Cloud Nine automates global ops with BPA integration

Cloud Nine has overhauled its customer and order management processes after deploying Codeless Platforms' BPA Platform as an integration layer between Oracle NetSuite, Salesforce, Shopify GraphQL, eBay, DPD and multiple third-party logistics providers across four regions.

The Harrogate-based manufacturer and supplier of hair styling tools uses the software to connect systems spanning the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The integration supports its direct-to-consumer and wholesale operations and underpins its move to a new enterprise resource planning system.

Cloud Nine said the automation project delivered a rapid financial return and reduced reliance on manual data handling across sales, fulfilment and customer service.

"BPA Platform is extremely good value for money. In fact, the investment that we made in BPA Platform was probably paid back in the first year. It provided us with a flexible and fully stable integration and business process automation platform that enabled us to connect to a variety of applications and systems that we introduced over the years, without any difficulty," said Blaise Lester, Group Business Systems Development Manager, Cloud Nine.

Integration backbone

Cloud Nine first implemented BPA Platform as middleware between its original website and ERP system. The company later adopted Salesforce as its customer relationship management tool and used a BPA Platform connector to integrate customer data and service processes.

The business then replatformed its website to Shopify. It used Codeless Platforms' Shopify GraphQL connector for the eCommerce integration.

After those projects, Cloud Nine decided to replace its ERP with Oracle NetSuite. It used BPA Platform's NetSuite connector during the migration.

"One of the main reasons that the company was able to easily switch between these new systems was the affordability and flexibility of BPA Platform. It was a critical part in the company's ability to switch to NetSuite. The same information was still coming in from Shopify, as well as the same information from Salesforce, it was just a matter of reconnecting them to NetSuite, which BPA Platform was able to facilitate," explained Blaise Lester.

Order flow automation

Cloud Nine routes order and customer data between eCommerce, CRM, ERP and logistics systems through BPA Platform. This creates a single management point for transactions, returns and payments.

"BPA Platform is an essential part of our business. Without BPA Platform we cannot bring orders in, so it is the critical linchpin in the middle. For example, we import all data into NetSuite, such as deposit creations, order updates, dispatches, credit memos, returns, payments, etc., from the various sources so that we can manage everything from one location. That information can then be exported back to Shopify or into Salesforce."

Salesforce acts as the central system for customer engagement and service. BPA Platform synchronises customer records, product assets and transaction data with the CRM system.

"The Salesforce connector is automating the transfer of customer information (new and updated), assets, metadata, sales orders from the various sources, serial numbers etc. We've also automated the process for other value add data additions including pulling in all the reviews from Trustpilot and uploading them to Salesforce."

Shopify and logistics links

Cloud Nine uses Shopify's GraphQL interface for most eCommerce-related automation tasks. BPA Platform handles order traffic, product catalogue updates and refunds.

"We are using Shopify's GraphQL for all of our tasks bar one, calling tags, which is using the REST API currently, but we are looking to change. With Shopify, we are automating the transfer of orders, product synchronisation, data updates, and refunds. We also synchronise customer details which includes metadata."

The company also connects multiple third-party logistics providers in different territories into NetSuite through a mix of API calls and XML messages. This supports fulfilment operations in the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

"We also utilise a number of 3PLs across several territories (UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand). Those are all integrated with NetSuite - utilising a combination of API calls and XML messages."

Future systems changes

Cloud Nine positions BPA Platform as a central part of its technology strategy. It uses the software for workflow visibility and for coordination between Oracle NetSuite, Salesforce and Shopify.

"BPA Platform is critical where we are at the moment. It allows me to understand our processes and workflows, allows me to use a combination of APIs, and enables me to pull data from apps and update staging tables between Salesforce, NetSuite and Shopify."

The company also relies on BPA Platform features that support NetSuite extensions and bespoke interfaces. This underpins further integration work without replacing the existing middleware layer.

"Its ability to support both RESTlets and custom REST web services gave us exactly the flexibility we needed to tailor the integration to our specific business processes. The fact that we could extend our existing BPA Platform environment to include NetSuite integration at a competitive price made the decision even easier, helping us streamline operations and maximise the value of our existing investment," said Lester.