would highly recommend Opal to any company who wants to create an automated procedure for order entry and label creation. Opal support is timely and responsive. Their solutions make sense and can be tailored for many needs that come up during the process. I’m extremely happy with the transition to Opal because it enabled for me to find the time on focusing other parts of the business.

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What problem(s) did you face before working with OPAL?

At the outset of our dropship journey, we realized that this could be a new business model we could not ignore.

We quickly realized that the processes that worked well for us on large wholesale orders would get very expensive when processing $10-$20 orders.

We needed a system to automate all steps except the physical pick, pack, ship and A/R payment posting.

What made OPAL a good fit for you?

We saw OPAL as a very smart all-in-one solution that is robust and reliable with excellent support and reasonably quick trading partner setups. 

What results have you achieved by using OPAL?

Once it was integrated/connected to our ERP system, we dramatically reduced processing time per order (measured from time we took shipping labels off the printer to posting payments in A/R). 

Our end to end processing time was reduced to 2 to 2.5 minutes per transaction vs 10-12mins before OPAL.

What would you say to someone else who is considering OPAL?

The system works well, great support although rarely needed. 

Once in place you will want to imagine and implement more process improvements 😊

Just do it!

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What problem(s) did you face before working with OPAL?

Before Opal we had to access individual web sites, download orders, then log into UPS / FedEx to ship. This was a time consuming and labor intensive process which did nothing to help scale the business. During these early days there was no inventory feeds or small package tracking numbers being sent on a regular basis.

What made OPAL a good fit for you?

What made Opal a good fit is having a seamless tool to handle all the Ecommerce functions with our retail partners.  From on-boarding integration to daily order processing along with invoice processing and sending inventory feeds, Opal handles it all and relieves the office staff from straying beyond their capabilities.  

What results have you achieved by using OPAL?

We have been able to scale the business without adding staff. In the pre-Opal days we were handling approximately 200 orders a week with much effort and labor costs.  With Opal we’ve been able to increase our business and now we regularly process over 1,000 orders weekly with the staff redeployed to sales generation activities rather than order processing efforts.

What would you say to someone else who is considering OPAL?

Opal changed the way to handle e-Commerce orders bringing office automation and efficiencies to a technology concentric function.  Opal is the heart of our Ecommerce fulfillment operation, allowing flawless order capture and invoice processing coupled with small package carrier integration all while using QuickBooks Enterprise.  Because of Opal we have grown the business by millions of dollars while keeping our accounting in a simple, cost effective software package.

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What problem(s) did you face before working with OPAL?

The past system was very cumbersome to use and expensive to maintain.

What made OPAL a good fit for you?

Not only has the platform helped us get more efficient and cost effective, but the Cityon team has been outstanding with our needs.

What results have you achieved by using OPAL?

It allowed us to integrate across multiple platforms with our customers in a cost effective manner.  Also, we have visibility through the reporting and query functions.

What would you say to someone else who is considering OPAL?

If you are looking for an EDI partner that is cost effective, a platform that can be customized and good customer service…then Cityon would be whom you should be partnering with.

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What problem(s) did you face before working with OPAL?

We were manually processing orders, which was very time-consuming because our fulfillment team would have to consolidate orders from different e-commerce channels, manually generate shipping labels, and manually upload tracking information into each partner’s vendor portal. Also, because it was a manual process, there were occasional (and costly) human errors, such as items being mis-shipped or already-fulfilled orders being mistakenly fulfilled again. We were also tracking inventory manually. When we started out, we had only a few SKUs and the manual tracking worked, but as our company and the number of SKUs grew, inventory tracking became a nightmare. Low-inventory items oftentimes were double-sold, and our inventory mistakes would mean we would have to cancel orders and give the customer a poor experience. Finding items in our warehouse was also difficult, as there was no way for inventory/warehouse staff to track bin location in our system. This caused our shipping turnaround time to slow down, which also made for a poor customer experience. 

What made OPAL a good fit for you?

We decided to go with OPAL because of the high level of customizability to make the system fit our very specific needs. We also felt that for what it was, the system was a good value. 

What results have you achieved by using OPAL?

We have benefited tremendously from the automation OPAL provides. From an order processing standpoint, the system automatically generates labels and pick lists, making our fulfillment process highly efficient. Our team is now able to process more orders in less time than before. The automation also provides peace of mind, as our team is unable to fulfill the same order twice, or fulfill an order with the wrong item. Inventory tracking is also much easier. The system is able to record bin locations so our warehouse team is able to easily find and pick items from inventory.

What would you say to someone else who is considering OPAL?

OPAL was the right system for us and I would highly recommend it to anyone considering an inventory tracking and order processing system. However, anyone considering OPAL should understand that the system wasn’t perfect “out of the box”. We worked hard with the CityOn team during the onboarding process to customize the system to our needs. If you are considering OPAL, this can absolutely be the system for you, but you need to clearly understand what your operating pain points are and what your ideal system needs to look like, and you must be ready to communicate extensively with the OPAL team to build that ideal system. This doesn’t happen overnight (for us, it happened in waves over the course of weeks and months), but in retrospect, the lengthy process was worth it and I would absolutely do it again. 

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What problem(s) did you face before working with OPAL?

Before Opal we were processing orders manually and this took too much time.  You had to login into multiple portals to process just 1 order. 

What made OPAL a good fit for you?

Opal was a good fit because they understood that all this manual data entry and accessing multiple portals could be automated.  Plus, the pricing was also very competitive.

What results have you achieved by using OPAL?

We have been able to save time by automating the order processing.  Plus, there is no issue of accuracy because the data stays intact from order to warehouse.

What would you say to someone else who is considering OPAL?

Opal is great choice in helping you process orders quickly and accurately.  You can also customize your order process if needed.

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What problem(s) did you face before working with OPAL?

I transitioned to Opal after working with a well-known EDI third party company. There were lots of issues, as they had a cumbersome system to process orders, which differed by partner.  The worst problem I had was that whenever there was a snag in the system, we could not reach anyone in their team, we had to create a case and wait until they responded. Many times their response was that their team was not responsible for a particular aspect (integration with QuickBooks, integration with UPS, partner setup, etc.) and the case was referred to that other team, but in the meantime we lost a lot of time, and many times got penalized by our partners for not receiving the information on time.

What made OPAL a good fit for you?

I have always been able to reach someone in Opal to help if there are issues related to orders, errors, etc.  The staff is very helpful and knowledgeable and generally resolve the issues right away. To me that is the most important quality I look for in a partner processor.

What results have you achieved by using OPAL?

Our process has been streamlined to a very user friendly system. We have been able to add partners and customization is available if the need arises.  We have grown our business tremendously without having to add staff to process orders.

What would you say to someone else who is considering OPAL?

I would definitely recommend Opal. I think their strength is the personal approach with the customer that makes you feel they value you as a customer.

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What problem(s) did you face before working with OPAL?

We had separate shipping and packing stations. This created a large backlog of orders at the end of the day

Our teams did not have access to information they needed. For example, # orders packed per packer, orders left unpacked at the end of the day, etc.

What made OPAL a good fit for you?

• Flexibility: the  platform can be easily modified to meet the needs of our operations
• People: The team is great to work with; always accommodating and responsive

What results have you achieved by using OPAL?

• Increase in WH productivity
• Transparency to Operations

What would you say to someone else who is considering OPAL?

When taking on a platform, you’re taking on a partner. The OPAL team is just that.

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What problem(s) did you face before working with OPAL?

Time and cost were big issues with previous EDI services we used. Most of them charged per transaction which ends up costing a lot more than projected when sales increase. Also, other services still required a lot of manual entry to get orders processed. 

What made OPAL a good fit for you?

Their platform is easy to use, have set pricing that does not vary based on transaction counts, and Opal is very customizable. Since every company operates differently, this is key. We need a partner that is able to make the system work the best way possible for our company. 

What results have you achieved by using OPAL?

Our operational efficiency has been very significant as we have continued to grow. Opal is now the primary system in our order process and that is very important since most of Opal is fully automated. 

What would you say to someone else who is considering OPAL?

If you have tried other EDI providers and are not satisfied with their service or pricing structure, give Opal a try. Transparent pricing and a platform that grows with your company are key aspects of Opal. I cannot imagine how we would operate without Opal. 

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What problem(s) did you face before working with OPAL?

Time to process orders. It was incredibly time consuming processing orders through the old process. Opal has streamlined the order processing and saves me and my staff countless hours.

What made OPAL a good fit for you?

Everything! The software and team that stands behind it is impeccable.

What results have you achieved by using OPAL?

I am able to process orders in minutes that would have taken hours. The Opal system gives me the freedom to accept and process as many orders as I want each day, where I was limited to accepting a certain amount of orders do to processing ability.

What would you say to someone else who is considering OPAL?

Do not hesitate, the Opal system is a time saver and will give you the freedom to process as many orders as you want. The team at Cityon are absolute professionals and the service they provide is crucial for expansion and ease of processing orders. 

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