If you run finance at a builders merchant, the pressures are familiar: cost to serve keeps rising, debtor days creep up, margin is under constant attack, and every system change carries risk. OptiFlow is an AI layer on top of your existing systems that moves those numbers in the right direction without a costly replacement.
The finance view of the counter
Most of what happens at the trade counter and in the back office is routine, repeatable work done by people. That is a large, largely fixed cost sitting against margins that are always under pressure. Meanwhile cash is tied up in slow paying accounts, in credits and errors, and in price changes that are loaded too late to protect margin. The instinct when things are stretched is to invest in a new system, but a full ERP replacement is expensive, slow, disruptive and risky, and it rarely pays back the way the business case promised.
What OptiFlow changes for finance
- Lower cost to serve. Automating routine order entry, enquiries, returns, onboarding and price file work frees expensive staff time and lets you handle more volume without more headcount. See AI versus hiring more counter staff.
- Protected cash. Payment captured sooner, cleaner processing and consistent chasing all help bring cash in faster. See the debtor days benchmark.
- Protected margin. Better price file discipline means you sell at the right price as costs move, and fewer errors means fewer credits and write offs.
- Low risk change. Because OptiFlow layers on top of your current ERP, there is no migration and no rip and replace. You keep the system that works and make it work harder.
A smaller decision than a new ERP
Weighing up a system change is one of the biggest calls a finance director makes. Before committing to a replacement, it is worth reading our honest guide to what merchant software costs, and considering whether adding AI to what you have gets you most of the operational benefit at a fraction of the cost, disruption and risk. For many merchants it is a subscription that pays back quickly, not a capital project that hangs over the business for two years.
Works with your systems, no rip and replace
OptiFlow is an AI layer that sits on top of the platform you already run, whether that is Kerridge, Intact, Ibcos or another trade system, and acts on the data it already holds. There is no migration, no long project and nothing new for your team to learn, and most merchants are live in weeks rather than months. See the fuller picture on our AI for builders merchants page.
See what OptiFlow would do for your cost to serve, cash and margin. Get a quote.
Frequently asked questions
How does OptiFlow reduce cost to serve?
By automating the routine order, enquiry, returns, onboarding and price file work that currently ties up staff, so you handle more volume without adding headcount.
Is this a big system project?
No. OptiFlow layers on top of your existing ERP, so there is no migration and far less risk than a replacement, and it goes live in weeks.
How does it help cash flow?
Payment captured sooner, cleaner processing and consistent chasing bring cash in faster. Our debtor days guide covers the cash side in more detail.
How does it protect margin?
By loading supplier price changes on time and accurately, and by cutting the errors that lead to credits and write offs.
How quickly does it pay back?
For most merchants it is a subscription that pays back quickly rather than a capital project, because it is a fraction of the cost of the staff time it frees.