Success Stories

With 68 years in the general line industrial and contractor supply business, Richards Equipment has certainly solidified themselves as a legitimate distributor. Yet since the Waco, TX-based distributor began using Activant B2B Seller, Richards Equipment customers have been singing their praises louder than ever. "We are getting a lot of positive responses about our B2B Seller site," says Steve Wessinger, CEO of Richards Equipment. "People say 'Hey, these guys are doing good things and keeping up with technology.'"

Founded in 1937, Richards Equipment boasts 34 employees and has been an Activant customer for two decades. "We selected Activant based on their reputation, their software, and the excellent service they provide," recalls Wessinger. "We have evolved with them for the past 20 years."

In January 2004, Richards Equipment implemented Activant B2B Seller. "A few years ago, we looked into doing something on our own or getting with someone and developing a Web site," recalls Wessinger. "Everyone you talk to makes that sound real inviting, but if you take the glamour and sales pitch off of it, it is a very complicated process. To think that you would have someone come in and write software, trying to tie that back into our backend solution, I can't see anyone else being as successful but Activant."

"The value of being tied back to our backend solution is that it allows our customers to see exactly what we have or where their order is in real time and that has been a real positive for customer service," says Wessinger.

Improved Customer Service

With the help of B2B Seller, Richards Equipment has enhanced the value they provide their customers. "Whether they use the site or not, I would say 75 percent of our customers have Web capabilities. Whereas three to five years ago, there weren't that many," says Wessinger. "Expectations in today's world require flexibility to the degree that one customer may want capabilities one way and a different customer wants capabilities another. You have to find ways to meet all those expectations. B2B Seller has helped us do that. We believe that it will help to further customer loyalty in the future."

Wessinger recognizes that not only does B2B Seller help his customers, but it has also been a positive tool for employees as well. "Internally, it was a positive thing for our associates to say that we now have a Web site," recalls Wessinger. "Our employees have learned to use it as a reference tool for looking up product and vendor information, which in turn helps improve our customer service."

Increased Sales

Richards Equipment B2B Seller site has not only helped the company service its customers, it has also helped the company increase sales. "Since everything on the site is broken down by product categories and then sub categories, customers find things they have never purchased from us before," says Wessinger. "Sales have increased a minimum of 10 percent with customers using B2B Seller."

Along with the increased sales, B2B Seller has helped Richards Equipment collect detailed information about each customer and sale. "We run monthly reports through the B2B Seller site," says Wessinger. "We look at what the customers view and buy and see the trends. Site traffic is growing every month."

Ahead of the Curve

Despite all the success that Richards Equipment is having with B2B Seller, Wessinger is surprised at how many companies are not implementing this technology. "We belong to several trade associations and buying groups including Affiliated Distributors, and as I talk to other members, it is amazing to me how many people do not have active or fully integrated Web sites," says Wessinger. "This is one of the directions where business is going and B2B Seller puts us ahead of the curve."

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