'If Only My Field Reps Could Stay in the Field...'
The limitations of technology have historically tied one hand behind the back of Field Sales Representatives. By and large, reps spend most of the day consulting with clients, but have to rush back to the office to enter customer orders before close-of-business every day. The "gotta get back to the office" mentality usually translates into less time for reps to spend on merchandising and other marketing activities. However, if a rep can enter customer orders for processing without returning to the office, he gains a commanding competitive advantage - another couple of hours per day in the field - and that's only the beginning.

Finding the Answer - a Case Study
G.H.C. Reid & Co., a beer and beverage distributor, knows firsthand the benefits of integrated mobile operations. In 2004, G.H.C. Reid deployed Carillon PDA. (Carillon ERP had supplied G.H.C. Reid with many other ERP components in prior years, so the PDA component fully integrated with the existing Carillon ERP software, making for a seamless transition from the old way of entering sales to the new.)

The process is simple. Each field rep carries his or her own PDA. When it's time to enter an order, the rep simply enters the order into the PDA. Whenever the rep is at a place with connectivity, the rep connects to the main database and synchronizes the information. The order is quickly received back at the office and the shipment process gets underway.

Employees More Productive; Customers More Satisfied
What if no connection is available when it's time to enter the order? No need to slow down operations. The PDA application and data is fully accessible without an Internet connection. Whenever connectivity is available, the rep can synchronize the database on his PDA with the main database at the office, updating the status of all orders for that sales rep as well as CRM information available on the fully integrated CRM module on the PDA.

The Sales Order Entry PDA application alleviates countless data entry errors as well as the delay in entering orders. Furthermore, since the sales force has access to ATS (Available-to-Sell) quantities, it helps prevent them from unknowingly placing orders for out-of-stock items. The unintentional ordering of out-of-stock items had caused problems in the past, resulting in further delays delivering promised goods. Those days are history.

Sales reps also have access to the shipping statuses of every order on the PDA to help ensure timely delivery or allowing reps to proactively troubleshoot problem orders.

Upper Management Gets a Sharper Focus and Lucrative Results
Carillon PDA benefits more than the sales force; it also empowers upper management to assess operations with today's data, making for a better managed business. In fact, G.H.C. Reid & Co. won Coca Cola's 2004 Distribution Excellence Award for Oceania (Samoa News, 3/19/2005).

Inventory shrinkage at G.H.C. Reid & Co. has been reduced over 90% as a result of the Carillon ERP and PDA implementations. Labor costs have dropped as a result of automation, and access in the field to the ATS and shipping data means promised goods are delivered on time.

"Today, G.H.C. Reid enjoys increased staff productivity and improved access to timely data. We are finally able to operate our business in real time, and that makes a significant impact on our ability to take better care of our clients," stated Charles Warren, CFO, G.H.C. Reid & Co.

Best Use of Technology
Carillon PDA was written using Sybase PocketBuilder, Sybase MobiLink, and Sybase SQL Anywhere. Carillon PDA is a fully integrated module of Carillon ERP which is written in PowerBuilder and supports Microsoft SQL Server, Sybase SQL Anywhere, IBM DB2, and Oracle databases.

Resources

• www.CarillonERP.com/
• www.CarillonERP.com/distribution.htm