Our work
How data analytics help business
Value Data empowers businesses through tailored data analytics solutions. How? Read on to see how we have used our experience and Microsoft Power BI to transform operations in four very distinct businesses.
Customer:
Urgent Couriers
Value Data has partnered with a New Zealand courier business to help it become a truly data-enabled and data-led organisation.
To improve its operational and financial performance and fully utilise the value of the enormous amounts of data the company generated across all their nationwide deliveries, Urgent Couriers came to us.
Initially, Value Data worked closely with Urgent Couriers to build an analytics data warehouse. A primary component of business intelligence, a data warehouse can store both current and historical data. It allowed us to analyse and report on structured and semi-structured data from multiple sources, such as the Urgent Courier’s point-of-sale transactions, in-house courier delivery system, CRM, and Xero accounting applications. A data warehouse serves as the cornerstone for tracking and monitoring various operational and financial KPIs.
Using Microsoft Power BI, Value Data then developed intuitive dashboards. These gave insights into crucial aspects of the business, such as budget versus revenue across customer segments, delivery performance metrics for a vast number of deliveries, customer churn, carbon credits, and sales personnel performance.
We facilitated the establishment of consolidated financial reporting across Urgent Courier’s group companies, offering comparative views of revenue, expenses, EBITA, and net profit against budget and previous years’ revenue.
The Value Data team built a self-serve analytical model so Urgent Courier’s leadership could conduct deep dives into business performance areas and perform what-if analyses for tactical decision-making.
Customer:
Aqualine
While this project with a well-known plumbing supply company initially focused on migration, Value Data has continued to work with them, optimising visualisations and significantly improving key performance areas.
We began by transitioning the company’s on-premises business intelligence platform from one vendor to cloud-based Microsoft Power BI. This relatively straightforward migration exercise of moving various dashboards soon grew so we could provide much more in-depth analysis.
We then worked to enable the gamification of data on a near real-time performance dashboard, displayed on large TV screens within the warehouses. This allowed the warehouse team to monitor the progress of orders shipped, fostering visibility and healthy competition among team members. Through gamification, Value Data addressed behavioural issues across the warehouse floor, leading to improved delivery performance metrics.
In addition to the business performance reporting and the dashboards which the leadership team rely upon daily, the Value Data team developed pricing and quoting tools for the sales team. This streamlined processes and reduced dependency on other departments for customer-specific inquiries.
Customer:
The Manuka Collective
Value Data’s input resulted in a more efficient and transparent production process. By leveraging advanced data integration and analytics tools, we empowered this business to make data-driven decisions, improve operational efficiency, and maintain high standards of product quality.
We began by integrating laboratory testing results and forecasts with data from their hive management and beekeeping applications. By implementing cloud-based solutions, such as Microsoft Azure Storage and Microsoft Azure Data Factory, we provided a comprehensive overview of the harvesting process and the quality of product.
Next, we developed a robust data model using Microsoft Power BI. We merged data from the hive management and beekeeping applications with testing results and forecasts. This gave the production support manager an oversight of honey quality across all harvested batches, from extraction to bottling, ensuring consistency and adherence to quality standards.
One of the most significant benefits of this data model was how it significantly reduced administrative burdens and improved data accuracy and reliability.
With administrative tasks streamlined, product managers were able to shift their focus towards core production responsibilities. This allowed them to allocate more time and resources to optimising production processes, enhancing product quality, and meeting customer demands.
Customer:
Perry Metal Protection
A metal protection manufacturer has engaged Value Data as their data and insights partner. Over the time we have worked together, the company has experienced a substantial improvement in their data quality and accuracy of insights.
We developed bespoke dashboards using Microsoft Power BI. Perry Metal Protection’s stakeholders now have clearer insights into how the company operates across the country at a glance. This information is now part of the company’s daily operating rhythms and is used in the weekly team reviews.
Tracking and monitoring is available for plant performance, raw material usage, staff productivity and downtime as well as sales and payment processing. These insights assist sales representatives with customer interactions and provide leadership with key insights into product and service performance across their customer base.
Recognising how data analytics help business is just the beginning
Value Data’s expertise in data analytics has enabled these diverse businesses to unlock the full potential of their data to drive operational efficiencies, make more informed decisions, and ultimately, improve business growth. By incorporating gamification elements into warehouse performance monitoring, Value Data has not only improved visibility but also highlighted work productivity, thereby fostering a culture of healthy competition and continuous improvement within the warehouse teams.
