Spojování datových bodů

"Analytika vychází z naslouchání," říká Karl Erickson, viceprezident pro IT ve společnosti ICS. "V průběhu let jsme pracovali ruku v ruce s výrobci a naučili jsme se, co je pro ně skutečně důležité – specifické pro jejich lékové programy. Naši klienti důvěřují našim radám a často nás žádají o pomoc při sestavování analýz na míru. Je to přirozený vývoj v naší roli jejich obchodního partnera a logistického partnera třetích stran."

Je to právě tato vzácná znalost IT i podnikání, která postavila ICS do pozice neocenitelného konzultanta pro klienty z řad výrobců. Není neobvyklé, že IT experti společnosti doprovázejí tým pro rozvoj podnikání na schůzkách s klienty, aby diskutovali o jedinečných potřebách výrobce a o tom, jak lze ICS Analytics odpovídajícím způsobem přizpůsobit. A s každou schůzkou se tým naučí něco nového, rozvine své porozumění klientovi a rozšíří možnosti ICS Analytics.

"Našim klientům z oblasti výroby dáváme příležitost vytvořit analytiku ICS tak, jak chtějí," říká Cory Isom, manažer Business Intelligence ve společnosti ICS. "Měli jsme například klienty, kteří chtěli vědět, kdy byly jejich produkty doručeny. Vypracovali jsme tedy způsob, jak získat přístup k datům UPS, a vytvořili jsme zprávu o potvrzení o doručení (POD), která přesně ukazovala, kdy produkt dorazil a kdo jej podepsal na základě čísla objednávky. Bez ohledu na to, jak naši klienti potřebují vidět své analýzy, my jim to umožníme."

It is important to note that it goes beyond tailoring analytics — it helps manufacturers uncover which data to integrate and why. For instance, by connecting chargeback data to 867 data, manufacturers can forecast chargeback costs, gain visibility into chargeback accruals, and track utilization by product and distributor. We also deliver critical analytics that allow manufacturers to identify their top customers, understand purchasing behaviors, and analyze trends by state and ZIP code. Additionally, we help clients integrate unique data points, such as invoice fees and discounts. For one client, we created a dashboard that provided a rolling inventory by week, enabling visibility into stock levels at each distributor. During this project, the team also developed functionality to analyze data by salesperson, offering insights into individual and territory-level performance.

Some of the most innovative features of our analytics have been inspired by client feedback. For example, one manufacturer requested custom alerts for key metrics and business rules to better manage customer behaviors. In one case, a manufacturer with a service-level agreement (SLA) limiting a customer’s monthly orders to 10,000 units wanted to be alerted if the limit was exceeded. The tool was programmed to notify the manufacturer and hold the order until next steps could be determined. This unique capability is possible because we serve as the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system for its clients, enabling real-time analytics that optimize performance and support better business decisions.

“[the tools] are designed to be proactive rather than reactive,” says Erickson. “It’s not just about gaining visibility into inventory levels and sales trending, it’s about cross-referencing them to forecast restocking needs. We deliver actionable intelligence, so when a client has inventory about to expire, they can quickly decide if they should destroy it, put it in quarantine or push it out. Or, if a client’s sales have dropped over the past few months, they can very easily determine whether the decrease is product-specific or central to a particular area, related to sales efforts or community need.”

Connecting cause and effect is the essence of analytics, and we deliver this seamlessly to clients. The company’s approach goes beyond simply showing manufacturers what has happened; it provides insights into what will happen, why it will happen, and how to respond. This tailored approach ensures that analytics meet the unique needs of each manufacturer.

Erickson illustrates this point when he says, “Many in the industry tout ‘analytics packages.’ That’s not analytics, that is a reporting package. People might brag about how good it looks, but what about the content? If it hasn’t had that human touch, that understanding of the relationship between a manufacturer and its customers, the knowledge of their unique program, then it’s just extracted data wrapped in a colorful bar chart. That’s why [we] will never have one analytics solution for our clients.”

This commitment to collaboration ensures that our analytics capabilities continue to evolve. By sharing what has worked—and what hasn’t—with its clients, we are redefining what it means to be a trusted third-party logistics partner.