Operations 2/14/2024 Organization: Family-owned concrete products manufacturer with domestic and international clients Need: Reduce intake order time and improve R&D tax credit documentation Outcome: Cut intake time by 75% and overhauled R&D data tracking Understanding the situation A family-owned concrete products manufacturer with both domestic and international clients relied on a long-time employee for its entire order intake process. With this employee due to retire, the manufacturer was worried how the process would be handled going forward — and wanted to see how it could improve a 14-day order review process. Want to save time on your business processes? CLA’s digital team met with the retiring employee and learned his process. To streamline the steps, CLA created an intake form with logic built in with a “right the first time” approach. This immediately boosted the quantity and quality of knowledge transferred between sales and the lab creating specific product formularies for each customer. Next, CLA created review rules to route the order to the right team of engineers and chemists with the professional knowledge required for each job. Then, the team set up a tracking system for each professional touching a job, replacing a complex system of manual time tracking in spreadsheets. CLA got to know the company’s individual contributors, how its business works, and used automation to improve efficiency. Thanks to CLA, the company is well positioned for competitive advantage for years to come. Achieving results The intake process was cut from two weeks to two days, providing the manufacturer increased capacity to take on more orders — and boosting customer satisfaction. With the new system, every employee can see each order stage as it’s reviewed, which is key if any bottlenecks arise. The system also uses automatic routing to assign tasks better. The new process tracks labor inputs for R&D tax credit calculations, improving accuracy and efficiency and replacing a manual process. Contact us Want to save time on your business processes? Complete the form below to connect with CLA. If you are unable to see the form below, please complete your submission here . Connect © 2024 CliftonLarsonAllen. All rights reserved. "CliftonLarsonAllen" and "CLA" refer to CliftonLarsonAllen LLP. Investment advisory services are offered through CliftonLarsonAllen Wealth Advisors, LLC, an SEC-registered investment advisor. CliftonLarsonAllen is a Minnesota LLP, with more than 120 locations across the United States. The Minnesota certificate number is 00963. The California license number is 7083. The Maryland permit number is 39235. The New York permit number is 64508. The North Carolina certificate number is 26858. If you have questions regarding individual license information, please contact Elizabeth Spencer . CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen LLP), an independent legal entity, is a network member of CLA Global, an international organization of independent accounting and advisory firms. Each CLA Global network firm is a member of CLA Global Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee. CLA Global Limited does not practice accountancy or provide any services to clients. CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen LLP) is not an agent of any other member of CLA Global Limited, cannot obligate any other member firm, and is liable only for its own acts or omissions and not those of any other member firm. Similarly, CLA Global Limited cannot act as an agent of any member firm and cannot obligate any member firm. The names “CLA Global” and/or “CliftonLarsonAllen,” and the associated logo, are used under license.