Case Study

Business Process, Technology Strategy, UI/UX Design

Shopify, Zoho

Iron Mountain Case Study: Zoho Integration & Business Automation

Iron Mountain Refrigeration & Equipment is a growing eCommerce and distribution company specializing in refrigeration systems and commercial equipment. With sales across multiple channels—including Shopify, Amazon, and eBay—the company manages complex inventory, logistics, and financial operations that were all originally siloed within separate systems that didn’t communicate. This meant pulling data manually for the sales cycle and reporting, with no assurance that the data was accurate. Iron Mountain partnered with KDG to help unify and integrate their data across one ecosystem. With integrated systems and reliable data, the team can now make faster, more informed decisions and scale operations with confidence. Beyond efficiency gains, the project fundamentally changed how Iron Mountain operates and even opened up new revenue opportunities.

Logo for Iron Mountain Refrigeration + Equipment, featuring stylized mountain peaks above the company name and a partial gear icon below, inspired by a project with Widener University.

Zoho Migration & System Integration

KDG migrated Iron Mountain from QuickBooks and EcomDash to Zoho Books and Zoho Inventory, unifying accounting, inventory, and eCommerce systems into a single, connected platform. 

Process Automation & Workflow Optimization

Manual processes, including cost tracking, reporting, and shipping documentation, were automated using Zoho Flow, custom integrations, and API connections, reducing errors and saving time. 

eCommerce & Platform Modernization

KDG led the transition from WooCommerce to Shopify, improving site performance, simplifying integrations, and creating a more scalable foundation for future growth. 

Customer Experience & Support Systems

Implementation of Zoho Desk and Zoho SalesIQ centralized customer communication, streamlined support workflows, and improved visibility into customer interactions across channels. 

The Challenge

  • Iron Mountain relied on a combination of platforms—including QuickBooks, EcomDash, WooCommerce, and Freshdesk—alongside manual spreadsheets to manage day-to-day operations. While each system functioned independently, they lacked integration, creating inefficiencies across the business. As the company continued to grow, these limitations made it increasingly difficult to scale operations effectively. 

  • Key challenges included: 

    • Disconnected systems for accounting, inventory, and eCommerce  
    • Manual processes for cost of goods sold and inventory valuation  
    • Limited visibility into real-time financial and operational data  
    • Time-consuming and error-prone reporting workflows  

“A lot of agencies say they can do things, especially during the sales process—but KDG actually does what they say. They were upfront about what would work, what wouldn’t, and when a different approach made more sense. For us, having a partner who could customize the system to fit how we operate—and not just force us into a standard setup—was a big reason we chose to move forward with them.”

Michelle Chavez
COO | Iron Mountain Refrigeration & Equipment
Quotation mark icon

Solutions

Platform Migration

Migration from QuickBooks and EcomDash to Zoho Books and Zoho Inventory. As the project progressed, the migration from WooCommerce to Shopify became essential to maintain platform communication, integration, and scalability.

Customer Support

Zoho Desk and Zoho SalesIQ replaced Freshdesk for more cohesive customer support and communication. This new ChatBot now assists customers on their Shopify site and automates inquiries to the team.

Custom Integrations & Automations

Development of custom integrations and automation workflows across the ecosystem of platforms greatly reduced manual processes and increased data reliability.

Centralized Reporting

Deployment of Zoho Analytics allowed for real-time, customizable dashboards and reliable, data-driven decisions.

Automated Tax Compliance

Integrating Avalara (Avatax) provided reliable tax compliance.

Exploring Key Features in Action

Migrated from WooCommerce to Shopify to create a faster, more scalable online experience with stronger platform integrations.

Iron Mountain's new Shopify website allowed for efficiency and easy of integration with their other platforms of Zoho Inventory, Zoho Books, Zoho SalesIQ, and Zoho Desk.

Centralized customer communication with Zoho Desk and Zoho SalesIQ, improving support workflows and automating customer engagement.

A customer support dashboard shows an open ticket with Jonathan Bates inquiring about bakery display recommendations, with ticket details and conversation history visible.

The integrated Zoho SalesIQ Chatbot allows for immediate customer assistance on the site during off-hours and automatically funnels chats, customer info, and order details into the backend dashboard.

Unified accounting, inventory, and eCommerce platforms into one connected Zoho ecosystem to eliminate disconnected workflows and improve operational visibility.

Screenshot of the Zoho Inventory management dashboard showing top selling and stocked items, sales by channel, and panels for sales, purchases, and inventory statuses.

Enabled a new service and repair offering with CRM-based service request tracking, work scheduling, and customer management for local field operations.

The Zoho CRM dashboard displays a service request test, showing service type, status as

Results

The transformation delivered measurable improvements across operations, reporting, and system performance. 

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Improved Efficiency

  • Significant reduction in manual data entry and spreadsheet reliance  
  • Faster month-end close processes, dropping from weeks to just days
  • Streamlined workflows across departments  

Enhanced Visibility

  • Real-time access to financial and operational data
  • Centralized reporting across all sales channels
  • Improved forecasting and decision-making capabilities  

Increased Accuracy & Reduced Risk

  • Automated cost tracking and inventory valuation
  • Improved data consistency across systems
  • Reduced likelihood of manual errors  

System Performance & Scalability

  • Improved website performance following Shopify migration with over 131k sessions and 486 orders equating to over $1M in sales since site launch
  • Scalable infrastructure to support continued growth
  • Ability to expand into new operational areas  

New Field Service Opportunities

  • System transformation enabled Iron Mountain to offer NEW on-site repair and maintenance services
  • CRM-based tracking provided a means to manage service requests, schedule work, and monitor customer interactions tied to service operations
  • Expanded customer reach allows Iron Mountain to service equipment regardless of where it was purchased within a 30 mile radius of their HQ

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