From Spreadsheets to Web Based Workflow
How we helped RX Security move into the 21st century
Executive Summary
With over 30,000 clients across North America, RX Security is a leading supplier of counterfeit-resistant prescription pads for controlled substances. Like many medium sized businesses, they did not have the technical expertise to modernize their IT infrastructure and so were not optimizing their work flow. They were missing out on business opportunities. This case study outlines how we helped them define a new trajectory.
Background
Since 1989, RX Security has been printing secure prescription pads that will assist doctors in reducing prescription drug abuse. As a leading supplier of counterfeit-resistant prescription pads and with over 30,000 clients across the United States and Canada, Rx Security is one of the top 3 direct-to-doctor suppliers of prescription pads. They regularly work with state and provincial government agencies, the pharmacy industry and the US Justice Department to deliver prescription pads that meet ever changing government regulations.
The Challenge
RX Security must maintain a large customer base with a suite of products that are in constant flux due to a diverse set of state and federal government regulations. Keeping up with these changes presents the business with a complex workflow that is hard to manage with traditional tools. RX Security relied on tools that were adopted over the years in a seemingly ad hoc way and a database from the 1980s that was no longer supported to manage customer accounts, make strategic decisions and generate reports for management. There were frequently problems with their IT infrastructure.
Initial Objective
At the point RX Security contacted us in 2011, they managed their complex company processes with archaic tools and used an unsupported DBMS to store their strategic customer data. Frustrated with this incongruous ad hoc collection of tools, they approached us to design and build a back office suite which would organize their workflow. Their initial request was a desktop application that would manage client accounts and auto generate complex printer ready PDF files. After the successful completion of the desktop app later in 2011, they asked us to build an e-commerce plugin for their website that could format data for this app
Solution Delivered
The desktop app that we developed as well as the website plugin for formatting orders ready to upload to the desktop app simplified their online order process substantially. Our efforts saved them many hours in processing orders and invoicing their customers, contributing to their business success. We automated a process that allows prescription pads to be auto generated from customer data and templates that they maintain, and then prepare these to be sent to the printer. We also helped incorporate government regulation management into the app, as well as third party shipping tools.
Continuing Work
More recently, RX Security asked us to build a cloud-based back office suite which would replace their desktop system and expand its functionality to allow their customers direct access to their own accounts. With this new functionality, their customers will be able to more efficiently place orders, look up order status and manage their own data. This is greatly enhancing customer interaction, reducing inefficient email based communication and shortening the sales cycle.
Additionally, the cloud-based infrastructure allows staff to work more efficiently and supports direct interactions with their customers. Being in more direct contact with their customers is key to expanding their market presence.
Future Work
Having a cloud-based customer portal will allow RX Security to gather important actionable business intelligence data that will aid their marketing efforts. Colibri Software builds business intelligence dashboards that can be customized to deliver timely insights for RX Security as they manage the ever changing set of government regulations and industry requirements.
Move Your Business Forward
If you would like to discuss moving your business to the cloud and better meeting your customers’ needs, please contact us. We love taking on challenges that provide real world benefits to our customers.