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A Closer Look rely on Microsoft to do the heavy "Dealers have been offering more technology lifting. Microsoft invests products and value-added services, around $10 billion into its products' and operationally they need to be research and development each extra diligent around their resource year," said Pilz. "Our customers get scheduling," he said. "Acquisitions the benefit of all that new product also often prompt a review of busidevelopment, and EquipSoft is 100 ness systems." percent focused toward applications Pilz reports that some dealers try for their industry. It's very much the to shore up their existing systems to same relationship that dealers have get the reporting they are looking with the manufacturers; dealers for, but that requires a lot of the provide tremendous value-add for work to be completed offline. "They their customers based on the prodare not getting the information as ucts provided to them." timely as they want," said Pilz. The According to Pilz, Microsoft EquipSoft solution automates the CRM and Microsoft Dynamics NAV reporting process. (Microsoft's accounting and inventory management application) are two Get Your Head in the Cloud of the most widely used business It has been well documented that applications in the world. Pilz believes many businesses are thinking about it is not a good use of a company's changing the way they manage inforresources to build their own applicamation technology. Cloud computtions. Instead, EquipSoft extends what ing is a newer concept that offers Microsoft has already created. companies the ability to retrieve "There is little risk because all of the resources via the Internet through tools are built on a single Microsoft Web-based tools and applications, platform," said Pilz. "The innovation rather than having a server at the and industry standards that are in play business location. Cloud computing take the risk out of the equation for has financial appeal because it allows organizations to shed at least some the customer. Then it is just a matter of their expensive IT infrastructure of cost. The platform drives more and shift computing costs to more cost-effective integration." manageable operational expenses. In business since 2001, EquipSoft The EquipSoft solution is available has been focused exclusively on in a cloud-based format through dealers since 2005. EquipSoft staff Microsoft's Azure delivery platform. people who have worked in the Dealers can pay a monthly or annual equipment distribution industry fee versus paying on a per-user basis ensure a good understanding of for an on-premise solution and having dealer needs. "The deeper you get within the equipment niche the more to invest in hardware additionally. Because some companies still view the you are able to build repeatable cloud as a data risk, EquipSoft also functionality that can be used across offers a private cloud solution. a variety of companies," said Pilz. "The customer can eliminate their From their initial core systems for IT costs and outsource to us. It's managing sales, rental, used equipa predictable cost," Pilz explained. ment parts and service, EquipSoft has added mobility functionality and CRM. "The IT infrastructure and delivery system we use is world-class quality, Pilz believes that in an increasingly more than a typical dealership could competitive market dealers need to be more responsive to their customers, ever afford on its own." Implementation costs are similar and they are looking to their busifor either model. Costs for impleness systems to help them meet mentation vary based on how many this challenge. locations and how many users need to be trained. According to Pilz, the timeframe needed varies from four months for a dealer with one to three locations David Pilz to 10 months for a larger regional dealership. The EquipSoft solution targets any type of equipment dealer (construction, agricultural, material handling, etc.) with one to 30 locations. EquipSoft already has built-in solutions for many types of dealers. "A single location dealer can afford this," said Pilz. "We are a perfect solution for any dealership that doesn't have a system or has outgrown their homegrown system." Ketelsleger speaks highly of EquipSoft's handling of their data conversion. "They have a very good process, well documented, and they told us what we needed to do." In his experience, the hardest part is trying to run the business while training, cleaning up systems and documenting the entire process. Newer offerings for mobile and cloud-based technology offer dealers significant advantages. For example, a service technician with access to telematic data can diagnose machine problems before ever leaving the dealership, bring the part with him, initiate the order and billing right on the jobsite, improving both cash flow and customer service. Before deciding on a solution, Pilz believes dealers should look beyond the software demonstration to think about how the system will be integrated, and consider both the cloud and mobile. "It's about getting dealers information that is meaningful, to help them drive and grow their business." November 2013 | Construction Equipment Distribution | www.cedmag.com | 45