Broadlume Uses Tropic to Build a Single Source of Truth, Saves $178K+ Annually

About Broadlume

Broadlume is an all-in-one technology platform that helps flooring retailers manage nearly every aspect of their business through a fully integrated technology stack designed to help them better connect with customers.

With its family of companies, Broadlume offers a comprehensive suite of technology across the entire business lifecycle, including website development, product visualization, CRM, inventory management, ERP, accounting, payment processing, and more.

“The goal in building this platform was to automate, digitize, and streamline the selling process,” said Todd Saunders, Broadlume CEO. “We want to be a partner for the entire flooring industry to help them thrive.”

The Challenge

Manage millions in technology spend in an efficient manner

The company was experiencing healthy growth across its business as it continued to acquire specialized flooring firms. Broadlume’s VP of Business Operations, Steve McMullen, was responsible for managing the firm’s growing tech stack as it continued to add new employees and expand its footprint.

“We were certainly mindful of the possibility of duplicative tools in our arsenal because of the nature of our growth,” said McMullen. Alongside Heather Scheel, a Senior Systems Program Manager, McMullen was tasked with managing an ever-expanding operation that quickly surpassed 100 employees and was overseeing several million in technology spend.

The Solution

Centralize the purchasing process and reduce shadow spend

Working to build a culture of operational excellence, McMullen and team started to proactively investigate technology solutions that could help them build a single source of truth for every tool being used within the company.

Specifically, they were looking to centralize the purchasing process, reduce spend happening outside the company’s purview, and organize all of the existing contracts floating around the organization. They were also looking to get a handle on the seemingly endless string of software renewals that were fast approaching.

Ironically enough, that’s when McMullen got a call from an old friend and colleague who happened to mention Tropic. “I specifically remember he told me they were saving a ton of money,” McMullen said.

Shortly after, McMullen and team began to formally vet Tropic and a couple of other related companies. It didn’t take long for them to realize Tropic was the most comprehensive solution for what they were looking to accomplish. “The software seemed intuitive but it was the service that really stood out to me, it was clear we were dealing with world-class procurement professionals,” McMullen added.

Establish a contract repository and consolidate duplicative contracts and vendors

From the outset, Tropic played an instrumental role in helping the company make sense of all the purchases, renewals, and requests that were taking place inside the fast-growing organization. One of the first tasks involved consolidating duplicative contracts and vendors from some of their most recent acquisitions.

Within a few short weeks, the company was able to achieve a comprehensive view of all their existing software, related contracts, and detailed, tool-specific utilization metrics. They were even able to automate renewal alerts 60 days in advance so they could ensure nothing slipped through the cracks.

McMullen’s right-hand, Heather Scheel, also noticed Tropic’s impact pretty early on. “What I love most about Tropic is that they go out of their way to make software purchases a breeze,” she said.

Beyond saving his team countless hours negotiating with sales reps and chasing down old contracts, McMullen started to see compelling cost savings within the first month.

“I love hopping into the dashboard and seeing the dollar value of savings that we’ve achieved with Tropic,” said McMullen.