Driving Success in the AEC industry with tailor-made Salesforce Solutions

In mid-2019, we received a collaboration request from this Australian company. The initial challenge was the client’s legacy system. Westkon, an early adopter of Salesforce since 2008, presented a unique aspect to the project: instead of implementing the Salesforce solution, a core service of ours, we inherited and had to improve their existing system. The system then required modernization to align with the latest technological features offered by Salesforce.

The collaboration began as a project-based engagement, with the client providing specific requirements. We successfully implemented these requirements, showcasing our expertise in two vital areas of Salesforce support: consulting and solution development.

Following that, to the delight of both parties, the collaboration was extended and flourished for a remarkable five years. Over this period, we have evolved into experts in Salesforce solutions within the AEC industry, with Westkon standing out as one of our most successful and enduring projects.

In the specified period (2019 – today), where we completed numerous tasks, we’ll spotlight the most noteworthy achievements and advancements in critical business areas. 

Initially, we embarked on a groundbreaking transformation by transitioning the existing system from Classic to the Lightning environment. This inaugural Westkon project involved a thorough review of all components and functionalities, seamlessly aligning them with the new system. The adoption of Salesforce Lightning brought about innovations in functionality, navigation, components, and the generation of business reports. Over the subsequent five years, the following accomplishments were realized:

• The manufacturing costs were reduced after implementing production planning and management modules, as well as a comprehensive time and attendance module. These solutions provided timely and accurate information, empowering project managers to plan labor and resources well in advance, and steering away from guesswork and potential crises. Moreover, we have achieved a substantial increase in productivity. The live labor data supplied by the system, a critical aspect of Westkon’s business, enables decision-makers to promptly respond and adjust manufacturing parameters, enabling the company to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and stay within the project’s budget.

In addition, we have also attained 100% system stability for logging employees’ working hours, a vital element for the company’s operations that directly impacts the calculation of employee and associate wages. Operating with zero tolerance for errors, the system ensures precise compensation for each recorded working hour.

Such solutions prove particularly essential in industries with a significant temporary workforce, elevating production plant productivity and ensuring the successful completion of planned projects within designated time frames. 

• We achieved a reduction in recasts by implementing a rigorous quality control system that is monitored daily, resulting in substantial cost savings. Additionally, we bolstered the QA segment, enhancing customer satisfaction by revitalizing and upgrading the existing QA module. The introduction of new options and streamlined processes throughout the quality control chain, including efficient documentation generation, directly contributed to heightened customer satisfaction, incorporating client-driven quality control measures. Advancing beyond the initial few complaints and challenges, we have now reached a point where Westkon customers have not raised any concerns in the past 12 months.

• Significant time savings were achieved by developing a new solution to generate precise reports and by introducing modules to streamline the traditionally time-intensive reporting process. The reporting system also provided the Westkon team with invaluable real-time information, enabling informed decision-making and eliminating guesswork.

• The introduction of the automatic time and attendance system, as part of Westkonnect, resulted in Westkon saving two full days of data entry.
• Implementing the Project Management tool as an internal management system saved the client hundreds of emails each week, streamlined information, and reduced the hours spent searching for information among numerous emails. This initiative also accelerated and enhanced the productivity of their meetings.

Notably, our emphasis on solutions for Profit and Loss (P&L) reporting, a fundamental aspect of any business, led to the automation of this critical task. Intriguingly, we integrated the existing document generation solution with our new system, creating a seamlessly connected and successful overall system.

• Any potential waste of time and money is eliminated, by optimizing a critical aspect of the business – the system for transporting and delivering products. This comprehensive transformation ensured a 0% error possibility, improved functionality for a more efficient workflow, and reduced the processing time for customer delivery requests. Additionally, we significantly enhanced customer request flexibility by offering more options and conveniences, such as the ability to schedule multiple deliveries simultaneously.

Following the modernization, the system operates flawlessly, and our Kameleon Solutions team is committed to resolving any issues within 15 minutes, regardless of substantial time zone differences. This aspect is crucial to the business since delivery trucks cover extensive distances across Australia, and any malfunction or system failure could result in significant time and financial losses for the client.