Success Stories

Activant B2B Seller Helps Distributor Improve Customer Service, Increase Sales

Leo Cole, president of Cole Wire and Cable, distributors of specialty electrical and electronic wire and cable in Lincolnshire, IL, wanted to provide expanded customer service to his existing customer base. So he implemented an Activant B2B Seller Web site, www.colewire.com.

One of the largest stocking distributors in the country and centrally located just north of Chicago, Cole Wire and Cable inventories virtually all types of electrical and electronic wire and cable. The company employs the most experienced and knowledgeable sales staff in the industry and continually strives to be the most reliable full-service distributor in the country.

Founded in 1979, by Shel Cole, Cole Wire and Cable has built a loyal following of satisfied customers by providing fast competitive quotes; same-day shipments from their own multi-million dollar inventory; cutting cable to specified length at no charge; coloring and striping of cable; re-spooling from bulk reels; stocking programs; and 24hr emergency service.

Improved Customer Service

"Customers like that they can login and drill down to see their account history," explains Cole. "We're also noticing many customers use the site to research products at their convenience. Our customers appreciate the fact that they can access information 24 hours a day, seven days a week via the Web. It's a great value-added service."

Through a secure login site, customers can access their account information, viewing the status of current orders and past invoices, and their buying history. This frees Cole Wire and Cable's customer service representatives from responding to time-consuming calls for basic information, and enables them to focus their energies on providing better service to existing customers and developing new prospects. Customers now get better service at a much lower cost to Cole.

In an effort to introduce his customers to the site and encourage its use, Cole ran an incentive program in the fall. Every time a customer registered with the site, he was automatically entered to win a personal digital assistant (PDA). In the three months that the program ran, Cole registered 170 new logins to the site. It has grown steadily.

"I make sure I mention the site when visiting customers because it gives us more credibility from a technology standpoint," says Cole.

From the Heartland to Around the Globe

While Cole anticipated his customers' appreciation of the Web site, he did not expect his national distributorship would suddenly go international.

"Thanks to B2B Seller, Cole Wire and Cable has expanded to have an international presence," says Cole. "So far we've done business with people in Norway, Sweden, Singapore, Caracas, and Jordan. I've also talked to a contractor in New Zealand."

This rapid expansion is nothing new for Cole who helped his father found the business 22 years ago. "We began in our home," recalls Cole proudly. "Now we occupy a 51,000 square foot warehouse on five acres outside of Chicago."

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