StateWays is the only magazine exclusively covering the control state system within the beverage alcohol industry, with annual updates from liquor control commissions and alcohol control boards and yearly fiscal reporting from control jurisdictions
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/83486
Licensees Ordering 24/7 Online B efore, these licensees had to place their orders, by phone or fax, during store hours. Now, they can place their orders online, 24/7, and the order goes directly to the store's POS sys- tem. "There's no manual inputting of orders at the store," explained Walker. "The store staff simply assembles the order. Once they scan the products, to verify against the order, the licensee automati- cally receives an email that their order has been verified and is ready for pick-up." Licensees can see real-time inventory levels at stores and also see the present and future discounts available on products. In some ways, Virginia DABC's upgrade was rela- tively simple. It involved only the point-of-sale system. The change in software was an upgrade of the system the DABC had been using, not a replacement of it. And though the hardware, at ten years old, was somewhat out- dated, its replacement with newer equipment was straight- forward. Not so for the Vermont DLC. This department is replacing two systems, its back-office as well as its point- of-sale systems. And it is replacing them, not updating them. Back when the DLC had implemented its new warehouse management sys- tem (WMS) in 2010, Frank Perricone wrote, in the DLC's internal newsletter, DLC Spirit, "With our WMS pro- ject completed, we're moving on to begin the largest and most ambitious phase of replacing our obsolete, hard-to-maintain computer systems. Due to the very tight connections between our point of sale (POS) and back office retail (ERP) systems, it only makes sense to replace them together wo control-state agencies – the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) and the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) – have figured out ways to harness smart-phone applications to improve their operations and business. The OLCC created a smart-phone app for its enforcement staff. "Before, staff either had to wait until they returned to the office to do research, ask the dispatcher over the phone to look up information or carry around a bulky tablet that took time to turn on and load the programs," said Rudy Williams, director of public safety. Before, the staff used computer tablets or laptops, equipped with air cards to get them internet access, and the 40 enforcement officers shared a handful of state-issued cell phones between them. Issuing a smart-phone to each officer, T one that is equipped with a data plan and the specialized phone app that the OLCC wrote in-house, is actually cheaper, saving over $6,000 per year. And it's better: lighter, faster, more convenient to use. "The inspectors are already logged in and can access records right from their phone," said Christie Scott, OLCC spokesperson. In addition, they can use the many ordinary tools on a smart phone: calculator, email, camera, Google Maps. "Everything they need is in their pocket," Scott said. Meanwhile, the PLCB added to its cell-phone app offerings for consumers. It had launched an iPhone app (available for free from the iTunes Store) back in January that allowed consumers to browse, search- ing by availability, price and type, almost 40,000 products, to keep a personal "wish StateWays s www.stateways.com s September/October 2012 list," to buy from a selection of 2,500 products online, to see monthly sales and other deals and to find the closest store and get directions to it. Since January, this app, which also works on iPads and iTouches, has been downloaded over 12,200 times. In June, the PLCB launched the Android version, also available for free, from Android Market. "The iPhone and Android applica- tions significantly enhance our ability to meet the needs of our customers, provid- ing real time information and updates on products, services and sales available in stores and online," said board member Patrick J. "PJ" Stapleton. "As technology advances, we'll remain focused on main- taining a growing presence in the digital marketplace." 29