Monthly Archives: August 2014

WEBINAR: Grow Any Sales Organization with Sage 100 ERP

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Register now! => PUBLIC WEBINAR OPEN TO SAGE BUSINESS PARTNERS, SAGE ERP END USER CUSTOMERS AND PROSPECTS TOO.  Wednesday, September 24, 2014 at 12 pm CT.  

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A new report by Aberdeen Group states that Best-in-Class organizations are 2.4 times more likely to enable ERP through mobile devices. The report also concludes that the most effective deployment of mobile ERP is when apps are tailored to meet the unique needs of the individual or role in the organization.

That is exactly the personalized approach to mobile sales that we took with iSales 100 and now with our release of version 3.0 we invite you to take a look at the power and flexibility iSales 100 has to meet a wide range of mobile sales needs to help grow any sales organization using Sage 100 ERP.

During the webinar you will learn how to create a first-class mobile user experience:

* Control the customers and items mobile users see.
* Determine warehouses available to sell from.
* Define transaction types the user can process.
* Establish whether the user should see available quantities.
* You decide whether the user can view or override item prices or view costs, and much, much more!

iSales 100 can even be configured to act as a B2B customer sales portal with a few easy clicks. To see this and much more please register now because space is limited!

Can’t wait for the webinar? You can reach us today at info@xkzero.com or 847-416-2009.

iSales 100 by xkzero

iSales 100 by xkzero

Is iSales 100 Version 3 the Most Flexible Mobile Sales App? — You Decide

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iSales 100: Meeting Unique and Individual Mobile Sales Needs

iSales 100: Meeting Unique and Individual Mobile Sales Needs

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As xkzero rolls out iSales 100 version 3, we continue to be true to our commitment to build the most flexible and powerful platform to automate mobile ERP, allowing you to realize your mobile vision of better customer collaboration, better empowered sales reps and a newly heightened reality of customer satisfaction.

iSales 100 is anchored by a native integration. We built our own high performance web services specifically for Sage 100 ERP, the business software that after 30 years is still the most widely used and best known system for companies who’ve outgrown Quickbooks or other starter systems.

iSales 100′s flexibility is managed directly in Sage 100 ERP. What that means for you is that it looks and behaves like all of the other Sage 100 ERP modules you already own. No fancy terminology. No complicated installations. You won’t need an IT department or technical consultants to set up or manage iSales 100. Within that module you can create almost any rule imaginable to provide each user with the best, most personalized mobile experience possible.

Here are some of the new controls you can create for each user with iSales 100 version 3:

  • What types of transactions does the user have permission to create? Orders, quotes, invoices, credit memos? You decide.
  • Should that user’s orders be automatically placed on hold in Sage 100 ERP? You decide.
  • How about signatures? Do you want that person to be able to obtain signatures? You decide.
  • Should that user be able to add a new customer on-the-fly from their mobile device? You decide.
  • Modify the ship to address, or override the salesperson getting credit for the sale? You decide.
  • Display only Customer Memos for this user, or allow them to also add a Sales Order memo (into the very same memo function you already maintain in Sage 100 ERP)? You decide.
  • What if the user…is one of your customers? Should this customer use iSales 100 as a mobile B2B sales app?
  • Have you set up enough protection over sensitive data in order to feel comfortable trusting the user—or trust yourselves—to risk giving them all the information accessible on an app (instead of more limited data access on a website or via phone call)? You decide.
  • What about customer purchase history? How many months back will you be able to access, or will you always have to wade through15 years of data? You decide.

There are many more decision points built into iSales 100 and each one of those options is designed to ensure that your user—whether he or she is a salesperson, executive, customer service rep, or even your distribution customer—gets the best possible experience from their mobile app.

Now, just two short years after xkzero first pioneered native iOS sales apps for the Sage North American market, an increasing number of choices are available. This is a good thing. It means you have the opportunity as consumers to evaluate who has the most powerful, easiest to use, and flexible sales app that a distributor, manufacturer, or other type of business could hope for. You get to decide.

A free download of the app is available on our website.  Login is Demo and the password is password.

For even more information about xkzero and iSales 100, or to schedule a personalized demonstration please contact your Sage business partner, email us at info@xkzero.com or call us at 847-416-2009.

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How to Transform an ERP System from Record Keeper to Business Driver

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Guest Blogger: Joanna Rotter is the Content Marketing Specialist for MSI Data, a leader in field force automation software and creator of the enterprise field service app, Service Pro. Connect with Joanna via email at joannar@msidata.com.

Enterprise technologies are becoming more and more integrated and connected. Turning software into an all-in-one system can move a business forward.

Mobile Measurement Tools

Mobile Measurement Tools

Historically, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems only served database storage and business accounting needs. While these are still essentials in an ERP, today’s business software demands extend to integrated technology, so the best providers now support companies beyond the accounting department. When customers research ERP systems worthy of investment, they also expect them to accommodate service, sales, CRM, and other functions.

Why Changing Business Software is Good for ERP Providers

The connection between industry operations and accounting management isn’t anything new. Production and financial management have always been inextricably linked in any business. Whether its core focus is manufacturing, distribution, contracting, telecommunications or services, company leaders typically recognize the need to address accounting and common operational function management within a single integrated system wherever possible.

This call for integrated systems, while a change and a challenge for typical ERP providers, opens up a range of opportunities for connections and partnerships with other software companies. ERP providers can take advantage of the call for greater connectivity by partnering with software developers focusing on various industries to offer customers all-in-one solutions that perform an array of integrated functions to meet specialized needs.

ERP and Business Operations Systems: Better Together

In an increasingly competitive market, forging customer loyalty and long-term customer relationships are growing concerns for companies in a variety of industries. This is why all departments in an organization need to work together to form a unified front.

For example, many service-focused organizations now recognize the service department itself as a ‘company within the company.’ This means extending leadership and decision-making autonomy to employees working in this area, so they may operate as a profit center and better set themselves apart with exceptional service delivery.

No longer only reactionary, in these cases, the service department can now be tasked with becoming a critical driver of new revenue and curator of existing customer accounts. That means taking on many new roles and responsibilities, including sales, estimating, and even public relations. With these additional demands, service departments need their own software system that can integrate with the ERP so the sales and revenue initiated in their department is immediately accessible to accounting personnel and vice versa.

service_pro_web_portals

Service Pro Web Portals

What to Look for in a Mobile Partner

ERP systems function and exist within the confines of an office building. But many industries, like field service, are inherently mobile, thus require mobile software to integrate with their ERP system.

In order to give customers the best of both worlds, ERP providers can integrate with an industry-specific mobile application. When choosing the best mobile apps to connect with an ERP system, consider the following:

  • Is it cross-platform? Some customers are open to using the best device or mobile operating platform for the job. Others prefer not to be limited by a single option.
  • Does it run native? Mobile workers often work in areas without cell reception. You want to make sure the app still works when they’re offline.
  • Is it cloud-based? Cloud-based software allows companies to purchase software as a service, while easing the ability to share data and provide IT support.
  • Does it improve communication between in-office and mobile workers? You want the application to automatically connect back-office and field workers to save time and keep everyone in the loop.
  • Does it have data collection, storage, and analysis capabilities? Data-driven decisions are better than educated guesses, and real-time data is better than month-old data. Be sure your app provider delivers data that helps improve business decisions.
  • Can it schedule and send alerts to a mobile workforce? Employees who work off-site may need to be able to schedule appointments with specified instructions and receive changes on the fly.

Drive your business forward with the right software partners.
Businesses are learning that both administrative automation and software integration are necessary to compete in an increasingly connected workplace. Conduct a thorough and organized software selection and implementation process for targeted industries and realize the benefits of an integrated business strategy.

About MSI: MSI develops enterprise, scheduling and mobile software that helps companies improve the productivity of their field workforce and replace paper and disconnected spreadsheet-based business processes by automating field service, inspections, site surveys, audits, reporting and other critical field-driven business processes. Whether deployed in the cloud or on-premise, MSI field workforce software applications are easy to acquire, easy to deploy and deliver enterprises with rapid return on investment. To learn more, please visit www.msidata.com.

Are you looking for the right integrated, mobile ERP solution for you or your customers? Please contact xkzero at info@xkzero.com or 847-416-2009.
Also, to find more about our mobile offerings, visit our website at www.xkzero.com.

Less selling, more buying! 

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How a mobile sales application can positively change the dynamic of the account manager-client relationship

Amanda Lubert, xkzero

Blog author Amanda Lubert of xkzero, radiating cheerful energy as usual! ~Julie Downey

A tricky part about building a symbiotic provider-client relationship is that fundamentally it’s one-directional and based on the profit-generating needs of the client. It brings to mind the old cliché, customers love to buy but hate to be sold.

A mobile sales app can help tip the balance a bit and take the hater out of the buyer. Once enabled with an application that enables them to make purchases on their own time and terms, a client can begin to feel more in control of the buying process, thus relieving the aggravation of being sold to every time they need to increase inventory. A mobile sales app is also freeing for clients, as with this tool, they are no longer beholden to their account team’s schedule to inquiry inventory or place orders.

That is not to say that the account manager is no longer needed, rather, that he or she is now unburdened from harder sales tactics and can serve as more of a consultant, focusing on stewarding clients and building and expanding the relationship. This makes for a more productive, profitable, and even pleasant business experience for everyone.

xkzero  847-416-2009  info@xkzero.com