Overview

Discover how a Caribbean commercial restaurant equipment distributor is unifying its entire operation with Zoho One. Established in the 1980s, the company sells fryers, fridges, stoves, microwaves, and ovens across English-speaking Caribbean markets, maintains roughly $2 million USD of inventory in a 100,000 sq ft warehouse, and is hiring 30+ new team members while expanding to multiple islands. This transformation replaces disconnected POS, inventory, and quoting systems (NCR Counterpoint and AutoQuotes) with an integrated platform spanning Zoho CRM, Inventory, Books, People, Recruit, Learn, and FSM — plus an internal AI assistant trained on manufacturer manuals.

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High-Level Plan

• Discovery & Documentation
• Development (Configure, customize, code) 
  
  • NOTE: 
    
    • Review progress with the team weekly during development
      
      • Rolling Wave Method – Rolling Wave means we start with a full plan, but as we move through it from top to bottom, we add more detail and adjust priorities along the way. It’s like building a house: first you get the whole blueprint, then you focus on the main rooms, and later you decide if the extras—like a porch or garage—are still needed. It’s a mix of waterfall project management (having a big plan) and sprint methodology (working in smaller steps). In our weekly meetings, we recommend what to tackle next, but you make the final call on what’s a “must-have” for the first version (MVP). This helps us finish faster, avoid rework, and make sure the system fits your real needs.
    • Create training videos as development 
    • See below for detailed action plan
• Review
  
  • Full system review
• Migrate Data
• Train (UAT)
• Schedule Go-Live (typically on a Monday) 

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Detailed Development Plan

People Management and HR Processes

• Current Staff Setup
  
  • Head of People and Strategy will input all existing employees into Zoho People
  • Brockbank Consulting will send training on how to use Zoho People according to best practices
• Recruitment Process
  
  • Recruitment agency will post jobs and send candidate profiles to Client
  • Head of People will import profiles into Zoho Recruit and select candidates for interviews
  • Recruitment agency will schedule approved interviews
  • Head of People will log interview feedback and decisions in Zoho Recruit
  • Zoho will automatically send status updates to candidates (successful/unsuccessful notifications)
    
    • Brockbank Consulting will configure Zoho Recruit to do so
  • Brockbank Consulting will integrate Zoho People with Zoho Recruit so that candidates move from Recruit to People
  • For successful candidates, offer letters will be generated through Zoho People
    
    • NOTES: Targeting 30+ hires across warehouse, finance, sales, and potentially marketing roles by January-February
• Onboarding Process
  
  • New hire will receive digital onboarding checklist through Zoho People portal
  • Brockbank Consulting will configure the Zoho People onboarding checklist so each new employee can self-onboard through the employee portal
  • Brockbank Consulting will add “Master SOP” to Zoho Learn and do an initial configuration of Zoho Learn
  • New employee will complete required documentation (Zoho People portal) and training modules (Zoho Learn)
  • Brockbank Consulting will train the team on Zoho One user management: adding users, assigning applications, and setting the correct roles/profiles
  • Department heads will conduct role-specific training
    
    • Brockbank Consulting can train each department head on the correct way to add training to Zoho Learn
• Performance Management and KPIs
  
  • Brockbank Consulting will configure KPI tracking in Zoho People linked to employee contracts
  • Client uses a “five gate system” for compensation tiers:
    
    • Gate 0: Cover expenses
    • Gate 1: Company profit for reinvestment
    • Gate 2: Sales commissions activated
    • Gate 3: Middle management bonuses
    • Gate 4: C-suite compensation
  • Zoho Analytics/People will generate KPI dashboards showing individual and departmental performance
    
    • Brockbank Consulting will configure these dashboards/reports
• Payroll Integration
  
  • Client will continue using their local payroll provider (Zoho Payroll is not available in Trinidad & Tobago)
  • Zoho People will handle clocking in and out, with geotagging for field technicians
  • Zoho People will automate timesheet compilation and send to the accounting department
  • Brockbank Consulting can create a Zoho Analytics table to automatically prep timesheet data for the payroll system, and use Zoho RPA to import it automatically since no API integration is currently available

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Sales Process: Lead to Delivered Equipment

• Lead Generation and Initial Contact
  
  • Prospects will contact Client via email, WhatsApp, telephone calls, or by visiting the building
    
    • NOTES: currently a “destination business” where customers actively seek them out — big fish in a small pond
  • Brockbank Consulting will set up Zoho CRM to capture leads from all channels (email, WhatsApp integration, phone logging, walk-in tracking)
  • Client staff will log all incoming inquiries in Zoho CRM with the correct lead source
  • Brockbank Consulting can create an executive Zoho Analytics dashboard to show the entire customer journey
• Quoting Process
  
  • Sales rep will use AutoQuotes for product specifications and base pricing
    
    • NOTES: AutoQuotes contains all manufacturer specs, model updates, and pricing — it is immovable, so we integrate rather than replace it
  • Brockbank Consulting will integrate the AutoQuotes API with Zoho to pull quote data directly into Zoho Books
  • Sales rep will generate the final quote in Zoho and send via email/WhatsApp
    
    • Brockbank Consulting will set up Zoho to send messages via WhatsApp
  • Zoho will automatically send follow-up sequences if no response is received from the prospect
• Quote to Order Conversion
  
  • Sales rep will convert accepted quotes to sales orders in Zoho Books
  • For In-Stock Items (40-50% of orders):
    
    • Zoho will check inventory levels from Zoho Inventory and create the sales order
    • Zoho will generate the full invoice immediately for payment
  • For Non-Stock Items:
    
    • Sales rep will create a deposit invoice for 60% of total order value
      
      • NOTES: High deposit percentage protects margins on custom orders
    • Deposit payment will trigger the purchase order creation workflow
• Purchase Order and Supplier Management
  
  • Purchase order clerk will create POs in Zoho Inventory with supplier details
  • Zoho will automatically send POs to suppliers via email
  • Zoho will send automated follow-up emails to vendors if no response is received
    
    • NOTES: this workflow only fires for vendors who haven’t responded
  • Purchase order clerk will update POs in Zoho with tracking information and expected delivery dates
• Import and Customs Processing
  
  • Client will track shipment progress in Zoho through customs clearance
  • Accounting team will update landed costs in Zoho including:
    
    • Currency conversion (USD to Trinidad & Tobago Dollar — approximately 7:1)
    • Import duties (typically 10-20%), brokerage fees, insurance, and shipping charges
    • NOTES: Critical for accurate margin reporting — tracked separately from base product costs
  • Warehouse team will mark items as received in Zoho Inventory
• Order Fulfillment and Delivery
  
  • For Trinidad orders: delivery notes created in Zoho, with signed delivery confirmations attached to the sales order record
  • For other Caribbean islands: drop-shipping arranged from supplier to the customer's location
  • Client will generate the final invoice for any remaining balance in Zoho
• Installation and Service Management
  
  • Client will create service work orders in Zoho FSM, with contractors assigned to installation projects
    
    • NOTES: Contractors are used instead of employees due to varying labor laws across Caribbean countries
  • Contractors will update work order progress in the Zoho FSM mobile app
  • Customers will receive portal access to track installation progress
  • Warranty claims will be submitted through Zoho, with parts covered and labor invoiced separately

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Inventory Management and Optimization

• Clean Cutover
  
  • NOTES: Legacy Counterpoint data is corrupted with duplicates, negative stock, and inconsistent naming
  • Client will conduct a physical stock count and import clean data to Zoho Inventory using proper naming standards from AutoQuotes
• Inventory Optimization
  
  • Brockbank Consulting will configure minimum/maximum stock levels based on 10 years of historical sales data
  • Zoho Analytics will provide predictive stocking recommendations based on seasonal trends and lead times
  • Zoho will automatically generate restock alerts when items reach minimum thresholds
• Purchase Order Automation
  
  • Zoho will automatically group small orders to meet supplier minimum order quantities
    
    • NOTES: Many suppliers require minimum $5,000 orders
  • Zoho will track PO status, send escalating supplier follow-ups, and maintain an audit trail of all supplier communications

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Additional Requirements

AI and Automation:

• Brockbank Consulting will build an AI chatbot integrated with Zoho using manufacturer operation manuals (some 140+ pages)
• AI agent will help staff answer technical customer questions by searching authorized source documents
  
  • NOTES: Internal use only — not customer-facing, to maintain the consultative sales approach
• AI system will suggest complementary products for cross-selling and upselling opportunities
• Zoho will automatically send acknowledgment emails, trigger follow-up workflows, and update inventory levels as orders are processed

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Third-Party Integrations and Contractor Access:

• Brockbank Consulting will configure the API connection between AutoQuotes and Zoho — quotes sync automatically to Zoho CRM/Books while the product catalog stays in AutoQuotes
• Brockbank Consulting will set up contractor licenses (one per contractor group) for IT support, Zoho administration, social media, and technical installation teams
• Each contractor group will have an audit trail of system access; Client maintains full ownership of all permissions

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CRM Stages and Customer Journey:

• Lead Stages: New Inquiry, Qualified Opportunity (convert when quote requested or after first meeting), Rejected, Recycled
• Deal Stages: Quote Requested, Quote Sent, Closed Won, Closed Lost
• Account Stages: Prospect, Active Customer, Installation Client, Warranty Support, Inactive, Lost
• Brockbank Consulting will create an end-to-end video showing the user journey through Zoho and add a journey map webtab in Zoho CRM displaying stage definitions

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Future Phases:

• Zoho Commerce for online ordering synced with inventory and pricing, integrated with the AutoQuotes product database
• Zoho Social for social media management and lead generation
• Zoho Analytics reporting on sales performance, inventory turnover, supplier metrics, and the five-gate KPI dashboards
• Data migration strategy: only clean, essential data moves to Zoho (open sales orders, outstanding invoices, payment history, warranty records); historical data goes to Zoho Analytics for reference only

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