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Griet Van Dorp Custom Tailoring

Griet Van Dorp Custom Tailoring

The Challenge

For 10 years, Griet Van Dorpe managed her successful sewing and retouching atelier using a completely manual "paper and gray box" system. This traditional approach reached a breaking point due to:

  • Administrative Overload: Bookkeeping required a dedicated full day of manual entry every month.

  • Status Blind Spots: Identifying which garments were physically in the shop versus ready for pickup relied on manual memory and paper tags, leading to a lack of clear overview.

  • Inefficient Communication: Reminding customers to pick up their items was a time-consuming manual task performed over the phone.

  • Complexity in Pricing: Managing different VAT rates (6% for retouches vs. 21% for custom work) and special requests without a unified system increased the risk of errors.

The Digifiers Approach

Digifiers acted as a strategic partner to modernize the atelier without losing the personal touch of the business. Utilizing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) strategy, Digifiers focused on high-impact features first, digitalizing the checkout and garment tracking, to ensure a smooth transition for Griet and her team. They provided hands-on support, including hardware research for compatible thermal printers and tablets to ensure the software lived comfortably in a physical shop environment.

The Solution Scope

The implementation successfully unified several business layers into one Odoo environment:

  • Point of Sale (POS): A visual, tablet-based interface for retail customers, allowing for quick selection of services and manual "free product" entries for unique repairs.

  • B2B Sales Management: A backend system for business clients (e.g., fashion boutiques) that allows for the creation of sales orders throughout the month, culminating in a single automated collective invoice.

  • Digital Atelier Instructions: A mobile feature allowing seamstresses to take photos of garments and draw digital annotations for repairs, replacing paper instruction booklets.

  • Integrated Logistics: Connection to an Epson TM-m30 III printer to generate physical identification tags at the moment of intake.

  • Accounting Export: Automated daily reception reports and VAT-split exports for seamless import into Exact Online.

The Result & Added Value

Digifiers transformed a traditional paper-based business into a modern, digitally-driven atelier.

  • Operational Efficiency: The "collective invoicing" and automated reporting features have reclaimed hours of administrative time.

  • Enhanced Traceability: The digital "rack status" (Waiting, In Processing, Ready, Picked Up) mirrors the physical shop, ensuring nothing is ever lost.

  • Future-Proofing: While starting with core POS and Sales features, the Odoo foundation allows Griet Van Dorpe to easily add modules like SMS reminders or a webshop as the business continues to grow.