Making the upgrade

PBM spoke to Andrew Smith, Managing Director of St. Helens-based builders' merchant, ST Group, about the factors which lay behind his decision to implement a new IT system.

Andrew Smith, MD at ST Group, uses bisTrack to monitor and control two sister companiesThe ST Group has been owned by Andrew Smith's family for nearly 50 years, starting out in life supplying timber and bespoke joinery. Now employing 35 staff and operating as a general builders' merchant, joinery manufacturer, kitchen supplier and DIY centre, the company splits its business evenly between trade and retail customers — recent diversifications include hot tubs and Scandinavian log cabins!

Until two years ago, the company was using a DOS-based system for order processing, linked to a Sage Line 100 accounts package. The system was not industry specific and Andrew was concerned about the supplier's lack of development plans. He therefore tasked his Management Accountant to source a Windows based computer system which had the capability to interface with other Windows products — and perhaps most significantly, one which was designed develop in line with his own plans for growth within ST Group.

Andrew and his team assessed three systems in detail but it was during a demonstration of Progressive Solutions’ bisTrack software that they saw a system which ‘stood out from the crowd’. The software is a Microsoft Windows enterprise application, developed especially for builders’ merchants and other distributors to the building industry and now more than 50 user companies across the UK are said to be enjoying the program’s functionality and measurable benefits.

Once the decision to purchase bisTrack was made, Andrew states that implementation went smoothly. Customer and product data was cleansed and transferred electronically from the old system and as the new system can be integrated with many leading Windows-based products for sales, purchase and nominal ledgers ST Group also implemented Sage Line 50.

"In terms of the labyrinth of management information I could access with bisTrack, it stood head and shoulders above the other systems we looked at. I also liked the fact that Progressive Solutions had designed the system for the industry we work in and that they obviously understood it."

Staff training

Staff training was taken particularly seriously. “We attracted funds from the Learning and Skills Council which enabled us to set up a training suite, employ a qualified trainer and set up a sort of 'conveyor belt' of training activity,” explained Andrew. With staff having a wide range of IT ability and skills, training was provided on an individual basis with all staff achieving the ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence). There are now eight users, including Andrew, his senior managers and all customer-facing staff.

To illustrate how easy ST Group found the system to use, Andrew described how he has just employed an 18 year old school leaver who wants to join the company on a long term basis. “By the end of his first day, this young lad was using it comfortably. He was serving customers, booking out key accounts and even showing the member of staff allocated to train him how to create shortcuts within the system!”

From a management point of view Andrew is delighted with the speed with which he can use the drill-down mechanisms to retrieve accurate customer and product information. “If there's a customer I want to keep an eye on, as soon as I see them driving away, I can check what they've bought, how much they spent, and the amount of credit we're giving them. If a customer asks me for more discount because he's spending a certain amount with us, I can look at his trading history on bisTrack and make an informed decision quickly. It simply takes away all the guesswork out of this type of decision.”

With regard to trade counter operations, Assistant Manager, John Scott, said, “On our old system, we couldn't do quotes. This was a problem when a customer came in saying he'd been quoted a price by a member of staff who wasn't around to verify it. Now customer quotes are entered into the system and any of us can quickly find and retrieve them. Another useful feature is being able to check the price of products sold to customers on previous visits. It's also really useful to be able to search for a product by its name or part of its name instead of having to remember individual codes.”

After seeing what bisTrack could do for ST Group, Andrew decided to purchase the system for his other company, Qualplas — a well established manufacturer and supplier of PVCu windows, conservatories and cladding systems. He said: “We only had a till at Qualplas before implementing bisTrack! But there didn't seem to be any sense in knowing what was going on in one company and not the other. Now, although the two companies are autonomous, I can access sales information and check the performance of both from my laptop. We've also set up remote accessing so wherever I am I can keep a close eye on the day-to-day operations of each of my companies.”

Testimonials

  • "We helped ourselves by getting bisTrack on board quickly and painlessly while business was slow, so we won't have disruption as we start to implement a very aggressive three year strategic plan."

    Neil Fuller, Managing Director, Alsford Timber

  • "bisTrack is an excellent piece of software and getting better. Their approach to meeting our needs is excellent. eBusiness is not going to be big for another 12 months but PSI are there already, which means we’re ahead. They're very open to ideas and keep getting better at turnaround."

    Adam Myers, Beesley & Fildes

  • "Stock counting is one of the best facilities in bisTrack ever. Stock counting across multiple locations is effortless with multiple entries of the same product. Entering a count is even easier. Counting 10,000 lines used to take two of us 4 days. This time it was 8 hours."

  • "Stock counting is one of the best facilities in bisTrack ever. Stock counting across multiple locations is effortless with multiple entries of the same product. Entering a count is even easier. Counting 10,000 lines used to take two of us 4 days. This time it was 8 hours."

  • "One reason we chose Progressive was because their team was so approachable. It wasn’t just because the software was better. We really felt we could work with them.”

    Director, Ridgeons

  • "I was working with 2.7 in our test environment and looking at all the work you have done. Just wanted to let you know how much we appreciate all you do to make this a great technology partnership."

    Brian King, Lumber USA

  • "I can drop-down and drill into any business information easily, which enables me to analyse a situation very quickly. It gives me complete control."

    Mark Congdon, Financial Director, Noyeks Newmans

  • "bisTrack was a big investment for us but it's the best change we've ever made. We've grown so much over the last four or five years, we simply couldn't have carried on using a manual system."

    Gerwyn Thomas, partner, TL Thomas (builders' merchant)

  • “Hargeaves are ideally placed to take advantage of the offer – whilst we plan to continue using e-Xact to update our product file we also want much better control over special product sales and purchases."

    Gordon Rothwell, James Hargreaves MD

  • "Good customer service is easier to achieve with good IT to back up our staff. bisTrack gives provides an efficient system for dealing with customers. Good management tools enable us to concentrate our efforts in the right direction."

    David Dunmow, Group FD, James Latham plc

  • "One reason we chose Progressive was because their team was so approachable. It wasn’t just because the software was better. We really felt we could work with them.”

    Director, Ridgeons

  • “Hargeaves are ideally placed to take advantage of the offer – whilst we plan to continue using e-Xact to update our product file we also want much better control over special product sales and purchases."

    Gordon Rothwell, James Hargreaves MD

  • "Our real differential is not in software features, it's in our relationships with customers. How we work with them and how we can make an effective difference. You need the staff and the expertise to be able to do that."

    Arthur Duffy, managing director, Progressive Solutions

  • "We improved net margin by 3% within 6 weeks of going live on bisTrack."

    Payne Timber

  • "bisTrack was a big investment for us but it's the best change we've ever made. We've grown so much over the last four or five years, we simply couldn't have carried on using a manual system."

    Gerwyn Thomas, partner, TL Thomas (builders' merchant)

  • "To stand out from the crowd, you need great customer service. Really great customer service."

    Progressive Solutions' guest blog, Builders Merchants Journal

  • "I can export information into Excel by right-clicking and manipulate it to my heart's content."

  • "We were drowning in paper and, as a business turning over £2.2 million, the time had come for us to invest in business management software."

    David Biddle, MD, Huntingdon Timber & Roofing

  • "Good customer service is easier to achieve with good IT to back up our staff. bisTrack gives provides an efficient system for dealing with customers. Good management tools enable us to concentrate our efforts in the right direction."

    David Dunmow, Group FD, James Latham plc

  • "bisTrack is a terrific system and its potential is incredibly exciting. I have absolutely no regrets over choosing bisTrack and great confidence that we have something we can build on."

    David Bryan, Director, Ridgeons

  • "We spent a long time evaluating several systems and I'm confident that bisTrack is the best available."

    Andrew Laver, Arnold Laver Timberworld

  • "Our relationship with PSI has been transformed this year. This is due almost entirely to having an Account Manager as a single point of contact, who knows our system and our business."

    Eric Jones, IT Manager, Alsford Timber

  • "The reporting capabilities of bisTrack really help the sales department answer day to day enquiries. It gives them instant access to information about purchasing volumes and when timber is due to come in."

    Wayne Abrams, Project Leader, Arbor Forest Products

  • "Good customer service is easier to achieve with good IT to back up our staff. bisTrack gives provides an efficient system for dealing with customers. Good management tools enable us to concentrate our efforts in the right direction."

    David Dunmow, Group FD, James Latham plc

  • "We helped ourselves by getting bisTrack on board quickly and painlessly while business was slow, so we won't have disruption as we start to implement a very aggressive three year strategic plan."

    Neil Fuller, Managing Director, Alsford Timber

  • "Our relationship with PSI has been transformed this year. This is due almost entirely to having an Account Manager as a single point of contact, who knows our system and our business."

    Eric Jones, IT Manager, Alsford Timber

  • "The decision to go with bisTrack was based on the relationship we were developing with the Progressive team, a confidence in deliverability and their aggressive approach to overall cost."

    Stephen Mulhall, FD, McMahon

  • "Stock counting is one of the best facilities in bisTrack ever. Stock counting across multiple locations is effortless with multiple entries of the same product. Entering a count is even easier. Counting 10,000 lines used to take two of us 4 days. This time it was 8 hours."

  • "With bisTrack we now have real-time information on our profitability, which allows us to continually optimise and make decisions on our business plan."

    Stuart Hall, General Manager, Lawcris Panel Products

  • What will YOU do with your week off?

    "With the time saved we've carried out branch refurbishments and I've taken my first holiday!"

    John Cavanagh, MD, Cavanagh Timber

  • "I can drop-down and drill into any business information easily, which enables me to analyse a situation very quickly. It gives me complete control."

    Mark Congdon, Financial Director, Noyeks Newmans

  • “A member of our buying group told us about bisTrack, although we looked at four or five other software packages. Key factors in the eventual selection of bisTrack were its SQL platform and our confidence in the people we dealt with.”

    Gordon Rothwell, James Hargreaves (Plumbers Merch)

  • "Stock counting is one of the best facilities in bisTrack ever. Stock counting across multiple locations is effortless with multiple entries of the same product. Entering a count is even easier. Counting 10,000 lines used to take two of us 4 days. This time it was 8 hours."

  • "We saw benefits straight away, particularly with the time we saved on monthly stock takes and sourcing information for management reports."

    Nigel Williams, Chairman, Premier Forest Products

  • "Our real differential is not in software features, it's in our relationships with customers. How we work with them and how we can make an effective difference. You need the staff and the expertise to be able to do that."

    Arthur Duffy, managing director, Progressive Solutions

  • "We were drowning in paper and, as a business turning over £2.2 million, the time had come for us to invest in business management software."

    David Biddle, MD, Huntingdon Timber & Roofing

  • "The time was right for a change of software at Alsford's and we selected bisTrack from a shortlist of three. The key criteria was 'business fit'. We wanted a Microsoft Windows, intuitive solution which would best serve our claim to be 'The Timber Experts' in all our 20 branches."

    Neil Fuller, MD, Alsford Timber

  • "Good customer service is easier to achieve with good IT to back up our staff. bisTrack gives provides an efficient system for dealing with customers. Good management tools enable us to concentrate our efforts in the right direction."

    David Dunmow, Group FD, James Latham plc

  • "One reason we chose Progressive was because their team was so approachable. It wasn’t just because the software was better. We really felt we could work with them.”

    Director, Ridgeons

  • “There are other systems of course, but none have had the development time that’s behind bisTrack. I can’t believe there’s a better system out there. I’m convinced there’s nothing that can deliver better what we need.”

    Peter Buttle, md, Buttle plc

  • "Our real differential is not in software features, it's in our relationships with customers. How we work with them and how we can make an effective difference. You need the staff and the expertise to be able to do that."

    Arthur Duffy, managing director, Progressive Solutions

  • "Once we started building up information we could trust, we started seeing real benefits. If stock accuracy was the main benefit, then quality of management information was next."

    Peter Kerr, FD, Palmer Timber

  • "Stock counting is one of the best facilities in bisTrack ever. Stock counting across multiple locations is effortless with multiple entries of the same product. Entering a count is even easier. Counting 10,000 lines used to take two of us 4 days. This time it was 8 hours."

  • "One reason we chose Progressive was because their team was so approachable. It wasn’t just because the software was better. We really felt we could work with them.”

    Director, Ridgeons

  • "There’s no doubt that bisTrack is a good tool. We’ve a fantastic record for growth and we’re getting a lot out of bisTrack now, particularly over the control of our business."

    Mike MacLellan, MD, GPH Builders Merchant

  • “There are other systems of course, but none have had the development time that’s behind bisTrack. I can’t believe there’s a better system out there. I’m convinced there’s nothing that can deliver better what we need.”

    Peter Buttle, md, Buttle plc

  • "We improved net margin by 3% within 6 weeks of going live on bisTrack."

    Payne Timber

  • "Once we started building up information we could trust, we started seeing real benefits. If stock accuracy was the main benefit, then quality of management information was next."

    Peter Kerr, FD, Palmer Timber

  • "bisTrack was a big investment for us but it's the best change we've ever made. We've grown so much over the last four or five years, we simply couldn't have carried on using a manual system."

    Gerwyn Thomas, partner, TL Thomas (builders' merchant)

  • "bisTrack is an excellent piece of software and getting better. Their approach to meeting our needs is excellent. eBusiness is not going to be big for another 12 months but PSI are there already, which means we’re ahead. They're very open to ideas and keep getting better at turnaround."

    Adam Myers, Beesley & Fildes

  • "We improved net margin by 3% within 6 weeks of going live on bisTrack."

    Payne Timber

  • "We have a responsibility to the environment. That’s why we’re trying to lower our carbon footprint. We introduced e-commerce, cut down on paper receipts & are introducing electronic billing for customers."

    Director, building materials supplier

  • "Implementation was achieved with absolutely no disruption to day-to-day trading. It was a joy! I'm working proactively with the system and having bisTrack doing much of our admin for us."

    Scott Anderson, FD, Woodbridge Timber

  • "Our staff have margin figures right in front of them now, so they're much more aware of the profit they are making."

    Robert Blumsom, Blumsom Fine Timber

  • "If we hadn't changed to bisTrack we simply couldn't have grown like this."

    Nigel Williams, Chairman, Premier Forest Products

  • "The great thing is we can always export information to Excel and produce any report we need — such as aged debt by sales rep, or a bespoke exposure report, which assesses potential credit risk & protects us."

    Damien Cosgrove, Credit Control Mgr, Noyeks Newmans

  • "We chose bisTrack because we needed to move on to the next generation of software."

    Stephen Fairbairn, MD, Henry Alty

  • "The people at Progressive Solutions are likeable, straight-talking individuals who have a commitment to continuously develop and push the software forward."

    Joe Tipper, Walter Tippers Ltd

  • "We spent a long time evaluating several systems and I'm confident that bisTrack is the best available."

    Andrew Laver, Arnold Laver Timberworld

  • "Our relationship with PSI has been transformed this year. This is due almost entirely to having an Account Manager as a single point of contact, who knows our system and our business."

    Eric Jones, IT Manager, Alsford Timber

  • "bisTrack is an excellent piece of software and getting better. Their approach to meeting our needs is excellent. eBusiness is not going to be big for another 12 months but PSI are there already, which means we’re ahead. They're very open to ideas and keep getting better at turnaround."

    Adam Myers, Beesley & Fildes

  • "Our relationship with PSI has been transformed this year. This is due almost entirely to having an Account Manager as a single point of contact, who knows our system and our business."

    Eric Jones, IT Manager, Alsford Timber

  • "I'm happy bisTrack will grow with us. If we find we need something which isn't already incorporated, I'm confident Progressive will work with us to fill the gap."

    Operations Director, CF Anderson

  • "We helped ourselves by getting bisTrack on board quickly and painlessly while business was slow, so we won't have disruption as we start to implement a very aggressive three year strategic plan."

    Neil Fuller, Managing Director, Alsford Timber

  • "We helped ourselves by getting bisTrack on board quickly and painlessly while business was slow, so we won't have disruption as we start to implement a very aggressive three year strategic plan."

    Neil Fuller, Managing Director, Alsford Timber

  • "We saw benefits straight away, particularly with the time we saved on monthly stock takes and sourcing information for management reports."

    Nigel Williams, Chairman, Premier Forest Products

  • "bisTrack is an excellent piece of software and getting better. Their approach to meeting our needs is excellent. eBusiness is not going to be big for another 12 months but PSI are there already, which means we’re ahead. They're very open to ideas and keep getting better at turnaround."

    Adam Myers, Beesley & Fildes

  • "It was obvious the company was being held back by the limitations of the old system."

    Operations Director, CF Anderson

  • "I can drop-down and drill into any business information easily, which enables me to analyse a situation very quickly. It gives me complete control."

    Mark Congdon, Financial Director, Noyeks Newmans

  • "If we hadn't changed to bisTrack we simply couldn't have grown like this."

    Nigel Williams, Chairman, Premier Forest Products

  • "I'm happy bisTrack will grow with us. If we find we need something which isn't already incorporated, I'm confident Progressive will work with us to fill the gap."

    Operations Director, CF Anderson

  • "We were drowning in paper and, as a business turning over £2.2 million, the time had come for us to invest in business management software."

    David Biddle, MD, Huntingdon Timber & Roofing

  • "Implementation was achieved with absolutely no disruption to day-to-day trading. It was a joy! I'm working proactively with the system and having bisTrack doing much of our admin for us."

    Scott Anderson, FD, Woodbridge Timber

  • "The reporting capabilities of bisTrack really help the sales department answer day to day enquiries. It gives them instant access to information about purchasing volumes and when timber is due to come in."

    Wayne Abrams, Project Leader, Arbor Forest Products

  • What will YOU do with your week off?

    "With the time saved we've carried out branch refurbishments and I've taken my first holiday!"

    John Cavanagh, MD, Cavanagh Timber

  • "The time was right for a change of software at Alsford's and we selected bisTrack from a shortlist of three. The key criteria was 'business fit'. We wanted a Microsoft Windows, intuitive solution which would best serve our claim to be 'The Timber Experts' in all our 20 branches."

    Neil Fuller, MD, Alsford Timber

  • "The great thing is we can always export information to Excel and produce any report we need — such as aged debt by sales rep, or a bespoke exposure report, which assesses potential credit risk & protects us."

    Damien Cosgrove, Credit Control Mgr, Noyeks Newmans

  • "If we hadn't changed to bisTrack we simply couldn't have grown like this."

    Nigel Williams, Chairman, Premier Forest Products

  • "We spent a long time evaluating several systems and I'm confident that bisTrack is the best available."

    Andrew Laver, Arnold Laver Timberworld

  • "We chose bisTrack because we needed to move on to the next generation of software."

    Stephen Fairbairn, MD, Henry Alty

  • "Inventory accuracy is higher because everyone is more focused and our staff can see the benefit of getting it right."

    Ian Murchie, Operations Director, Howie Forest Products

  • "Implementation was achieved with absolutely no disruption to day-to-day trading. It was a joy! I'm working proactively with the system and having bisTrack doing much of our admin for us."

    Scott Anderson, FD, Woodbridge Timber

  • "The great thing is we can always export information to Excel and produce any report we need — such as aged debt by sales rep, or a bespoke exposure report, which assesses potential credit risk & protects us."

    Damien Cosgrove, Credit Control Mgr, Noyeks Newmans

  • "Our computer system impacts on every aspect of the business. Buying, selling, importing, transport planning, as well as accounts. If you install the wrong software, without the right level of performance or functionality, it will cause significant problems throughout your business."

  • "It's a very nicely laid out system with easy to follow structural menus and taskpads which, even if I haven't used a particular function before, I find relatively simple to complete."

    Chris Pratt, Pratts Timber and Builders Merchants Ltd

  • "We improved net margin by 3% within 6 weeks of going live on bisTrack."

    Payne Timber

  • "The decision to go with bisTrack was based on the relationship we were developing with the Progressive team, a confidence in deliverability and their aggressive approach to overall cost."

    Stephen Mulhall, FD, McMahon

  • "Inventory accuracy is higher because everyone is more focused and our staff can see the benefit of getting it right."

    Ian Murchie, Operations Director, Howie Forest Products

  • "Stock counting is one of the best facilities in bisTrack ever. Stock counting across multiple locations is effortless with multiple entries of the same product. Entering a count is even easier. Counting 10,000 lines used to take two of us 4 days. This time it was 8 hours."

  • "Our real differential is not in software features, it's in our relationships with customers. How we work with them and how we can make an effective difference. You need the staff and the expertise to be able to do that."

    Arthur Duffy, managing director, Progressive Solutions

  • "Our real differential is not in software features, it's in our relationships with customers. How we work with them and how we can make an effective difference. You need the staff and the expertise to be able to do that."

    Arthur Duffy, managing director, Progressive Solutions

  • "Performance across the system is continuously enhanced too. Since our last release, finding products is now significantly faster ...by up to 30%."

    Gary Brookshaw, Product Director, Progressive Solutions

  • "The reporting capabilities of bisTrack really help the sales department answer day to day enquiries. It gives them instant access to information about purchasing volumes and when timber is due to come in."

    Wayne Abrams, Project Leader, Arbor Forest Products

  • "We saw benefits straight away, particularly with the time we saved on monthly stock takes and sourcing information for management reports."

    Nigel Williams, Chairman, Premier Forest Products

  • "There’s no doubt that bisTrack is a good tool. We’ve a fantastic record for growth and we’re getting a lot out of bisTrack now, particularly over the control of our business."

    Mike MacLellan, MD, GPH Builders Merchant

  • "The time was right for a change of software at Alsford's and we selected bisTrack from a shortlist of three. The key criteria was 'business fit'. We wanted a Microsoft Windows, intuitive solution which would best serve our claim to be 'The Timber Experts' in all our 20 branches."

    Neil Fuller, MD, Alsford Timber

  • "I'm happy bisTrack will grow with us. If we find we need something which isn't already incorporated, I'm confident Progressive will work with us to fill the gap."

    Operations Director, CF Anderson

  • "Our relationship with PSI has been transformed this year. This is due almost entirely to having an Account Manager as a single point of contact, who knows our system and our business."

    Eric Jones, IT Manager, Alsford Timber

  • "I can drop-down and drill into any business information easily, which enables me to analyse a situation very quickly. It gives me complete control."

    Mark Congdon, Financial Director, Noyeks Newmans

  • "The great thing is we can always export information to Excel and produce any report we need — such as aged debt by sales rep, or a bespoke exposure report, which assesses potential credit risk & protects us."

    Damien Cosgrove, Credit Control Mgr, Noyeks Newmans

  • "The decision to go with bisTrack was based on the relationship we were developing with the Progressive team, a confidence in deliverability and their aggressive approach to overall cost."

    Stephen Mulhall, FD, McMahon

  • "The great thing is we can always export information to Excel and produce any report we need — such as aged debt by sales rep, or a bespoke exposure report, which assesses potential credit risk & protects us."

    Damien Cosgrove, Credit Control Mgr, Noyeks Newmans

  • "If we hadn't changed to bisTrack we simply couldn't have grown like this."

    Nigel Williams, Chairman, Premier Forest Products

  • "The reporting capabilities of bisTrack really help the sales department answer day to day enquiries. It gives them instant access to information about purchasing volumes and when timber is due to come in."

    Wayne Abrams, Project Leader, Arbor Forest Products

  • "Inventory accuracy is higher because everyone is more focused and our staff can see the benefit of getting it right."

    Ian Murchie, Operations Director, Howie Forest Products

  • "bisTrack was a big investment for us but it's the best change we've ever made. We've grown so much over the last four or five years, we simply couldn't have carried on using a manual system."

    Gerwyn Thomas, partner, TL Thomas (builders' merchant)

  • "We chose bisTrack because we needed to move on to the next generation of software."

    Stephen Fairbairn, MD, Henry Alty

  • "Implementation was achieved with absolutely no disruption to day-to-day trading. It was a joy! I'm working proactively with the system and having bisTrack doing much of our admin for us."

    Scott Anderson, FD, Woodbridge Timber

  • "There’s no doubt that bisTrack is a good tool. We’ve a fantastic record for growth and we’re getting a lot out of bisTrack now, particularly over the control of our business."

    Mike MacLellan, MD, GPH Builders Merchant

  • "It's a very nicely laid out system with easy to follow structural menus and taskpads which, even if I haven't used a particular function before, I find relatively simple to complete."

    Chris Pratt, Pratts Timber and Builders Merchants Ltd

  • "bisTrack is a terrific system and its potential is incredibly exciting. I have absolutely no regrets over choosing bisTrack and great confidence that we have something we can build on."

    David Bryan, Director, Ridgeons

  • "The decision to go with bisTrack was based on the relationship we were developing with the Progressive team, a confidence in deliverability and their aggressive approach to overall cost."

    Stephen Mulhall, FD, McMahon

  • "I'm happy bisTrack will grow with us. If we find we need something which isn't already incorporated, I'm confident Progressive will work with us to fill the gap."

    Operations Director, CF Anderson

  • "Stock counting is one of the best facilities in bisTrack ever. Stock counting across multiple locations is effortless with multiple entries of the same product. Entering a count is even easier. Counting 10,000 lines used to take two of us 4 days. This time it was 8 hours."

  • "bisTrack is a terrific system and its potential is incredibly exciting. I have absolutely no regrets over choosing bisTrack and great confidence that we have something we can build on."

    David Bryan, Director, Ridgeons

  • "I was working with 2.7 in our test environment and looking at all the work you have done. Just wanted to let you know how much we appreciate all you do to make this a great technology partnership."

    Brian King, Lumber USA

  • "We looked at several systems, but most of them were using the same out-of-date technology as the system we were replacing!"

    Rodney Scoles, Director, T Brewer & Co

  • "We improved net margin by 3% within 6 weeks of going live on bisTrack."

    Payne Timber

  • “Hargeaves are ideally placed to take advantage of the offer – whilst we plan to continue using e-Xact to update our product file we also want much better control over special product sales and purchases."

    Gordon Rothwell, James Hargreaves MD

  • "The decision to go with bisTrack was based on the relationship we were developing with the Progressive team, a confidence in deliverability and their aggressive approach to overall cost."

    Stephen Mulhall, FD, McMahon

  • "The reporting capabilities of bisTrack really help the sales department answer day to day enquiries. It gives them instant access to information about purchasing volumes and when timber is due to come in."

    Wayne Abrams, Project Leader, Arbor Forest Products

  • "I can drop-down and drill into any business information easily, which enables me to analyse a situation very quickly. It gives me complete control."

    Mark Congdon, Financial Director, Noyeks Newmans

  • "I can drop-down and drill into any business information easily, which enables me to analyse a situation very quickly. It gives me complete control."

    Mark Congdon, Financial Director, Noyeks Newmans

  • "Inventory accuracy is higher because everyone is more focused and our staff can see the benefit of getting it right."

    Ian Murchie, Operations Director, Howie Forest Products

  • “Hargeaves are ideally placed to take advantage of the offer – whilst we plan to continue using e-Xact to update our product file we also want much better control over special product sales and purchases."

    Gordon Rothwell, James Hargreaves MD

  • "Progressive's experience was important, as was the link with Microsoft. We think that's the way ahead for all merchant systems."

    Stephen Fairbairn, MD, Henry Alty

  • "With bisTrack we now have real-time information on our profitability, which allows us to continually optimise and make decisions on our business plan."

    Stuart Hall, General Manager, Lawcris Panel Products

  • "With bisTrack we now have real-time information on our profitability, which allows us to continually optimise and make decisions on our business plan."

    Stuart Hall, General Manager, Lawcris Panel Products

  • "We improved net margin by 3% within 6 weeks of going live on bisTrack."

    Payne Timber

  • "We spent a long time evaluating several systems and I'm confident that bisTrack is the best available."

    Andrew Laver, Arnold Laver Timberworld

  • "I can export information into Excel by right-clicking and manipulate it to my heart's content."

  • "Good customer service is easier to achieve with good IT to back up our staff. bisTrack gives provides an efficient system for dealing with customers. Good management tools enable us to concentrate our efforts in the right direction."

    David Dunmow, Group FD, James Latham plc

  • "Once we started building up information we could trust, we started seeing real benefits. If stock accuracy was the main benefit, then quality of management information was next."

    Peter Kerr, FD, Palmer Timber

  • What will YOU do with your week off?

    "With the time saved we've carried out branch refurbishments and I've taken my first holiday!"

    John Cavanagh, MD, Cavanagh Timber

  • "It was obvious the company was being held back by the limitations of the old system."

    Operations Director, CF Anderson

  • "If we hadn't changed to bisTrack we simply couldn't have grown like this."

    Nigel Williams, Chairman, Premier Forest Products

  • "The decision to go with bisTrack was based on the relationship we were developing with the Progressive team, a confidence in deliverability and their aggressive approach to overall cost."

    Stephen Mulhall, FD, McMahon

  • "Our computer system impacts on every aspect of the business. Buying, selling, importing, transport planning, as well as accounts. If you install the wrong software, without the right level of performance or functionality, it will cause significant problems throughout your business."

  • “There are other systems of course, but none have had the development time that’s behind bisTrack. I can’t believe there’s a better system out there. I’m convinced there’s nothing that can deliver better what we need.”

    Peter Buttle, md, Buttle plc

  • "Inventory accuracy is higher because everyone is more focused and our staff can see the benefit of getting it right."

    Ian Murchie, Operations Director, Howie Forest Products

  • "The time was right for a change of software at Alsford's and we selected bisTrack from a shortlist of three. The key criteria was 'business fit'. We wanted a Microsoft Windows, intuitive solution which would best serve our claim to be 'The Timber Experts' in all our 20 branches."

    Neil Fuller, MD, Alsford Timber

  • "Implementation was achieved with absolutely no disruption to day-to-day trading. It was a joy! I'm working proactively with the system and having bisTrack doing much of our admin for us."

    Scott Anderson, FD, Woodbridge Timber

  • "We chose bisTrack because we needed to move on to the next generation of software."

    Stephen Fairbairn, MD, Henry Alty

  • "Good customer service is easier to achieve with good IT to back up our staff. bisTrack gives provides an efficient system for dealing with customers. Good management tools enable us to concentrate our efforts in the right direction."

    David Dunmow, Group FD, James Latham plc

  • “A member of our buying group told us about bisTrack, although we looked at four or five other software packages. Key factors in the eventual selection of bisTrack were its SQL platform and our confidence in the people we dealt with.”

    Gordon Rothwell, James Hargreaves (Plumbers Merch)

  • “There are other systems of course, but none have had the development time that’s behind bisTrack. I can’t believe there’s a better system out there. I’m convinced there’s nothing that can deliver better what we need.”

    Peter Buttle, md, Buttle plc

  • "Once we started building up information we could trust, we started seeing real benefits. If stock accuracy was the main benefit, then quality of management information was next."

    Peter Kerr, FD, Palmer Timber

  • "The reporting capabilities of bisTrack really help the sales department answer day to day enquiries. It gives them instant access to information about purchasing volumes and when timber is due to come in."

    Wayne Abrams, Project Leader, Arbor Forest Products

  • "With bisTrack we now have real-time information on our profitability, which allows us to continually optimise and make decisions on our business plan."

    Stuart Hall, General Manager, Lawcris Panel Products

  • "The time was right for a change of software at Alsford's and we selected bisTrack from a shortlist of three. The key criteria was 'business fit'. We wanted a Microsoft Windows, intuitive solution which would best serve our claim to be 'The Timber Experts' in all our 20 branches."

    Neil Fuller, MD, Alsford Timber

  • "bisTrack was a big investment for us but it's the best change we've ever made. We've grown so much over the last four or five years, we simply couldn't have carried on using a manual system."

    Gerwyn Thomas, partner, TL Thomas (builders' merchant)

  • "I was working with 2.7 in our test environment and looking at all the work you have done. Just wanted to let you know how much we appreciate all you do to make this a great technology partnership."

    Brian King, Lumber USA

  • "One reason we chose Progressive was because their team was so approachable. It wasn’t just because the software was better. We really felt we could work with them.”

    Director, Ridgeons

  • "Our real differential is not in software features, it's in our relationships with customers. How we work with them and how we can make an effective difference. You need the staff and the expertise to be able to do that."

    Arthur Duffy, managing director, Progressive Solutions

  • “Hargeaves are ideally placed to take advantage of the offer – whilst we plan to continue using e-Xact to update our product file we also want much better control over special product sales and purchases."

    Gordon Rothwell, James Hargreaves MD

  • "Good customer service is easier to achieve with good IT to back up our staff. bisTrack gives provides an efficient system for dealing with customers. Good management tools enable us to concentrate our efforts in the right direction."

    David Dunmow, Group FD, James Latham plc

  • “There are other systems of course, but none have had the development time that’s behind bisTrack. I can’t believe there’s a better system out there. I’m convinced there’s nothing that can deliver better what we need.”

    Peter Buttle, md, Buttle plc

  • "We looked at several systems, but most of them were using the same out-of-date technology as the system we were replacing!"

    Rodney Scoles, Director, T Brewer & Co

  • "Our computer system impacts on every aspect of the business. Buying, selling, importing, transport planning, as well as accounts. If you install the wrong software, without the right level of performance or functionality, it will cause significant problems throughout your business."

  • "With bisTrack we now have real-time information on our profitability, which allows us to continually optimise and make decisions on our business plan."

    Stuart Hall, General Manager, Lawcris Panel Products

  • "bisTrack was a big investment for us but it's the best change we've ever made. We've grown so much over the last four or five years, we simply couldn't have carried on using a manual system."

    Gerwyn Thomas, partner, TL Thomas (builders' merchant)

  • "bisTrack was a big investment for us but it's the best change we've ever made. We've grown so much over the last four or five years, we simply couldn't have carried on using a manual system."

    Gerwyn Thomas, partner, TL Thomas (builders' merchant)

  • "It was obvious the company was being held back by the limitations of the old system."

    Operations Director, CF Anderson

  • "It's a very nicely laid out system with easy to follow structural menus and taskpads which, even if I haven't used a particular function before, I find relatively simple to complete."

    Chris Pratt, Pratts Timber and Builders Merchants Ltd

  • "Once we started building up information we could trust, we started seeing real benefits. If stock accuracy was the main benefit, then quality of management information was next."

    Peter Kerr, FD, Palmer Timber

  • "Inventory accuracy is higher because everyone is more focused and our staff can see the benefit of getting it right."

    Ian Murchie, Operations Director, Howie Forest Products

  • "I was working with 2.7 in our test environment and looking at all the work you have done. Just wanted to let you know how much we appreciate all you do to make this a great technology partnership."

    Brian King, Lumber USA

  • “Hargeaves are ideally placed to take advantage of the offer – whilst we plan to continue using e-Xact to update our product file we also want much better control over special product sales and purchases."

    Gordon Rothwell, James Hargreaves MD

  • "bisTrack was a big investment for us but it's the best change we've ever made. We've grown so much over the last four or five years, we simply couldn't have carried on using a manual system."

    Gerwyn Thomas, partner, TL Thomas (builders' merchant)

  • "Inventory accuracy is higher because everyone is more focused and our staff can see the benefit of getting it right."

    Ian Murchie, Operations Director, Howie Forest Products

  • "The people at Progressive Solutions are likeable, straight-talking individuals who have a commitment to continuously develop and push the software forward."

    Joe Tipper, Walter Tippers Ltd

  • "Once we started building up information we could trust, we started seeing real benefits. If stock accuracy was the main benefit, then quality of management information was next."

    Peter Kerr, FD, Palmer Timber

  • "Our computer system impacts on every aspect of the business. Buying, selling, importing, transport planning, as well as accounts. If you install the wrong software, without the right level of performance or functionality, it will cause significant problems throughout your business."

  • "One reason we chose Progressive was because their team was so approachable. It wasn’t just because the software was better. We really felt we could work with them.”

    Director, Ridgeons

  • "I can export information into Excel by right-clicking and manipulate it to my heart's content."

  • "Stock counting is one of the best facilities in bisTrack ever. Stock counting across multiple locations is effortless with multiple entries of the same product. Entering a count is even easier. Counting 10,000 lines used to take two of us 4 days. This time it was 8 hours."

  • "The people at Progressive Solutions are likeable, straight-talking individuals who have a commitment to continuously develop and push the software forward."

    Joe Tipper, Walter Tippers Ltd

  • "If we hadn't changed to bisTrack we simply couldn't have grown like this."

    Nigel Williams, Chairman, Premier Forest Products

  • "bisTrack is an excellent piece of software and getting better. Their approach to meeting our needs is excellent. eBusiness is not going to be big for another 12 months but PSI are there already, which means we’re ahead. They're very open to ideas and keep getting better at turnaround."

    Adam Myers, Beesley & Fildes

  • "I can drop-down and drill into any business information easily, which enables me to analyse a situation very quickly. It gives me complete control."

    Mark Congdon, Financial Director, Noyeks Newmans

  • "We were drowning in paper and, as a business turning over £2.2 million, the time had come for us to invest in business management software."

    David Biddle, MD, Huntingdon Timber & Roofing

  • "The great thing is we can always export information to Excel and produce any report we need — such as aged debt by sales rep, or a bespoke exposure report, which assesses potential credit risk & protects us."

    Damien Cosgrove, Credit Control Mgr, Noyeks Newmans

  • "To stand out from the crowd, you need great customer service. Really great customer service."

    Progressive Solutions' guest blog, Builders Merchants Journal

  • What will YOU do with your week off?

    "With the time saved we've carried out branch refurbishments and I've taken my first holiday!"

    John Cavanagh, MD, Cavanagh Timber

  • “Hargeaves are ideally placed to take advantage of the offer – whilst we plan to continue using e-Xact to update our product file we also want much better control over special product sales and purchases."

    Gordon Rothwell, James Hargreaves MD

  • “A member of our buying group told us about bisTrack, although we looked at four or five other software packages. Key factors in the eventual selection of bisTrack were its SQL platform and our confidence in the people we dealt with.”

    Gordon Rothwell, James Hargreaves (Plumbers Merch)

  • "The people at Progressive Solutions are likeable, straight-talking individuals who have a commitment to continuously develop and push the software forward."

    Joe Tipper, Walter Tippers Ltd

  • "Stock counting is one of the best facilities in bisTrack ever. Stock counting across multiple locations is effortless with multiple entries of the same product. Entering a count is even easier. Counting 10,000 lines used to take two of us 4 days. This time it was 8 hours."

  • "The reporting capabilities of bisTrack really help the sales department answer day to day enquiries. It gives them instant access to information about purchasing volumes and when timber is due to come in."

    Wayne Abrams, Project Leader, Arbor Forest Products

  • "I'm convinced there's no other system that can deliver better what we need. Apart from its Windows architecture and its powerful functionality, it now has ten years of development behind it."

    Peter Buttle, Buttle plc

bistrack Customer Portal | Progressive Solutions UK

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