New parts for antique vehicles are in high demand, but collectors can be a tough market to crack. They are particular about what they purchase and are experts in the products they need. Collectors can also become very loyal to companies who have their best interests in mind. One of our clients has experience in this market, selling new tractor parts for antique tractors.
They strive to keep their customers happy with their staff of 20 customer service representatives and were able to service their customers well and grow their business using Microsoft Dynamics GP which they purchased in 1998.
As their client base and order volumes grew, our client desired a customer service dashboard. They desired more visibility into inventory and a more comprehensive view of their customers’ order history or credit limit within that one screen. All this information is already accessible in GP, but customer service representatives needed to be pretty adept in drilling around the application to get to the desired information which took time. Because they couldn’t easily view inventory levels, the customer service reps also had to call their customers back if they needed more information or had an issue with ordering the parts. Needless to say, time was spent checking on inventory, communicating back and forth with customers, and verifying credit limits to ensure the order would go through smoothly. This delayed orders for their customers and limited cash flow for the company because the orders weren’t processed through in a timely fashion.
As a Certified Microsoft Dynamics Partner with dual Gold competencies in ERP and CRM based out of Michigan, the TM Group works with a number of add-on solution providers, one of which helped this client with their business pains. SalesPad Solutions, LLC was able to provide a solution that integrates with our client’s Microsoft Dynamics GP solution. This solution showed customer information, order history, inventory levels, and order capabilities all within one screen. Customer service representatives can now easily see everything they need from start to finish and complete the order with confidence that all pieces to the puzzle are complete. This sped up the order process for our client and allowed for better customer service across the board. Their customers take the time to research the products they need and depend on this distributor to see the order through to completion. Now, our client can deliver optimal customer service with the insight they hold about their customers and orders.
SalesPad’s solution, ShipTo, took it even one step further, streamlining the shipping process so customer service reps can now easily give status updates to their customers on when their order will arrive and how much the shipping will cost them. The solution integrates sales documents for shipping with UPS and FedEx. Everyone can now see tracking numbers immediately after shipping. SalesPad developers also created a customized function that calculates shipping costs during quote entry, allowing our client to provide a freight quote up front rather than after an order is placed. Our client has complex shipping needs and they wanted the ability to authorize credit cards for the full amount, including shipping changes, knowing full well, their customers don’t like to be surprised with additional charges.
If you experience the same distribution industry pains as our client did, don’t hesitate to contact us for more information. We are dedicated to providing unique solutions to our clients to fit specific industry needs.
