Unwrapping the Issue
Enstrom, a 4th generation family-owned company, has been delighting customers with their high-quality products for over 40 years. Their robust omnichannel strategy includes online ordering, brick-and-mortar storefronts, and sales through QVC, a leading television network that offers an in-home shopping experience.
To meet QVC’s stringent shipment requirements, Enstrom had developed a detailed labeling process. Each order required both a shipping label and a packing slip, which meant printing an 8½ x 11 sheet, folding it carefully, stuffing it into an envelope, and attaching it to the package. The multi-step process was time-consuming and labor-intensive, increasing operational complexity and cost.
As longtime eFORMz users who loved the product’s flexibility, Enstrom wanted to leverage the eFORMz duplex packaging label to streamline their operations. The goal was to print both the shipping label and packing slip simultaneously, thereby saving valuable time and reducing expenses. However, the existing label format did not meet QVC’s specific sizing requirements, posing a significant hurdle.
Determined to find a solution, Enstrom reached out to the eFORMz team, seeking an adaptation that would fit their unique situation and meet QVC’s standards.
The Perfect Blend
The team at eFORMz knows that even the sweetest business can hit a few sour spots, and Enstrom faced a sticky situation with QVC’s label requirements. The eFORMz team got to work finding the perfect blend for sweet results.
With the help of the eFORMz team, Enstrom transformed their multi-step labeling process into a streamlined two-step process that adhered to QVC guidelines with ease. Now, instead of printing, folding, stuffing, and attaching labels by hand, they simply print a duplex label and stick it on the package—sweet and simple.
The duplex label allows Enstrom to combine the shipping label and the packing slip into a single document. Like combining toffee and chocolate, it was a perfect match that made their shipping process much more efficient and eco-friendly, and the efficiency gains were immediate.
“As early adopters, we worked closely with QVC to gather all the necessary information,” said Daniel Lively, Enstrom CTO. “Thanks to the flexibility inherent in eFORMz, it took only a few iterations to get everything spot on.”
Sweet Results
The collaboration between Enstrom and eFORMz has yielded some truly sweet results.
- Increased efficiency: The streamlined, two-step labeling process cuts down the time Enstrom spends producing and applying labels by nearly half, even during peak QVC periods. This efficiency boost means they can handle 10k to 15k units a day with ease, ensuring their operations run smoothly and swiftly—a necessity when you’re shipping fragile, temperature-sensitive confections.
- Significant cost savings: Cutting the labeling process from four steps to two also provides Enstrom with huge savings in labor costs. On high-production days, when they need thousands of packages to go out in a day, workers now finish at a reasonable time and still achieve the same high level of fulfillment. With thousands of packages going out, the ROI is significant.
- Enhanced accuracy: The integrated duplex labels ensure that shipping labels and packing slips are always perfectly matched. This reduction in errors translates to fewer refunds and a more reliable shipping process, reinforcing Enstrom’s reputation for quality and dependability.
Enstrom has found eFORMz to be a versatile and robust tool, capable of adapting to their unique needs. As Lively put it, “eFORMz is a flexible and powerful tool, and we haven’t run into anything it couldn’t do. With eFORMz we get things done more efficiently.”
These improvements allow Enstrom to focus on their passion—creating delicious candy—and ensure it reaches their customers quickly and accurately. The partnership with eFORMz didn’t just streamline their operations, it allowed them to keep their customers happy, one sweet treat at a time.
