The Wine Portfolio are a 3500 tonne crush winery that had made some move to migrate from a very outdated ERP system which was not industry specific. They have two facilities in the North Island, and as the largest landholder in NZ, grow fruit on both islands.

Tracking divisions and designations were important, to process the contract winemaking, contract bottling and contract growing activities. The complexities and challenges became evident soon after some early attempts, and I was engaged to implement new systems, coach all staff from winemaking through to bottling, sales and accounting.

One of the biggest challenges was the quality of data from an aging and non-industry specific program, however it was overcome and converted to good data for the new start.  The initial setup, configuration and importing of data was done remotely, followed by a week onsite at all facilities in New Zealand.  We took the opportunity to change workflows and make many improvements to optimize staff efficiency.

As opposed to WET in Australia, the Excise is reported in New Zealand.  Of course, Vinsight was fully customized to track the bonded locations and stock movements for excise, including for client/contract wine processing and transfers.

Stock management control included winery additives and extensive dry goods management, identifying client dry goods from own stock. The range of packaged wines was extensive and Vinsight was optimized for tracking all areas such as ranges and sales channels. Disgorging and the management of tracking the process and inventory for this process was handled well by Vinsight also.

Extensive training was carried out onsite for the 20+ users, and support was continued remotely.

A basic POS has been used in the cellar door and we have plans to implement WithWine in the near future also, to increase club and online sales.

We used Eagle Eye Cloud Solutions to assist us with bringing our winery team over onto Vinsight. We had implemented Vinsight for our Bottling Hall, Warehouse and Sales Departments and had it feeding into Xero very nicely.

But the last puzzle piece, and possibly the biggest, was bringing the winery team over. Our winery team had been using the same software for, well let’s just say forever! As you can imagine this was going to be a massive change for them in so many ways. But obviously for the better in terms of reporting, capturing data, and onboarding any new team members to a modern easy to use program. The old system was great at capturing LIP information, but that was about it. And boy it was clunky, and our auditors hated it to boot.

As the time to commit to bringing the winery on board came closer, the excitement but overwhelming dread set in. How were we going to manage this project both in terms of data extraction and then transfer into a new systems, along with the intricacies of making staff feel comfortable with the change and then training the training on how to use the new system?

That’s when I found Eagle Eye Cloud Solutions, my prayers were answered. The company we had engaged to assist with the initial onboarding on the ‘other side’ of the winery was not an option as we had had problem after problem with them.  To be honest it made life very stressful during that transition.

After the initial consultation with Anita from Eagle Eye, I knew she was our person. She walked the walk and talked the talk. I knew she would be able to engage with our winery staff as she spoke their language and possessed the knowledge that they needed to feel comfortable with trusting her with their beloved wine (all be it in data form).

Anita was able to jump straight into our project and help us to meet our deadlines with ease. She assisted in the project from start to finish and never once waivered, and we threw a lot at her, let me tell you. Anita remains in contact with us to this day and was also engaged to ‘iron out the bumps’ after the project was finalised. Again, she jumped in head first to ensure that everyone using the program was comfortable with how to both use the program and how to extract the data that they needed for daily operational requirements.

I can’t speak highly enough of Anita, her skills, her energy, and her knowledge. She will always be a team member here!

Anne Gibbons – Finance & Systems Manager

Nothing about our business has been easy, but with a little help from technology and a skilled integrator, things sure are simpler these days. We run a diverse operation producing and selling wine, renting farm-stay accommodation and experiences, farming lamb for wool and meat, vineyard, farm produce, and woollen products. To find one system that copes with this diversity in today’s changing tech climate was an impossible dream. Not so for Anita Corbran.

Anita was engaged with us for quite some time already and knew our business operations well. If there was an area she didn’t understand, then she would simply ask the right questions to work it out. She made sure our move and apps to becoming completely digital was right for us and easy to use, despite our complications.

After migrating us from MYOB to Xero, she then progressed to Add Ons (extra apps/software) that would streamline our ‘additional’ needs apart from accounting. The front end of the business needed some work and new features.

For the accommodation and experiences; Checkfront is connected to AirBnb, Booking.com, our website and any other future channels we may need so that we now keep ‘one source of truth’ which manages availability. Customer communications are also now almost fully automated, letting us get on with the things we cannot automate!

Our cellar door now runs a point of sale connected to Xero, and we use Dext to make sure all the staff send their receipts in for processing. Putting software together is one thing but providing the workflow and instruction on how to use is another. Anita manages the project from scoping through to coaching, ensuring the apps have captured the right data and everything goes in the right direction. The result is accurate financial reports that you can rely on. Having a veteran bookkeeper implementing your software has proven invaluable.

Her ability to find solutions, adapt, change, and connect have been so important to the way we now work.

Cait Angas

We’ve been using Xero since the business started, but like many were not using it optimally or as it was designed. Anita began support and compliance work with us in 2017 in our first location in Greenock. We were then supported and coached in best practice and efficiencies in Xero, with Anita providing ongoing BAS and payroll support.

After a couple of years, and with the business demanding more of our time and effort; we engaged Anita and her bookkeeping team to take over the bookkeeping including paying bills and payroll. What a weight off our shoulders. She’s been there anytime we need phone or onsite support, no matter how big or how small.

We also rely heavily on her for business planning guidance, financial modelling, and monitoring KPI’s. Our regular catchups are invaluable to ensuring the future is bright and that we are heading in a positive direction. This modelling and advice have been critical both during Covid, and when moving to our amazing new location in Greenock.

Anita also implemented our point of sale and Deputy, plus Dext for scanning our expenses to the team. A lot of the things we used to manually track and record are now automated.

The data is captured so fluently, that we can look at reports at any stage of the year or month and be able to correct any budget overspends or leaks. We have regular meetings with Anita, and she has helped us to understand what all the numbers actually mean to us, the business operators (who are certainly not accountants).

Deputy has been a game changer in the management of our team of around 30 staff. Each employee has the app on their phone and can check their shifts and timesheets, plus submit any unavailable days and leave requests. We can also post on the news feed to one, several or all staff about goings on, positive feedback, issues, and events. The entire team now communicate in one channel. With the sync to our POS, we can forecast our wage cost to our budget target with a forecasted % view at the time of making the roster.

Eagle Eye has put the entire package together and provides continued support when needed. We just get on with making delicious food, entertaining our wonderful guests, and serving bountiful beverages! Eagle Eye Cloud Solutions are definitely much more than just bookkeepers.

Julian & Abby Velasquez