In 2012 when Tess Ulvesund discovered she had an autoimmune disorder, she set out on a journey of discovery to find healthy alternatives to her favourite treats. Growing up in a family that used to bake a lot, she didn’t let having to cut back on certain foods limit her.
Instead Tess had so much success trialling recipes at home that she soon had requests from local cafes to be their in house chef! “I didn’t take them up on the job offer, however started experimenting at home and then started giving samples to a few local cafes that quickly said yes. I wanted to be able to get out and see people so I guess it just snowballed from there.”
Read more about Tess' business growth story.
The growth of Wellness by Tess meant she turned to Ordermentum to support operations. “We needed software that does exactly what Ordermentum does, which would help us with all the logistics and admin. "Orders were coming in left right and centre in so many modes of communication, I just couldn’t keep up. Sometimes I would have in the back of my head ‘Oh that cafe has ordered but I don't know where the order is.’ It also makes it a lot easier not having to follow up with people and chase invoices. I too sometimes I forget to pay my bills. It’s the same with our customers and it's one less hard conversation to have. Ordermentum simplifies our days and makes it a lot easier to showcase products as well.”
Having a digital catalogue has been a surprise benefit when it comes to sales too. With customers have an instant access to all products, prices, sizes and details, it has cut down a lot of time spent on customer support. “These days when I call a prospective customer, they already have all the important information on hand. Rather than going into the nitty gritty of how much is this one, how many are in this one… that would drive me mad actually! It is a much better conversation when all information is readily available and we can be looking at the same screen.”
Despite now automating many orders, Tess and her team know the importance of maintaining contact with customers, and instead can focus on what they really want to talk about, rather than chasing invoices or going into details about nutritional information panels.
As the business has grown, Tess has been able to keep doing all the parts of the business she loves. “The best part is that I've been able to do what I love which is being in front of people. I really enjoy getting out and talking to cafes, showing off my products that I'm really proud of. It definitely isn't a job where I feel like I'm selling insurance or something where people don’t’ want to give you the time. They're quite happy to sit down and chat with you and you form a lot of close relationships whether it be with staff or with customers. I just love what I do. It doesn't feel like work which I think is a really good thing.”
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