Southern Showcase SAWD 2012

For those attending the Southern Showcase, we’re in booth 105.  Drop by for a demo of ProSel or any other Ai2 solution designed to increase your sales.

More information is here:  http://www.the-southern.org/tradeshow2006.htm

See Ai2 at the Southern Showcase for SAWD

We’re heading to New Orleans for Southern Showcase!

May 30 and June 31, 2012

This is one of the premier events of the Southern Association of Wholesale Distributors and we’re exhibiting in booth 105.  You’ll be able to see live demos of ProSel, Pigeonholes, POW, POET and all our mobility software for improving sales in convenience store wholesale distribution.  H.T. Hackney, Eby-Brown, Charles C. Parks and many other organizations have all increased productivity with Ai2 solutions.

Come see what they can do for you, and have a great show!  Make an appointment by email here.

Migrating From Legacy Solutions to Modern Sales Software

ImageFirst, a bit of Ai2 history: we were the first company to perform remote order entry from a PC.  This was in
the late 80s/early 90s and computers, let alone laptops, did not have the ubiquity they enjoy today.  Back then, our flagship product was called OrderWriter, and it changed the way the broadline foodservice distribution industry did business.  Our work predates Windows.

We still have clients on OrderWriter – it “just plain works” said one client recently.  We’ve since written a new product called Portable Order Entry Tool (POET) (pictured).  Director of Software Development Dorothy Zwierz oversaw the project and came up with the acronym.

As Windows progresses from version to version and older operating systems are phased out, the time comes for a migration to ensure that you continue to work with a trusted partner and you get the features/functions the industry demands today.

Functions such as:

  • Improved browsing and search through any size database.
  • The ability to transport and manage links within the application.
  • An enhanced import and export capability to Excel, Word and other applications for fast and easy bid/quote preparation.
  • “Ribbon bar” menus for better navigation within the program.
  • An easier column sort
  • The display of more information onscreen and the ability to move and dock windows.
  • The ability to keep your current interface to your back-office ERP system.
  • Easier, shorter learning curve for new users.
  • Compatibility with Windows 7 and beyond, as well as the standard 64-bit operating system hardware that is currently shipping from the top manufacturers.

We’ll support OrderWriter as long as Microsoft supports the versions of Windows on which it runs.  POET owes everything to the success of OrderWriter and it just plain works.

Android Developers Can’t Get Paid, Consumer App Confidence Higher with iOS

This article highlights the scattershot nature of the app marketplace on Android.  For every dollar of iOS revenue, developers only get 24 cents from Android.

Our software solutions, such as ProSel sales force automation, are different from download-and-go apps in that we work with your company to integrate them into your back office ERP system.  Installing our apps (and purchasing them) is not as simple as downloading the latest Angry Birds.

The article also mentions that with an unregulated place to purchase apps for Android, consumers have to shop harder to separate the junk from the quality programs.  This undermines consumer confidence across the board and makes the end user more likely to choose Apple iPhone or iPad in the first place.

Ai2 Installs Genius Bar Workstation At HQ


Ai2 Software For Sales
We know that new desks are not news on par with Bulova or a new COO, but Ai2 has installed a new “genius bar” in our headquarters.  That’s just what we’re calling it by the way; you should go to an official retailer for support and service.  

These big Macs will help us develop and test our growing line of iOS apps for enterprise mobility.  This means we’ll serve our customers more effectively.  Next time you’re in town, stop by for a tour.

Does anyone else remember when computer monitors were a foot deep and seemed to weigh 100 pounds?  

We don’t miss it either.

Sales Force Automation Makes Every Day Earth Day

This week is Earth Week, a series of global events that lead up to the 42nd annual Earth Day on April 22.  For years we’ve heard a lot of talk about companies “going green” – switching to hybrid vehicles, reducing paper usage and working to consume less electricity.

How does sales force automation help your company go green?  There are several ways.  If you rely on any paper order forms, printed accounts receivable reports, or sales flyers, all that content can be digitized and distributed to your field sales force without chopping down a single tree.  If you don’t have a sales force per se but still have an outside staff, you can implement an enterprise content management solution to not only control printing costs but save yourself a lot of time.

Ai2 has also helped companies speed up their order-to-fulfillment process by sending in orders electronically throughout the day instead of a big rush at the cutoff time.  Instead of warehouse personnel waiting for orders to pick, they’re starting sooner and reducing the electricity and heat it takes to keep the warehouse open.

Another goal of electronic ordering is the reduction or elimination of costly returns, which cost extra fuel if drivers need to make additional stops and carry the additional weight of returned items.

If your company is greener thanks to sales force automation, let us know in the comments.  Contact us if you’re ready for every day to be Earth Day.

Enterprise Mobility: Pros and Cons on Rugged Devices, Tablets and More

Excellent article from VSR here.

“Not every cloud app is as customizable as needed. Browser-based apps are dead without connectivity. Frequent communication with a cloud-based app or database drives up connectivity costs.”  

That’s why we make our applications as accessible offline as they are online.  You can’t rely on spotty rural coverage to get the deal closed.  More from our blog here.

Ai2 Partner Success – Enterprise Mobility Sales Force Order Entry in Convenience Store

Image

Here’s a profile of a company that replaced older technology and gained significant ROI from implementing

 an Ai2 solution.  Charles C. Parks has increased their sales and saved a lot of time and printing expenses by going with Ai2.

Contact us today and see what we can do for your company.

Half Of US Households Own An Apple Product – We Are The 51%

This Mashable article reports results from the All American Economic Survey conducted by CNBC.  Among the Imagefindings: At least one Apple product is in half the households in the United States.

Apple owners skew younger, male, and tend to have higher education and incomes.  Political affiliation seemed to play no role, but households with children were more likely to own at least one Apple product.

If you can wrest the family iPad away from your youngster playing Draw Something, learn how Ai2 can improve your productivity at work.

A Modern Solution For Team Modern – Sales Automation for iPad

Team Modern Distributing has come aboard to Ai2 with ProSel sales force automation on iPad.  We’re glad to have them.  It’s a privilege to get the chance to replace their Telxons with a powerful order entry and enterprise content management app.

Full press release here.

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