![](https://cfomagazine.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/PW_Banner.jpg)
- Author: Peter Willmott, CTO | The Fruit Box Group
- Posted: January 22, 2025
Driving Customer-Centric Growth by Connecting Business, Technology & Finance Needs
In today’s rapidly evolving business environment, businesses are under increasing pressure to drive revenue growth while simultaneously enhancing operational efficiency and customer experience. Achieving these goals requires a deep integration of business strategy, technology, and financial management. This convergence is not just a competitive advantage but a necessity for success in a market where customer expectations are continually rising.
For over two decades, The Fruit Box Group has been a key player in the Australian B2B service sector, delivering essential tearoom supplies to businesses. As the largest independent provider in this space, it makes 20,000 deliveries each week to more than 8,000 customers, setting itself apart with an unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction.
To continue delivering on this promise in a digital-first world, The Fruit Box Group embarked on a strategic digital transformation journey.
Here are the THREE things it focused on >
Transforming customer experience through an online presence
The integration of an ERP system with a customer-facing platform and a robust integration layer has transformed The Fruit Box Group’s operations. Previously, customers had to reorder supplies weekly, a time-consuming and often stressful process. To address this, the business introduced a subscription model that allows for recurring orders. Now, customers can log into an online platform to adjust their orders at their convenience, whether that’s adding extra supplies for a meeting or pausing deliveries during holidays.
This shift has streamlined the ordering process and empowered customers to manage their needs without the constraints of phone calls or emails. “The downside of traditional customer service is the synchronous time required. With our online platform, customers can make changes at their own pace,” says Peter Willmott, Chief Technology Officer at The Fruit Box Group. The integration ensures real-time updates and smooth data flow, reducing errors and enhancing customer satisfaction.
Building a robust, reliable system with strategic integrations
At the heart of The Fruit Box Group’s operations is a robust system of record, with NetSuite managing everything from inventory to customer information. It also uses Celigo as the integration layer which ensures consistent and accurate data flow between systems including NetSuite, Zendesk, Adobe Commerce, Customer.io and various internal micro services, creating a resilient system capable of handling the challenges of online operations.
“We need a solid, reliable pipeline for our major transactions, Celigo’s integration with NetSuite provides that,” says Willmott. “Celigo also gives us the flexibility to implement ad-hoc solutions quickly, which is crucial in today’s fast-paced digital landscape.”
For example, when onboarding a large customer with over 100 operational staff members, the business faced challenges with accidental holds on orders due to high staff turnover. Within just 1.5 hours, Celigo enabled a solution that automatically emails customers to confirm any holds, reducing errors and improving satisfaction.
Collaborating to align technology with business strategy
A critical element of The Fruit Box Group’s success has been the alignment of technology investments with business objectives. The integration was not just a technological upgrade but a strategic initiative that supported business goals of enhancing customer experience, exploring new revenue streams, and maintaining core values of providing low-cost, high-value service. Working closely with all stakeholders, including the CFO, during this process, ensured that every technology decision supported the company’s objectives.
The Fruit Box Group’s journey highlights the importance of integrating technology with a clear strategic vision. By aligning business, technology, and finance, they have not only enhanced operations but also positioned themselves for continued growth and success in a competitive market.
As Willmott concludes, “Our IT investments must reflect our company values. With Celigo and NetSuite, we’ve achieved that.”
To learn more about The Fruit Box Group Journey join the CFO Lunchtime Live Webcast on Tuesday 18th February 2025, 12pm (AEDT) / 14.00 (NZDT) – It is free to attend and eligible for 1 CPD hour
![](https://cfomagazine.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Peter_CFOWebinar-1024x535.jpg)
Register now for your instant login > www.CFOLunchtimeLive.com.au