Success Stories

Activant Prophet 21 Helps Electric Heating Products Distributor Streamline Order Entry and Improve Customer Service

Mark Jackson, vice president of Mor Electric Heating, knew something had to change when his sales representatives had to manually check inventory every time a customer called to place an order.

"We certainly had some inefficiencies with our old system. Now, everyone is learning that they can trust what they see on their screens." That is because Mor Electric management recently invested in Activant Prophet 21, a Windows-based enterprise software solution. "The biggest benefit, for us, has been the efficiency of Prophet 21," Jackson says. "Our salespeople can process more transactions. And, our customer service is more efficient."

Mor Electric, a Michigan-based distributor of electric heating products, has served the comfort and industrial process heating markets for more than 40 years. In 2001 alone, the 12-employee company had a significant increase in new customers - another reason Jackson says management started a search for a new enterprise software solution to replace the company's antiquated character-based system. "Essentially, we were looking to streamline order entry and improve our customer service. Purchasing took hours, and there was a lot of double entry into the system. Prophet 21 simplifies and streamlines all of those processes."

Surprise Discovery

Jackson rediscovered Activant while searching for a new enterprise software solution on the Internet, and then attended one of Activant's Technology Seminars. "The seminar showed us what Activant could do, and even more importantly, how we could do things differently," Jackson says.

Jackson was also impressed with the way Activant treated him while he was researching his investment. "Because we're a small company, it was tough to get software companies interested in us," he says. "Many of them were looking for multiple branches and lots of users. Some of them didn't really pay attention to us and didn't respond in a timely fashion; we'd request information and maybe three or four weeks later, we'd get something back," which, he contends, boded poorly for future support issues. "I didn't get the feeling from other software companies that I would be supported once we went live with the system. But, since Activant gave us immediate feedback, I felt comfortable and confident that I was going to get excellent support."

Take the Pressure off

Jackson contends that the learning curve for Mor Electric's employees was shortened by a "full spectrum" of Computer-Based Training courses. "They were a great starting point," he says. "They got everyone thinking about Prophet 21's possibilities." And, he adds, "they were more than sufficient in preparing staff members for the basics of their new enterprise software solution."

Jackson also says that Prophet 21 takes some of the day-to-day stresses off of his sales representatives. Previously, to up-sell items or suggest complementary products, Mor Electric salespeople had to rely on their own product knowledge - or flip through catalogs. "In the past, if a customer called and asked for a specific product, it was up to the salesman to know exactly what accessory went along with it - a thermostat or retaining clip, for example," Jackson says. "Prophet 21, however, automatically and electronically 'suggests' items sales representatives can offer callers. It will definitely take some pressure off our salespeople, and help them work better, and at the same time, drive additional sales."

Offering customers excellent service will also help Mor Electric compete against the national giants. "You can't compete on price alone," Jackson says. "Prophet 21 offers us alternative ways of competing and gives us the extra know-how to gain the leading edge."

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