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

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.

1. Not Defining Requirements Clearly Enough

If you don’t know what you want, you’ll never find it.  This maxim is well-worn, but many businesses do not know everything they need in a solution.  It’s important to set a clear list of goals before shopping for a solution, otherwise you may find yourself compromising with a solution that meets just 70 or 80% of your needs.

2. Not Thoroughly Quantifying Your ROI 

This ties into #1 – when you’re making your goals it’s important to create realistic projections of the money, time, paper, fuel, and manpower you expect to save by implementing a solution.  Go through your business processes with a fine-toothed comb – how many faxes are you still sending?  How many people need to touch a sales order from placement to fulfillment?  Every bit of labor has an associated cost and an opportunity cost.  Your provider should help you add up all the pieces.

3. Excluding Key People From The Discussion

Obviously the IT department is going to be involved, but what about sales?  Operations?  Production?  Executive management?  Every business has a different decision-making process and the number of people involved can range from one to dozens.  Any department or individual that is going to be affected by the implementation of your new solution may have input on points 1 and 2 above.  What’s more, a salesperson in the field may have insights that a CEO or COO may not see on a day-to-day basis.  These real-world insights may help you define the project as you move forward.

4. Failing To Ensure Your Investment Is Protected

So you sign the contract, the project’s laid out and the implementation team starts digging into the code.  What happens when you hit an impassable road block and need to scrap the project?  Are you protected or did you just invest in a dead end?  Make sure you know what will happen if the solution cannot be implemented.

5. Not Allocating The Necessary Resources

Being in business means feeling as though you’re working on a hundred things at once.  How often have you said or heard the phrase “He/she wears a lot of hats”? Before you move ahead with a new business solution, make sure you set aside time for implementation, testing, training, beta users and every milestone you’ll need to be successful.  If you don’t give something the proper time, you risk the project lasting much longer than it’s supposed to.

Do you have success stories or cautionary tales to share?  Let us know in the comments.

They forgot #6: Buy ProSel sales force automation or Pigeonholes enterprise content management.

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.

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.

Amanda Wallace, Director of Customer Experience

Like any successful organization, we are dedicated to exceptional customer service here at Ai2.  There’s simply no substitute for it and we’re always looking to improve.  To that end, we’ve launched a complete end-to-end customer experience program that will be headed by new hire Amanda Wallace.

It’s great to have Amanda on the team and she’s looking forward to helping our customers at every stage of their relationship with us.  If you’re an Ai2 client, she’ll be in touch with you soon.

A complete description of the program is here.

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.

Businesses of all kinds are embracing the mobility of the iPad platform.  As CEO Douglas Katich says in the interview,  ”[the iPad] is such a beautiful display tool.  We could help our customers digitize all that content saving them tens of thousands of dollars in printing costs every month.”

How can your business benefit from an iPad deployment?  Let us know in the comments or visit www.ai2.com

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.