Success Stories

Activant Application Consultants Help Distributor Make Good on Guarantee

When you ask Matt Soseman, system administrator for Tompkins Industries, Inc., what his users did if they had questions when they first went live on Activant Prophet 21, he has to laugh: "The help menu - they used that help menu like crazy."

Now, nine months after go-live, Soseman estimates that the 80 users who work in the solution across Tompkins' 10 locations are utilizing 70 to 80 percent of its potential, whereas before they had been lingering around the 20 to 30 percent mark.

So what could have happened in the meantime to mold these help menu addicts into power users?

A Commitment to Service

The employees at Tompkins Industries, Inc., an Olathe, KS-based distributor specializing in hydraulic adaptors and fluid power products, pride themselves on being leaders in the field, as they guarantee same-day shipping and pledge to offer new products, services, and innovations to their customers.

Soon after going live on Prophet 21, Tompkins proved its commitment to service and innovation by inviting Activant Application Consultants onsite to help employees get the most out of the solution. "I seriously don't know how we could have survived without them," says Soseman.

From the moment they arrived at Tompkins, the Application Consultants went to work educating employees on how to maximize Prophet 21's functionality, especially in the areas of purchasing, accounting, and order entry.

Forecasting Accuracy

Prior to moving to Prophet 21, the purchasing agents at Tompkins ran a Min-Max system that relied heavily on gut feelings and guesswork to maintain. Now, with the help of the Application Consultants, they run an Up-To purchasing system that is much more precise.

"After we worked with the Application Consultants, we consolidated vendors and began using Vendor RFQ, which automatically sends quotes to five to ten vendors at once. Plus, with forecast usage, Prophet 21 predicts what we need, how much we'll need, and when we'll need it - I don't have to worry about how accurate our purchasing is anymore," says Soseman.

And with ten branches to support, purchasing takes on a new level of importance, but Tompkins can handle it: "Now the branches don't have to worry about someone manually generating purchase orders," Soseman says. "Since the solution does it for us, there's no possibility of human error."

Knowledge Powers Sales

With purchasing under control, the Application Consultants turned their attention to order entry and accounting. "In order entry they showed us a screen that lets you view open purchase orders for a part number," says Soseman. "So, if we have a customer who is looking for this item and it's out of stock, we can pull up information on the item and give the customer an exact lead time, instead of 'I'll call you back.'"

The Application Consultants have helped Tompkins reduce their accounts receivable days as well. "We've saved thousands of dollars in just the automation of day-to-day activities. Since we're e-mailing and faxing right from Prophet 21, invoices get to customers much faster," Soseman says. "And if an order ever shows up invalidated, a screen will pop up that prompts authorized personnel to validate the order, which is important since we guarantee same-day shipping."

And by utilizing the sales history information in Prophet 21, it is like Tompkins has added a new salesperson to the staff. "We can view inactive customers and follow up on them," says Soseman. "We can rank our active customers by profit percentage, so we know who to focus on. We won't have to hire another purchasing agent or salesperson - Prophet 21 does it for us."

Matt Soseman knows that in order to deliver the type of service that today's customer demands, distributors need a technology partner that knows their business - that's why Tompkins chose to partner with Activant. "The Application Consultants help you learn things about your company and its processes that you would never know otherwise," Soseman says. "I wish all distributors out there can have a chance to work with Activant - they're amazing."

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