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[embed]https://youtu.be/qii-rfD537k?si=nM8cTM8w5YEbaD_-[/embed] Aaxonix Case Study ⚙ Manufacturing · Industrial Equipment How a Pump…
Watch video01 — The Challenge
Five Systems, No Single Source of Truth
The client — a mid-sized manufacturer of centrifugal and submersible pumps supplying to agriculture, municipal water, and industrial process sectors — had grown rapidly but their IT landscape hadn’t kept pace.
Sales teams quoted from Excel, production tracked orders in a legacy ERP, service engineers logged calls in WhatsApp groups, and finance reconciled everything at month-end from tally exports. The result: errors, delays, and zero visibility across functions.
Manual Quote-to-Order
Sales reps built quotations in Excel templates, emailed PDFs to customers, then re-entered accepted orders manually into Tally. Average turnaround: 4–5 days.
No Production Visibility
Production schedules were managed in a separate spreadsheet. Sales had no idea about delivery timelines, causing repeated over-promising to distributors.
Warranty & AMC Chaos
Service engineers tracked warranty calls in WhatsApp. AMC renewal reminders were missed. Spare parts consumption had no traceability against job cards.
AR & Collections Lag
Outstanding payment follow-ups depended on individual sales reps. No automated dunning. DSO was climbing past 75 days on distributor accounts.
Reporting Took Weeks
Monthly MIS was a multi-day exercise stitching Tally exports, Excel trackers, and email threads — with data as stale as 3 weeks by the time it reached leadership.
Dealer Portal Gaps
Distributors had no self-service option. Every order status query, complaint, or catalogue request came directly to the inside sales team via phone or email.
02 — Solution Stack
One Ecosystem. Eight Applications.
Aaxonix designed a Zoho One deployment that connected every function — from lead to invoice to field service — through a single data backbone. Click any application to see what we configured.
01
Zoho CRM
Lead tracking, quotation, distributor management
CRM
▼
- Custom Pump Configurator module — select model, HP, stage, outlet size → auto-populates line items and pricing
- Blueprint on Deals: Enquiry → Quote Sent → Negotiation → PO Received → handoff to Books SO
- Distributor/Dealer accounts separated from direct OEM accounts with territory-based visibility rules
- Zoho CPQ for discount approval workflows above 12% — manager approval gate with email + Cliq notification
02
Zoho Books
Sales orders, invoicing, AR, GST returns
Finance
▼
- CRM Deal → Books Sales Order sync via native integration (no manual re-entry)
- GST-compliant invoicing with HSN codes for pump components and AMC services
- Automated payment reminders at 7, 15, and 30 days overdue via email + SMS
- Tally data migrated as opening balances; ongoing Books used as system of record
03
Zoho Inventory
Finished goods, spare parts, warehouse management
Operations
▼
- Two warehouses: Pune main plant + Nagpur service depot — separate bins and stock levels
- Serial number tracking for pump units — links manufactured unit to Sales Order and Service records
- Reorder alerts on fast-moving spare parts (mechanical seals, impellers, motor winding)
- Books ↔ Inventory native sync: SOs, POs, and invoices auto-reconciled
04
Zoho Creator
Production scheduling & dealer self-service portal
Operations
▼
- Production Tracker app: Sales Orders from Books visible to production; production team updates stage (Assembly → Testing → Dispatch-Ready)
- Sales reps see real-time production stage on their CRM Deal — eliminates inbound status calls to factory
- Dealer Portal: Distributors log in to place orders, check dispatch status, download invoices, and raise complaints
- Warranty registration form embedded in portal — triggers serial number validation against Inventory
05
Zoho Desk
Customer support, warranty claims, complaint tracking
Service
▼
- Multi-channel intake: email, dealer portal form, and WhatsApp Business (via Zoho Flow integration)
- Warranty vs out-of-warranty auto-classification based on pump serial number + purchase date
- SLA rules: Critical (pump failure on site) — 4h response, 24h resolution. Standard — 24h / 72h
- Escalation to FSM when field visit is required — ticket becomes Work Order automatically
06
Zoho FSM
Field engineer dispatch, job cards, spare parts usage
Service
▼
- Work Orders generated from Desk tickets or AMC schedule — assigned to nearest available engineer via map view
- FSM mobile app: engineers update job status, capture site photos, collect customer signatures
- Spare parts used on-site deducted from Nagpur depot stock in Inventory via FSM → Inventory integration
- AMC schedule auto-generates preventive maintenance Work Orders 30 days in advance
07
Zoho Analytics
Unified MIS, sales pipeline, service performance
Analytics
▼
- Live dashboards: MD-level MIS (revenue, orders, collections), Sales Manager (pipeline by territory), Service Head (open tickets, SLA breach risk)
- Product-wise revenue analysis: which pump model / HP range driving margin vs volume
- DSO trend, ageing analysis, and distributor-level outstanding reports
- Data from CRM, Books, Inventory, Desk, FSM consolidated via native connectors — no manual exports
08
Zoho Flow + Cliq
Process automation glue & team communications
Automation
▼
- Zoho Flow: WhatsApp Business → Desk ticket creation (via unofficial connector + webhook)
- Cliq bot: Production stage change → #dispatch-updates channel notification with SO number, dealer, and ETA
- Payment receipt in Books → Cliq DM to account owner + CRM activity log update
- AMC expiry 60-day warning → Cliq alert to service coordinator + email to customer
03 — Process Flow
End-to-End: Enquiry to Field Service
Every stage of the business now flows through a connected Zoho backbone. Here’s how a typical industrial pump order — from first contact to post-installation support — looks in the new system.
1
Zoho CRM
Lead Capture & Qualification
Enquiry arrives via website form, SalesIQ chat, or inside sales call. CRM Lead record created automatically. Sales rep qualifies — application type, flow rate, head pressure requirements. Territory-based auto-assignment routes to the right area manager.
2
Zoho CRM + CPQ
Pump Configuration & Quotation
Sales rep uses the custom Pump Configurator in CRM to select model, stage, impeller material, and accessories. List price auto-populates. If discount exceeds threshold, approval request routes to Sales Manager in Cliq. Quotation PDF generated and emailed in one click.
3
Zoho Books
PO Receipt → Sales Order
Customer sends PO. Inside sales marks Deal as “Won” in CRM — a Books Sales Order is instantly created with all line items, pricing, GST codes, and delivery terms. Zero re-entry. SO confirmation email dispatches to customer automatically.
4
Zoho Creator (Production Tracker)
Production Scheduling & Tracking
The Production Tracker app pulls the SO from Books. Production supervisor assigns to work centre. Engineers update stage — Kitting → Assembly → Testing → QC Pass → Dispatch Ready. Sales reps and the dealer portal reflect real-time status without a single call to the factory floor.
5
Zoho Inventory + Books
Dispatch & Invoice
Dispatch-Ready triggers a delivery note in Inventory. Serial number of the pump unit is recorded and linked to the Sales Order. On courier handoff, Books auto-generates the tax invoice with e-way bill details. The #dispatch-updates Cliq channel gets a notification with tracking details.
6
Zoho Books
Collections & AR Management
Payment terms tracked against each invoice. Automated reminders at 7, 15, and 30 days overdue — email to customer finance team, Cliq DM to account owner. DSO reports in Analytics flag high-risk accounts weekly before they reach 45 days.
7
Zoho Desk + FSM
Warranty, AMC & Field Service
Customer raises a complaint via dealer portal or WhatsApp. Desk ticket created, serial number looked up — warranty status determined instantly. If field visit needed, a Zoho FSM Work Order is generated. Engineer dispatched with job card, site history, and parts inventory on mobile. Service report and photos captured on-site.
“
Before Aaxonix implemented Zoho, our MD used to ask for the monthly sales number and we’d say “give us two days.” Now the dashboard is open on his tablet every morning. The transparency alone changed how we make decisions.
— General Manager – Sales & Operations, Client (name withheld on request)
04 — Implementation
14 Weeks from Kickoff to Go-Live
Aaxonix followed a phased rollout — stabilising the foundation before layering process automation and intelligence. Each phase included user training and a parallel run period before full cutover.
Weeks 1–3
Foundation
- Discovery & BRD sign-off
- Zoho One provisioning
- User roles & security
- Master data migration
- Chart of accounts setup
Weeks 4–7
Core Commerce
- CRM config + Blueprint
- Pump Configurator build
- Books SO/Invoice config
- Inventory & serial tracking
- CRM ↔ Books sync live
Weeks 8–11
Service & Automation
- Desk + FSM configuration
- AMC module in Creator
- Dealer portal (Creator)
- Flow automation setup
- Cliq bot notifications
Weeks 12–14
Intelligence & Go-Live
- Analytics dashboards
- User training (4 cohorts)
- Parallel run & UAT
- Tally cutover
- Hypercare (30 days)
05 — Results
Measurable Impact at 90 Days
Outcomes measured at 90 days post go-live against the pre-implementation baseline recorded during the discovery phase.
62%
Order Processing Time Reduction
Average enquiry-to-confirmed-SO cycle dropped from 4.8 days to 1.8 days. Pump Configurator + automated approval eliminated the back-and-forth.
3.2×
Service Ticket Throughput
Desk + FSM integration allowed the 6-person service team to handle 3.2× more complaints per month without additional headcount.
18%
DSO Improvement
Days Sales Outstanding fell from 74 to 61 days in the first quarter post go-live, driven by automated reminders and AR visibility dashboards.
₹0
Manual Re-Entry Cost
2 full-time data entry operators redeployed to customer-facing roles. Estimated ₹8.4L annual salary saving on redundant data reconciliation.
100%
AMC Renewal Visibility
Zero missed AMC renewals in the first quarter. 60-day automated alerts captured 14 renewals that would have lapsed under the old process.
1 Day
Monthly MIS Turnaround
Analytics dashboards replaced the 3–4 day manual MIS exercise. Live data available to MD and functional heads every morning by 9 AM.