Emerson Winchester LLC

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the director of software engineering at a B2B and B2C beauty conglomerate comprised of 10–12 beauty brands across North America and Europe.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Emerson Winchester LLC?

We wanted to centralize our ERP system. We ran QuickBooks as our accounting software, but it was very basic. As we began acquiring more business, we realized that we needed a centralized ERP system to get our accounting systems in check so that we could do financial research, demand planning, and accounting in a more efficient way.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Emerson Winchester provided us with consulting, development, and implementation services for our ERP system. We decided to use NetSuite as the ERP platform, so they basically acted as a one-stop-shop for NetSuite implementation. Their services included discovery and planning, implementation, user training, user acceptance testing, and change management.

Ours was a collaborative effort. Initially, I met with Emerson Winchester and vetted out which consulting service we planned to use. During that process, they provided me with valuable insights and information regarding other challenges that they had had on similar projects. After that, we collaborated closely until project completion.

What is the team composition?

I worked with a CPA and a developer/implementer. The developer acted as the project lead, while the CPA was in charge of ensuring that the system was compliant.

How did you come to work with Emerson Winchester LLC?

Someone on my team used to work at an accounting and consulting firm, and Emerson Winchester’s owner and founder also used to work there. Thus, my teammate referred me to them.

The value that Emerson Winchester provided during our initial conversations before signing a contract was a very important deciding factor in working with them. They gave us fundamental tips on how NetSuite works and what it can and cannot do. Not everyone who is trying to sell a service provides the client with knowledge before signing a contract, so that was very important for us.

Additionally, I talked to other companies in our area that had worked with Emerson Winchester, and I only got very positive reviews. Those qualities, plus the fact that they were at the right price point for our budget, led us to ultimately go with them.

How much have you invested with them?

During the time I worked with Emerson Winchester, my company spent around $30,000 per implementation. We completed about 11–12 implementations, so we spent around $350,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2019. Although I no longer work for that company, They still have an ongoing relationship with Emerson Winchester.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While I worked with my former company, we successfully completed 11–12 NetSuite implementations for different businesses that they own. The way we did demand planning changed drastically as a result of these implementations, and the number of goods lost as a result of staying on shelves dropped down by 10%.

Our warehouse management system was also part of what we addressed with these implementations. After them, our take, pack, and ship time decreased from 1:25 minutes to about 25 seconds. Additionally, thanks to this system, we decreased the number of operational roles necessary within our company by 10%. Given that we were growing, we obviously didn’t lay people off. Instead, this result allowed us to be more efficient overall.

How did Emerson Winchester LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

Emerson Winchester did a very good job managing the project. They had to deal with a lot of challenging people to work with — people who didn’t want changes and were very skeptical of the decisions we made. However, having Emerson Winchester’s expertise and ability to keep a level head during those heated discussions allowed us to drive the project forward, keep the conversation steered in the right direction, and tackle the challenges we faced along the way.

Emerson Winchester’s great efforts in keeping the project moving forward resulted in getting the job done on time, which was also very important for us. We used Asana for project management and a ticketing system for support after the implementation. During the project, they also sent us weekly updates on specific aspects of the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Emerson Winchester’s price was very competitive, leaning towards the cheaper end of the range compared to other consulting companies. Additionally, their communication was very transparent. They constantly informed us where we were, what was blocking us, and what needed to be done. Of course, they demonstrated excellent technical skills and very intimate NetSuite knowledge as well.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Identify your needs, goals, and constraints upfront; the discovery phase is the most important phase. If you don’t have a correct discovery process, they may end up developing something that doesn’t meet your needs, and you will spend more time and money making the required changes. Additionally, make sure that you communicate with them constantly so that you don’t leave things lingering. Ultimately, it will help them turn around the project quickly.