Now Optics and Avantiico’s ERP integration fuels expansion and modernizes eye care in 18 months with Microsoft Dynamics 365

Eye care and eyeglass provider Now Optics transformed its business operations with a unified enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution that is driving operational efficiency across its distribution center and more than 300 stores. Now Optics needed a scalable IT infrastructure to power its rapid business growth. The company turned to Microsoft partner Avantiico for a multiphase project that would ultimately incorporate Now Optics’s finance, inventory, and warehouse operations. The unified ERP solution is fueling productivity and helping the company offer a more personalized customer experience.

Expanding access to modern eye care with technological innovation

Now Optics, an eye care and eyeglasses retail operation, believes in modernizing the eye care experience and is a leader in telehealth eye exams that complement its over 300 corporate and franchise store locations. In 2024, Now Optics opened more than 30 new stores and expects to open at least 40 more in 2025.

This rapid business expansion strained the company’s existing IT infrastructure, which had been built piece by piece over the company’s history. Now Optics decided to transform and unify its point-of-sale, inventory, and finance systems. “We were running various systems, including a custom point-of-sale system and a financial system, and we didn’t have specific supply chain tracking for inventories and warehousing,” says Lakshmi Balusu, Chief Information Officer at Now Optics. “From an IT point of view, we wanted a platform that would help the company grow and not look backward. We don’t want the IT infrastructure to be a hindrance for company growth.”

With the company’s reputation as a leader in hybrid eye exams and eye care e-commerce, the company’s technology teams wanted to develop an omnichannel ERP system that would complement its online presence. Now Optics had already migrated some business operations to Microsoft Azure, and the company determined that Microsoft technology was a natural fit for additional modernization. “We analyzed how much Microsoft is investing in its cloud and technologies and decided it was the best option,” says Balusu.

Driving change across business operations in 18 months

Initially, Now Optics was focused on moving its finance operations to Microsoft Dynamics 365, which features AI-driven customer relationship management and ERP business applications. It turned to Microsoft partner Avantiico, which has extensive experience with Dynamics 365 and large-scale, complex projects involving finance and accounting systems. “We bring deep knowledge on the technical side of Dynamics 365,” says Dan McAllister, Solution Architect at Avantiico. “Complex, multinational, and multicurrency projects are in our wheelhouse with the use of our Advance Multi-Company Solution.”

While Now Optics worked with Avantiico, the eye care company decided that it wanted to go beyond modernizing its finance operations and make Dynamics 365 its supply chain and warehouse management system. To bring together data from multiple systems, Now Optics used data platform Microsoft Fabric. Avantiico collaborated with teams across multiple time zones to gain a deep understanding of Now Optics’s business needs. “Avantiico truly felt like a team member, not just a partner,” says Nicole Lord, Vice President of Merchandising at Now Optics.

Upgrading the company’s finance operations took only six months using Avantiico’s Advance Multi-Company Solution, which accelerated data migration and incorporated Now Optics’s payroll and expense management solutions. Now Optics adopted Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management, which helps companies streamline supply chain operations, and Microsoft Power BI to help the company uncover and visualize strategic business insights. The company was ready to pilot its unified ERP system 12 months later, a fairly quick turnaround for an international, multiphase project.

For one pilot, a small group from the senior leadership team, including the chief executive officer, went to a store location and personally tested the new solution over four days. “We wanted to make sure that the new system was developed with no training requirements,” says Balusu. “We wanted to see how the executives used the system with no training. We then took what we learned from that experience to improve the solution.”

Enhancing operational efficiency across more than 300 locations

As Now Optics refined its ERP system, it continued rolling out the solution to individual stores, then ramped up to four stores at a time. The ERP system is now fully operational at over 300 locations and the company distribution center. This solution is empowering individual franchises to enhance operational efficiency and provide customers with a more personalized experience.

The modernized infrastructure is also improving employee satisfaction, retention, and recruitment at Now Optics. The system is easier for developers to maintain, and they no longer spend time managing multiple programs. Employees benefit from single sign-on and do not have to track multiple logins to accomplish tasks, and automation is fueling productivity. “Employees can upload their invoices and automatically code the invoices to the vendor,” says Balusu. “The process to upload the invoice, code the invoice, send it for approval, and get it back for a payment is fully automated.”

With a unified data estate, Now Optics is positioned to gather strategic business insights with tools such as AI and machine learning. “We’re going to be able to remove ourselves from the day-to-day insight building and focus on using that information to develop strategy,” says Lord. “We will be able to focus on strategic planning and long-term growth opportunities.”

Transforming eye care for the era of AI

As Now Optics employees become more confident in the new ERP solution, the company is already looking for new ways to innovate and continue expanding access to eye healthcare. The company is eager to experiment with Microsoft 365 Copilot to streamline business operations. “We think with Copilot, we can automate our redundant processes and do more advanced data analysis,” says Balusu.

Now Optics’s close collaboration with Avantiico and the software vendor’s expertise with Microsoft technology fueled a complete digital transformation within the eye care company. “Understanding our business, as well as Avantiico really being in the trenches with us, challenged us to make the best decisions for our company,” says Lord.

Discover more about Now Optics on LinkedIn and YouTube.