Adding Wholesail to Produce Pro Software Modernizes Accounts Receivable
CFO shares how Wholesail's "smooth" integration and implementation with Produce Pro gives Teddy Bear Produce a better way to manage daily invoices.
The impact of Wholesail on Teddy Bear Produce is best seen in the things they no longer do.
→ They no longer spend 3+ hours per day doing double manual data entry of credit cards with a third party processor.
→ They no longer absorb $10,000+ per month in credit card fees.
CFO Paul Papagjika is very pleased with the operational efficiency improvements that resulted from implementing Wholesail.
“This was a big win from my perspective as CFO. Net-net, adding Wholesail has been a positive change for Teddy Bear Produce.”
Partnering for Better Business and Customer Experience
Teddy Bear Produce, a family-run business, uses Produce Pro Software – an ERP system tailored specifically for the produce industry. The ERP helps them improve efficiency, reduce waste and loss, and grow revenue. However, it lacked a modern payment solution for their customers.
Customer service is a top priority for Teddy Bear Produce. They relied heavily on processing checks. Some of their clients are seasonal businesses, so a missed payment could mean waiting until the next season to get paid. Paul also wanted to offer the convenience of credit card payments, but without a way to pass on processing fees, he found the situation frustrating.
When Wholesail contacted Paul, he liked what he saw. He knew his customers would benefit from an online portal that allowed customers to pay invoices and view statements, 24/7. Plus, Wholesail would offer Teddy Bear Produce a way to easily pass along credit card fees.
There was just one problem: Wholesail hadn’t integrated with the ERP. Yet.
Paul wasn’t afraid to go first. Together with Wholesail’s team and a consultant for the ERP, he helped guide the process based on their business needs. He describes the integration as “smooth.”
“When you’re the first, you’re making a bigger investment in the process. It took time, as we were very involved and had a lot of meetings. But we appreciated having a stronger voice in shaping what actually happened.”
Now, Wholesail integrates with Produce Pro. And Teddy Bear Produce has an accounts receivable platform that gives customers an easy, convenient way to manage their invoices and statements online. Best of all? Wholesail’s team drove the entire implementation process for Teddy Bear Produce’s customers.
Paul was excited about how easy Wholesail made accounts receivable for his team. But he had some concerns about implementing changes for his customers. Wholesail’s team assisted with the entire implementation process, proving to be a win-win for all involved.
Passing along credit card fees. Wholesail’s team customized a communication plan to share the change, emphasizing that their customers could move to a free ACH option. The result? 80% of their former credit card paying customers moved to ACH, saving $10,000/month.
“We had some pushback, but we were able to give them an option to not pay the fee by moving to ACH. The choice was entirely up to them.”
Driving autopay adoption. Wholesail’s platform gives customers the option to set up autopay, guaranteeing on-time payments and eliminating risk. With input from Teddy Bear Produce, Wholesail launched a campaign to invite customers to sign up for autopay. So far, 212 customers have chosen to have payments automatically charged.
“It’s been awesome to see great responses from the email campaigns, especially since customers already get reminders if they have an autopay proposal pending in the platform itself. So it’s cool that sending a dedicated email campaign has been effective.”
Simplifying collections and reducing awkward conversations. Wholesail helped Teddy Bear Produce communicate changes in their payment policies through a customized campaign. Paul believes the campaign was effective and helpful in encouraging timely payments. And should customers miss an invoice, his team can use Wholesail’s customized dashboard to prioritize collections.
“We still have customers we need to follow up with for missed payments, but Wholesail helps us catch them and keep them on track.”
Empowering sales. Wholesail connected Teddy Bear Produce’s sales team to the data they need to drive sales and engage customers. It also helps support collections, as they are able to check their accounts before meeting with a customer.
“Having that info at your fingertips lets you say, ‘Hey, I noticed you missed an invoice from April 5. Can we get payment on that?’ and naturally build it into your conversation with the customer.”
Wholesail modernized the payment process for Teddy Bear Produce’s customers. Now the produce distributor saves time and money, which is music to any CFO’s ears. Yet Paul says it's Wholesail’s implementation support that really stands out. From the initial integration to driving adoption, Wholesail is there every step of the way.
“They don’t just launch it and leave you to figure things out on your own.”