CUSTOMERPROFILE launched a business to consumer website under the name FD Supply where anyone, anywhere in the world, can order parts. This new business is growing at about 60% every six months. As Meany describes it, “We can do everything within our system and we’ve become really good at it. It gives us the functionality of a billion-dollar corporation even though we only have 15 employees.” As a result of the new market place, FD Supply has grown internationally to locations all around the world. Their internet presence has earned them unique opportunities such as selling drainage parts for a new cruise port in Belize. “There’s no way on earth we could ever have thought of doing that! It’s been great for us,” Meany exclaimed.
Unlimited Growth Potential Managing an internet-based sales effort can be challenging on a good day, but with the right tools running behind the scenes, e-commerce becomes a whole lot easier. Supporting greater demand and meeting expectations of online customers requires well-functioning, integrated systems.
Integration Powers First-Class Customer Experience When the back-office software is tightly integrated with the e-commerce system, it gives existing customers selfservice access to their product order history and the ability to manage their account data. The customer convenience is priceless because they’re not limited to “normal business hours”. According to Meany, “Our website delivers what our customers need, when they need it. Customers can search for products and view their account history, invoice and quotes.” This functionality saves the Palmetto Parts internal team a lot of time and frees them up to focus on other tasks.
E-commerce Provides Unique Opportunities
Trying to grow an online sales effort with separate systems takes much more effort than one would think. Meany advises that keeping up with data entry, managing inventory, and communications with the customers is not where you want to invest your time. “We are certainly grateful that we chose the right integrated e-commerce technology and team to provide us our seamless back-office and e-commerce integration solution. It sure has allowed me the ability, as the VP of Sales, to focus on growth versus management,” stated Meany. “Our sales team works efficiently, our parts are easily found by anyone who has access to the internet, and we provide an outstanding customer experience because of the accuracy of customer data across systems and elimination of all the points where mistakes can occur. Growth is no problem, and our system works smoothly, regardless of volume,” Meany concluded.
To expand their sales, Palmetto Parts created and About the Author Ruth Richter is the Customer Experience Director for ROI Consulting, Inc, the market’s leading Sage 100 integration specialist. ROI Consulting has been maximizing Sage 100 customer’s technology investment through integration and customization since 1997. Learn more at www.roi-consulting.com or call 402-934-2223x1. Winter 2016 | Bellwether
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