Telecommunications


Success story of Vodafone Global



About Vodafone

At Vodafone, our aim is to create a digital society that includes everyone and helps protect the planet. We believe superfast connectivity and technology is the key to unlocking the UK’s potential. We’re connecting people, businesses, and communities, so everyone can tap into the benefits of a digital society.


The Challenge

Vodafone UK needed an efficient and scalable order management system to handle various SIM order types and streamline workflows. The existing process relied on CSV exports and manual order processing, creating inefficiencies in handling customer orders, supplier coordination, and logistics management.

The key challenges included:

  1. Lack of an integrated system to manage customer hierarchy and webshop experience.
  2. Complex SIM order types requiring unique workflows and approvals.
  3. The need for a structured ordering process for different customer groups, including Product Line (EBUA) users.
  4. The requirement to customize ERPNext to handle non-standard order processes and sales partner hierarchies.


The Solution

Korecent implemented a tailored ERPNext solution for Vodafone UK to improve order management efficiency and webshop functionality. Key features of the solution included:

  1. Customer Hierarchy Mapping in ERPNext
  2. Defined customers, ordering teams, and their respective hierarchies within the system.
  3. Mapped ordering teams to sales partners and structured them under parent ordering teams.
  4. Custom Webshop UI/UX Enhancements
  5. Redesigned header, footer, and menu with a grey banner and company information placeholders.
  6. Restricted item visibility based on customer login, ensuring only authorized products were displayed.
  7. Removed unnecessary payment references and masked order status for better process control.
  8. Introduced a virtual warehouse configuration for auditing and stock management.
  9. Enhanced Order Management and Processing
  10. Configured ERPNext to handle different SIM order types, including warehouse inventory orders, production orders, and IMSI-only orders.
  11. Implemented a structured workflow for order approvals, sales orders, purchase orders, and delivery notes.
  12. Customized the sales order ID series to ensure unique order tracking within Vodafone's internal systems.
  13. Managing Items per Customer
  14. Introduced customer-specific item visibility within the ERPNext item doctype.
  15. Ensured that only authorized items appeared on the webshop based on customer settings.
  16. Product Line (EBUA) Order Placement Optimization
  17. Enabled EBUA customers to place orders directly from the webshop with restricted access to specific products.
  18. Added an option to save or discard new addresses from webshop orders.


The Achievements

Increased Order Efficiency: The new system streamlined order processing, reducing reliance on manual CSV exports and improving order tracking.

  1. Enhanced Customer Experience: The customized webshop UI provided a seamless ordering experience with only relevant products displayed.
  2. Better Inventory Management: The introduction of a virtual warehouse improved stock auditing and management processes.
  3. Optimized Workflow Automation: The integration of ERPNext with Vodafone’s internal processes reduced manual interventions and improved process efficiency.
  4. Improved Hierarchy Management: The structured sales partner and customer hierarchy allowed better control over ordering teams and their respective permissions.


Conclusion:

The ERPNext implementation successfully addressed Vodafone UK’s challenges by streamlining order management, improving the webshop experience, and optimizing workflow automation. Korecent's customized solution enhanced Vodafone’s ability to manage complex order types, customer hierarchies, and inventory processes efficiently, leading to a more robust and scalable system for future growth.


Technologies and Tools

  1. Platform: ERPNext (Open-source ERP)
  2. Framework: Frappe
  3. Language: Python, CSS, JavaScript
  4. Industry: Telecommunications