Reaching your compute/s full potential

Dinny Waters l)ataline Corp.

Phase 3 is NEVER completed! Assuming you got through the first two, this is what the computer is all about. lt's what the salesman told you you could gain by buying the computer. What was left unsaid was the amount of work, training, management skills, time and money that the whole process was going to require.

Achieving Phase I is relatively easy, it's what you get when you buy the system and receive initial training. Phase 2 usually requires more time and energy than additional equipment or training. Phase 3 is a different matter.

Technology is changing rapidly. Today's capabilities are staggering. And if you are not creating data, you can never use it. Ifyou are creating it and not using it, you're not getting your money's worth. Talk to other dealers who are successful wigh their computer systems and you'll discover that they have continued to invest both time and money to achieve even greater benefits.

system evolve significantly since it was first installed, he explains.

"There are probably new features and programs available," Waddell says. "The best route prior to thinking about a new system is to take a good look at what you already own. A couple of software modules or a new program may be all that is needed."

Because the c6mputer industry is extremely dynamic, it is difficult for someone not involved to keep up with all of the changes, he adds. Small companies with no time to research or implement new practices can save money by using a consultant to guide them.

Food for thought: Learning from the grocery industry

Though some claim the home improvement industry is recession resistant, few industries are more recession proof than the grocery business. People always need food.

Consequently, many trends and innovations first surface at the supermarket. Building material retailers may catch a glimpse of their industry's next month, year or decade by looking at grocery stores today.

Bar coding is firmly entrenched. "The next step is making use of scan data," says Priscilla Donegan, Progressive Grocer. Scan data can improve inventory control, ordering, employee scheduling and marketing.

Just-in-time delivery and electronic merchandising are also coming in big. "There's real growth in electronic coupon machines at the checkout," says Frank Hammell, Supermarket Business. "It prints out a coupon, redeemable at that store for a related product. You buy dog food, you get a coupon for dog treats."

Coupons aren't as popular in home centers, but handing out offers for deck cleaner to a decking nail buyer makes sense.

On the other hand, highly touted self-checkout machines have been disappointing in test stores. "Customers don't want to do it. They've got nothing to gain from it," says Donegan.

Giving hope to smaller retailers, the move towards warehouse-sized grocery stores has been cut short. "Store size peaked in 1987," Hammell says.

Adds Donegan: "People said enough is enough. They don't want to buy tires where they buy their eggs."

With the depressed economy, trading down is common. Still, consumers will pay for added services. "The convenience factor outweighs the price factor," she says. "They're willing to pay a little more for precooked items or food prepared in the store."

Translated to d-i-yers, look for easier to assemble, pre-painted, value-added products and installfor-me services. The microwave age may next hit the home center.