HVAC Contracting

Software Helps Distributor Maintain Up-To-Date Pricing

DORAVILLE, Ga. - Managing customer and vendor pricing can be a time-consuming, frustrating task. Just ask Roger Torri.

"Manually changing prices on 10,000 line items is not a fun job," conceded Torri, the president of Manufactured Duct and Supply based in Doraville, Ga. "Prophet 21 CommerceCenter helps us adjust hundreds - even thousands - of prices in a wink."

CommerceCenter, a Windows-based, SQL server solution from Prophet 21 (Yardley, Pa.), is designed to give distributors like Torri the tools necessary to automate complex pricing structures and strategies, resulting in improved profitability, fewer errors, and better customer service. In addition to robust pricing capabilities, functionality incorporated into CommerceCenter includes inventory, order, warehouse, and financial management, purchasing, reporting, and analysis, along with PDA integration.

"Distribution isn't as simple as offering the same price to each customer," said Chuck Boyle, Prophet 21 president and CEO. "And Prophet 21 understands that manufacturers often make thousands of price changes all at one time. CommerceCenter helps distributors streamline the labor-intensive pricing processes that can chew away hours and profits."

The Price Is Right

CommerceCenter helps simplify processes at Manufactured Duct because it enables employees to update vendor prices and enter new items into the database electronically. And, because it lets Torri set job-based, customer-specific, and special prices with a few keystrokes, the solution streamlines back-end pricing processes.

"CommerceCenter helps us get in there, get the job done, and get out," said Torri, who estimates that automated pricing processes save administrative staff at least two days each month. "It helps us save time and money and takes the burden off our staff."

And, because CommerceCenter offers key personnel access to cost and pricing information, they can react quickly to customer demands and competitive pressures.

"CommerceCenter lets us view an item's cost so we can stay competitive and still make a good profit," commented Eric Harris, branch manager at Manufactured Duct's branch location in Duluth, Ga. "Before, I'd have to call the main office and ask someone to look through a file to get me that information."

Concluded Torri, "CommerceCenter has totally integrated and simplified all of our pricing processes. Before we started using the solution, we had to run reports and reconcile everything by hand. It's made a big difference."

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