What do merchants need to know about bisTrack?

Firstly, they need to know that bisTrack is a modern, Microsoft Windows-based business management system, used by all types and sizes of merchant operations. Secondly, that we have just completed the development of bisTrack 2 – an enhanced version of the system with exciting new functionality provided as part of the standard package and a raft of new optional applications.

What type of business is bisTrack designed for?

Because of the scalability of the system, bisTrack is as relevant for a single site operation with half a dozen users as it is for a national company with 200-plus branches. It was designed specifically for timber and builder's merchants but is equally appropriate for any type of building industry suppliers such as plumbers’ merchants, steel stockholders and electrical wholesalers. Currently, one of the largest UK users is East Anglian merchant, Ridgeons Ltd, where there are 600 staff set to use the system when the system goes live in over 20 of its sites by June 2008.

How can bisTrack help merchants grow their business?

Because it’s such a flexible system, it can be configured to suit each company’s individual needs. We like to think of ourselves as a provider of business solutions rather than just a software supplier. We make sure we understand each of our customers’ key business objectives so bisTrack can be implemented in the most effective ,and ultimately the most profitable, way within each of the operations it serves.

What are the system’s key features?

bisTrack is designed to manage sales, purchasing, stock control, pricing and discounts, transport planning and associated functions. It can generate instant and bespoke reports from any of the data it holds and it integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft Office applications such as Outlook and Excel. But what customers particularly like is how bisTrack allows them to work within a familiar Windows environment and how intuitive it is for staff to use. Another major plus point for our customers is that, unlike many other modern systems, all data held in bisTrack is stored in an open and accessible Microsoft data base. This means that it’s easy to extract information into an Excel spreadsheet for example, to work on as you wish for reporting purposes.

How will bisTrack 2 differ from the original system?

bisTrack 2 contains all the functionality of original bisTrack but we’ve added some new standard features. A new ‘Dashboard Design Module’ will allow users to customise their own ‘snapshot’ view of how the business is performing. The dashboard view is one of the most central features of the system and this new function will enable each user to present the information which is most important to them in the style they want. Views within the Operations part of the system will also be configurable using the new ‘Profile Designer’ and a ‘Smart Lists’ function has been added so users can create custom displays which can be saved for future use. Some of our new optional applications are already being used successfully by existing customers. Scan Track enables users to scan any paperwork into the system and relate it to other transactions within bisTrack. However its key application is to address the perennial problem of customers requesting proof of delivery – often used as a method of stalling payment. If the signed PoD is scanned into the system on its return to the branch, it can be easily and instantly retrieved and emailed or faxed directly to the customer by the credit control team. A further capability is to print an image of the signed PoD on invoices.

Our Web Track module gives merchants with their own website an additional way of trading. Through the Web Track portal, account customers will be able to raise quotations and orders, check their account status and look at their own price list.
Mobile – Sales Rep provides a way of letting the field sales team access certain live information in bisTrack on smart phones. Reps can check real time detailed stock information – even by branch, verify customer credit limits and report the outcome of each visit back into the system.

Offering a new level of reporting to managers and analysts, the new Data Warehouse enables you to capture and interrogate far more information than is held in standard bisTrack and the information is held on a separate server so it won’t impose on the performance of bisTrack itself. By applying different data ‘dimensions’, (relating to date, staff, customers, etc.) Data Warehouse will allow you to undertake highly complex business analysis.

What about EDI?

No problem for bisTrack! Our eBusiness module for the electronic exchange of orders and invoices with both customers and suppliers is now available. While some users recognise that their eBusiness module will only be relevant to national customers and a couple of large buying societies, others are predicting its use for 90% of all transactions with suppliers within six months.

How can I find out more about bisTrack 2?

We’ve organised a series of bisTrack 2 launch events so we can introduce bisTrack 2 and its options properly. Existing and potential users are welcome to attend as many events as they want to and to ask us as many challenging questions they can think of!

What if I’m an existing bisTrack user?

Existing bisTrack users will automatically have their software upgraded to incorporate the new standard features of bisTrack 2, and we encourage them to come along to one of the bisTrack 2 launch events to find out about the new options.

_{© 2008. Kindly reproduced courtesy of Unimer News.}