With the release of the iPad today, we thought we'd explain how here at Mitchell Harris as we've incorporated the iPad into our everyday workflow. With a couple of iPads, our iPhones, home and work computers and some cloud technology we can all stay in touch, have up-to-date figures at hand, and stay on top of sales and marketing.
A few of the benefits of bringing the iPad into Mitchell Harris Wines:
Saving trees and the clutter of paper tasting notes and pricing documents. On our trade visits, sommeliers and wine-buyers can peruse prices and winemaking information without piles of paper being printed out and cluttering up offices and bars. Winemaking info is always at hand when showing the wines.
Any documents that sommeliers want to keep can be emailed through immediately.
Staying on top of inventory. We know continuously where stock is being sent, and what remains in the warehouse or winery at any particular time.
Sales orders can be sent through immediately to the warehouse, and invoices generated, receipts sent, all pretty much at the site of the sale.
Using the Apps such as Numbers, we can work on our production or sales spreadsheets on a train or anywhere, continuously uploading them to our "cloud," where we can all contribute at any time.
Our photo library becomes a "stock library" where we have access to Mitchell Harris images (such as bottle images,) that we can then use in blogs, emails or the like. (It also looks terrific as a slideshow when out pouring and selling booze!)
Getting photos onto the iPad is really easy with the camera connector, then editing them with Photogene, CameraBag or something similar we can share great images in no time.
Blogging (I'm writing this on the ipad using BlogPress now) or staying in touch via Twitter or Facebook is obviously a doddle with the iPad, and makes good use of the odd spare moment. So too is replying to emails whilst out and about.
It's an ultimate note-pad / diary / ideas depository.
A bit of down-time whilst on the road is easily filled with some books on iBooks or a couple of mags on the Zinio app.
So there are just a few ways the iPad has helped a tiny winemaking business like ours, love to hear if you've any great ideas or tips.
And, of course, here's our fearless winemaker, John Harris using a massive spreadsheet during his trial of the brand new iPad...
Stick to the fermenters and barrels JH!
