"Miller Systems provided NES with a crystal-clear roadmap for building our mission-critical customer portal. Their detail-oriented, laser-focused approach gave us exactly what we needed to be successful."
NES Clothing is one of the three largest distributors of blank wearables-T-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, and thousands of other items-in the United States. Distributing premiums to everyone from "mom-and-pop" silk screening shops to large Advertising Specialty Industry (ASI) vendors servicing enterprise corporate accounts, NES Clothing received customer orders by phone to a large call center or by fax, but lacked an online ordering presence. While NES was using a vertically focused ERP system to manage their order processing and inventory successfully, competitors had beaten the company to market with e-commerce customer portals that included online ordering capability. NES Clothing tasked Miller Systems with reviewing and outlining parameters for building a new online presence and ordering system.
NES Clothing called on Miller Systems to help determine next steps for building an online ordering system. In need of high-level strategic counsel from Miller Systems, NES Clothing was challenged with establishing customer-centric ordering features and delivering a "standard" online shopping experience. While NES Clothing had extensive experience and expertise in managing order flow, processing, and inventory, it had limited experience building web sites or applications and did not maintain a web-friendly customer inventory catalog.
Miller Systems recommended conducting an intense, detailed discovery process with NES Clothing's senior management team to outline with the utmost specificity exactly how and when each phase of the new online presence would be developed. During this process Miller Systems and NES Clothing worked closely with NES Clothing's ERP vendor to outline and work through tactical technology choices for integrating with the back-end Progress database. Additionally, they worked together to:
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Define every screen and state of the system's user interface
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Provide meticulous definition of all business objects in a J2EE middle tier
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Deliver an explicit project plan for maximizing concurrent development projects
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Identify new ERP projects as linchpins for building the new e-commerce customer portal
With Miller Systems' discovery complete, NES Clothing's next steps were clear. For its online ordering and web presence project, the firm selected a new ERP service provider with core experience in NES' ERP system and specific customer portal development experience, ultimately yielding economy of scale benefits for its customers.
Miller Systems and NES Clothing's combined efforts resulted in a streamlined, detailed roadmap for the development of an e-commerce customer portal. By identifying and communicating the need for taxonomy improvements in the ERP catalog, Miller Systems was able to help NES Clothing maximize the value of each customer's experience. Working closely with Miller Systems on the discovery process to detail all aspects of the user experience and outline technical obstacles to its execution, NES Clothing was able to avoid potentially costly mistakes and create an effective development plan.
Miller Systems, Inc. • 31 St. James Avenue, Suite 948, Boston, MA 02116 • Tel: 617.266.4200 • info@millersystems.com
