Sotraco achieves +20% productivity and moves to D+1 invoicing by going paperless with deposit slips — Nomadia connected to EBP

Sotraco: 50 years of expertise in a unique trade — reselling unsold press and bookshop returns

Founded in 1973 and based in Manduel, SOTRACO is a recognised specialist in a very particular trade: the resale of unsold press and bookshop publications. With more than 3,500 active clients across France — primarily major retail chains — and over 250 references managed, Sotraco relies on a team of around fifteen field merchandisers and sales representatives to efficiently and rapidly service its entire network.

In this trade, proximity and responsiveness are the main competitive advantages. Each field visit generates deposit and count slips — critical operational documents that underpin client invoicing. Their manual management had become a major drag on performance.

The challenge: manual double data entry causing errors and delays

In 2021, Sotraco realised that its deposit and count slip management process had become a major operational bottleneck. Merchandisers were manually entering data in the field, and then a head office operator would re-enter all the information into the management tool. A two-stage risk process: data entry errors and processing delays incompatible with the responsiveness demands of the trade.

The solution: the EBP × Nomadia duo — two complementary tools, native integration

After organising a working group and evaluating several suppliers, Sotraco chose the EBP-Nomadia duo. Two criteria were decisive: user-friendliness of the interfaces and, above all, the native compatibility of the two solutions. The challenge was to combine intuitive paperless data entry from the field with reliable automatic data synchronisation into the commercial and accounting management tool.

The operational transformation in concrete results

Benefits observed by Sotraco

1. +20% Productivity for Field Merchandisers

   The digitalisation of deposit and count slips eliminates the time each merchandiser spent manually filling in field documents. The gain is immediate and documented: +20% productivity. This freed-up time can be reinvested in additional visits, better execution quality at clients' premises or broader coverage of the 3,500-point-of-sale network.

2. D+1 Invoicing vs D+20 — 19 Days Gained on the Cycle

   This is the most spectacular benefit and the one with the greatest impact on Sotraco's cash flow. Before the solution, the manual chain (field entry → paper transmission → head office re-entry → invoice generation) took an average of 20 days. The automatic Nomadia-EBP synchronisation now enables invoices to be issued the day after the visit. A 19-day gain on the invoicing cycle that translates directly into improved cash flow and client satisfaction.

3. Elimination of Data Entry Errors and Head Office Re-entry

   Double manual entry was the main source of errors in Sotraco's process: calculation errors by the merchandiser, transcription errors by the head office operator. Automatic synchronisation from Nomadia to EBP structurally eliminates both risks — data entered in the field is transmitted as-is, without additional human intervention, into the commercial and accounting management tool.

4. Smooth Integration of 10 Databases in 2 Months

   The technical complexity of the project was significant: ten databases needed to interact smoothly between Nomadia and EBP. The 2-month deployment despite these constraints demonstrates the quality of the integration and the commitment of Nomadia's teams — and the solution was immediately well received by field teams who felt the benefits without any adaptation lag.

5. Simplified Administrative Processing and Released Head Office Resources

   The operator responsible for re-entry at head office sees their administrative workload considerably reduced. Invoicing-related processing is simplified and accelerated. This release of resources enables Sotraco to reallocate human capacity towards higher-value tasks than data transcription.

A complete operational transformation for a niche market player

Nomadia supports distribution and merchandising companies in digitalising their field processes and integrating with their management tools. Learn more about Nomadia Field Sales.