Alcero

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of TOBEQ. We’re a wholesale automotive tools and equipment company located in Montreal.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Alcero?

We were looking for help finding the best ERP solution for our business given our needs and budget.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with a preliminary discovery meeting to determine our needs for the project. They responded in the following weeks with a strategic plan and timeline that detailed exactly how they planned on finding an optimal ERP vendor. 

Then, they provided a shortlist and asked us to fill out a request for proposal (RFP) in which we listed out all of our business processes within each division. We sent those out to the vendors, paying special attention to local suppliers since they’d be easiest to work with. Alcero created a score sheet for each of the proposal responses, allowing us to narrow our search to 3–4 vendors. From there, we engaged each of them in in-person meetings, asking for live demonstrations of their software. After a few rounds of meetings and logistical discussions, de decided on a local firm here in Laval.   

What is the team composition?

I was working with three people, one being Alcero’s president who spearheaded the entire project. They also had an external consultant that handled communications between all parties.

How did you come to work with Alcero?

We were referred by one of their past clients in Montreal who highly recommended them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $60,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

This project began in June 2018, and we still rely on Alcero for related projects, compensating them on an hourly basis.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’ve been active and selling since January 2019, and we’re very satisfied with the implementation of our ERP and WMS systems. We’re comfortable with the choice we made, now able to handle all kinds of automation and business efficiencies that we didn’t have in our prior ERP. It would’ve been easy to say with the software we had before, but we consider this a major improvement. 

How did Alcero perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management was solid. As I said earlier, they had an external consultant handling project management and communication for the effort. We typically communicate through phone calls and emails, but there were also intermittent face-to-face meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were impressed with their knowledge and experience in the ERP world. They understood how contract and quotes should be handled. Their RFP process was very intensive, which led us to make the best decision for our company. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I haven’t dealt with similar companies, but I don’t see anything they could improve at.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d recommend dedicating one internal resource from your company to the project. Because this is a complex process that requires a lot of internal business information, it’s helpful to have someone who can provide accurate information as quickly as possible. That’ll ensure that you get the best solutions for your company.