Gemma Wakerley is the owner of Booker Flowers and Gifts, an award-winning florist based on Booker Avenue in Liverpool. Booker Flowers has been using Digital Florists for managing their daily operations since Summer 2022 after migrating from a leading Florist software company.
Can you tell us about your business and the primary challenges you were facing before using Digital Florists?
I had experience of using 2 order management systems, one from a leading relay company and one who had been around for a long time and is probably the market leader in this field.
Although they kept all my orders in one place and helped me manage my order on a day to day basis I found the delivery features sadly lacking and whilst this was a minor problem on a day to day basis at peak this scaled to be a massive problem. Often leaving me sorting and organising my routes at stupid o'clock the night before a peak.
To help reduce my carbon footprint I also wanted to go paperless and this was not possible on either system or other solutions that were on the market at the time.
Challenges:
How were these challenges impacting your business operations?
Gemma split the challenges they faced into three different categories
Day-to-day operations
We had day-to-day shortcomings which, although annoying, were possible to workaround by adding spreadsheets, extra paper and taking on additional administrative burdens.
During Peaks
This is where they became problematic because all the workarounds involved time, e.g entering postcodes into spreadsheets to put through routing software. On a day to day basis this time was negligible, however when the magnitude of orders was increasing by 10-20x, it took a huge amount of time to get ready, which we're already massively short of over our peaks.
Customer Expectations
I was also aware that customers were increasingly asking for notifications and photos and that in this day and age these softwares could not provide that I found frustrating.
What were your primary goals in seeking a software solution?
To free up my time especially at peaks, to give good customer service and go paperless.
Solution:
Which features of our software were most beneficial in addressing your challenges?
Delivery routing and notifications and the ability to upload my peak stock and substitute easily so that I know what bouquets I have left to sell at any given point during a peak.
Were there any unique or innovative ways you utilised Digital Florists?
The diary and planner system which allows me to keep track of daily tasks and appointments. Being able to link these tasks to orders is also really useful giving an audit trial of what is done when and by who.
Custom Workflows to create automatic tasks linked to certain types of orders
Implementation:
Can you describe the process of implementing our software?
The initial set up of any software is going to take time such as loading customers and products onto the system, however Lewis made this as painless as possible.
How was the adoption process among your team?
Although sceptical at first and resistant to learning a new system the team were pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to use and really impressed with how it keeps track of everything
Flora – Senior Florist
Initially anxious and apprehensive at having to use new system. However I needn't have been as the OMS is easy to follow. It flows well and is quick, from taking order, payment and when it comes to arranging delivery run. Amazed by the technology behind it and what it can achieve making our lives easier and more efficient. Even for someone not tech savvy OMS is manageable and easy to use.
Mia - Senior Florist and Events co-ordinator
When I joined Booker Flowers they were already using the Digital Florist Order Management System, I had previously used other order management systems but hands down this one is the best. I was amazed by how user-friendly it was. The design is so clever that I didn't need a ton of training.
I was not sure how it was going to work being paperless but it was a really easy transition. The Dashboard helps me see what is going on and stay on top of what needs to be done. Also no more headaches from pricing out each flower as the weddings the events portal makes quoting a breeze and is a real time-saver.
Fleur - Senior Florist and Manager
Speaking as someone who instant a big fan of IT I can honestly say that our new Order Management System has truly exceeded my expectations. It is super efficient accurate and the organization is second to none. The Transformation of the way we manage orders is mind-blowing and saves so much time which as we all know costs money!
That you can see the photo of the order after it has been delivered is really useful and being able to see information on past orders is really useful. Duplicate identities are not a problem like it was with the 2 other OMS systems we have used.
From a management point of view I find the logs for orders and tasks really useful as I can see who has done what when.
Results:
How does it compare to your previous software?
I totally knocks the socks off them, and has revolutionised how I spend my time especially during peaks
Could you share some quantifiable results or improvements you’ve seen since using our software?
At peaks either myself or a member of staff was chained to the computer keeping track of orders as they came in manually typing them into a spreadsheet for delivery run and make up purposes. Whilst also trying to keep track of what is sold and what we still have to sell. Now the software does most of this for us meaning a member of staff is now free to make up and serve customers just when we need it.
Did the software help in achieving the goals you set?
Totally and more.
Have your customers noticed any changes in how you work? What do they think?
The customers love the notification system and especially the photo of the flowers the received upon delivery and it is something that regularly gets mentioned on reviews. Which incidentally have increased since the implementation of the system as the software automates the asking for reviews.
Here's what Gemma's customers are saying:
In summary, how would you describe the impact of our software on your business operations?
The software has made our business operate more smoothly - on a day to day basis no more fighting with printers or forgetting to put the bins out. And at peaks giving us an extra person to help meaning we all get home a bit earlier.
⚠️ Gemma is a partner in Digital Florists, all details in this case study is a true reflection of her experience using the Digital Florists Platform. ⚠️