Proudly serving the industry for which it was named for more than 50 years, Outdoor Power Equipment provides dealers who sell and service outdoor power equipment with valuable information to succeed in a competitive market.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/108758
FEATURE STORY increased level of seamless integration with the manufacturers and vendors. It's not enough to just offer simple purchase order transmission anymore. We're always working with the industry's top vendors to enhance our customers' level of communication with the manufacturers of the brands they sell. The goal should be to reduce the number of clicks dealers have to make in order to complete tasks. Electronic product registration, pricing tables and warranty labor rates are all good examples of real-time interaction with manufacturers and vendors. 3) What impact can a business management system make on an OPE dealer's bottom line? JP: A business system should make your business more profitable. It should optimize your inventory. It should provide detailed reports about your business so you can run it at its peak. Every element of a good business system is designed to help your business make more money. Customer Relationship Management is another way a business system should affect your bottom line. It should help you boost repeat business through add-on sales, warranty updates and product reminders, automatically keeping you in contact with your customers. Your business system should also save you time. It should automate your business, cutting the time you spend on certain tasks. Shop 12 management modules and other similar features will help you be more organized. Imagine not having customers call you to check on their order status because they can go to your website, securely log in, and check it themselves. Imagine having your business system automatically email your customers about product news. 4) When shopping for a business management system, what are the key factors that OPE dealers need to consider? JP: Return on investment is one of the most important things to consider while shopping. Purchasing the right business system will have a broad impact; everything from decreasing billing errors to making it easier to manage your service department. Another major key when choosing a business system is finding the industry leader. Which business system provider is the most technologically advanced? Which is the first to release the latest features? Which is most closely affiliated with the leading vendors and manufacturers? To help determine a business system provider's value, look at its support department. Anyone can be trained to support a software, but a support technician with OPE experience truly understands its application. A support tech who has worked at an OPE dealership can relate to your reason for calling, and can provide better support. OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT Investing in a business management system is an investment in your business.The bottom line is simple:The right business system will make your job easier. ANNE SALEMO PRESIDENT CHARTER SOFTWARE INC. 1) What is the latest news about your company? Anne Salemo (AS): In October 2012, Charter Software was selected by DoosanBobcat as one of its two preferred business system vendors for Bobcat dealers.The decision was based on Charter's prominent industry relationships, ability to serve a variety of dealer types and sizes, and users' praise of their ASPEN business management system. ASPEN continues to be widely adopted and now exceeds 1,700 users in North America. In August 2012, Charter held its first-ever, highly successful ASPEN user conference, where the latest features added to the system, ASPEN Community and ASPEN Intercompany, were unveiled.The first phase of these features enables ASPEN users to locate and sell parts with others in the community and/or across their enterprise. 2. What are the latest business management system technology trends in the OPE industry? AS: Mobile applications, remote access, www.outdoorpowerequipment.com