End of Year Thoughts
If you are like me, 2011 seems to have absolutely flown by. Normally I might attribute this to me just getting another year older, but looking at what we, meaning c-Systems Software, accomplished this year; boy we have been busy! I hear the same comment from most Outdoor Power Equipment dealers too. Nearly all OPE dealers I’ve spoken with say they’ve been extremely busy and business has been very good this year.
Now it’s December and for many Outdoor Power Equipment dealers, this is the last month of their fiscal year. If you are in this position, hopefully you have made, or are starting to make, preparations for your “End-of-Year” and planning business strategies for next year.
So as we are nearing the end of the year, here are a few thoughts you may want to consider as you close out 2011:
Physical Inventory – Many dealers perform a complete inventory of their parts, wholegoods and units at end of year. If you have a very small dealership, this task may not be that daunting, but for most dealers, it is a royal pain! If this sounds like you, make this the last year you perform an annual inventory count. Next year implement cyclical or cycle inventory counts. This means setting a schedule to count small portions of your inventory throughout the year. Typically you may count the same products several times throughout the year, but the benefit is a more accurate inventory. There are many other benefits to cycle counting, though I think the greatest is eliminating the horrible burden of one huge count at the end of the year.
Reorganize and Redecorate – Evaluate you dealership. When you walk through the front door what do you see? Look at your store from the customer’s perspective; would you do business with you? Folks like to do business with dealerships that are clean and organized. Investigate better ways to display your merchandise. Same thing goes with your parts and service departments. Start stocking parts by bin location and place faster moving parts closer to the counter for easier access.
Create a Marketing Plan – Look for new sources of business and how to keep customers you currently have. Maintain a database of customer e-mail addresses. Ask for your customer’s e-mail address and post a form on your website to solicit addresses. Periodically, broadcast e-mail solicitations announcing special offers and events. With all of the inexpensive e-mail marketing products now available, broadcast e-mailing is a viable and necessary option to even the smallest dealer.
Finally, as we close out this year, I wish all of our customers, prospective customers, industry associates and friends, a wonderful holiday season and hope they have a prosperous and profitable 2012.
Coming Soon: Beginner’s Blog
Our marketing manager, Todd Davis, is new to the industry and am taking some time every week to learn about c-Systems’ products.
Over the next few months, he will be sitting in on demonstrations, support calls and training sessions so he can better understand what our products can do. So if you’re also new to the software or just interested in a beginner’s opinion, check out his blog from time to time.
c-Systems Software, Inc. Announces the Release of Infinity 5.0
c-Systems, the leader in business management systems designed for Outdoor Power Equipment dealers, is proud to announce the release of version 5.0 of their Infinity Business Management System. The best software in the industry is now even better. Included in this latest version are numerous features designed to save valuable time and increase dealer profits. Infinity has gained significant improvements across the board, featuring much simplified multi-store reporting, user defined repair status codes, increased functionality to scheduling processes and many new enhancements to the information panel displays.
Also, in partnership with Toro and Exmark, c-Systems has recently finished development on a completely new EZ-Link interface. This new c-Systems EZ-Link integration features a very simple and easier installation procedure.
Dealers integrating EZ-Link with their c-Systems business management system will eliminate two very time-consuming tasks by automatically:
- Register Toro and Exmark equipment for warranty.
- Enrolling dealers in most Toro and Exmark rebate programs, eliminating the need to gather data and fill out forms requesting reimbursement.
- Plus, look for future EZ-Link enhancements to include electronic Warranty Claim Transmission from within your c-Systems business management system!
The new c-Systems EZ-Link interface controls access and maintains absolute data security so that only specific information regarding registration or rebate programs is sent to Toro or Exmark.
The EZ-Link application and support is free to all Toro and Exmark dealers who use a compatible c-Systems Software business system.
Stihl Northwest Dealer Meeting Trade Show
c-Systems Software has been invited to display at the upcoming Stihl Northwest dealer meeting to be held on Saturday Feb. 19, 2011. Approximately 140 dealers will be attending.
c-Systems invited by Toro & Exmark to display at GIE-Expo
c-Systems has been invited to display our business management systems at the Toro and Exmark booths during GIE-Expo, Oct 28 – 30. Jim Archut and Joe Miller will be occupying the Exmark and Toro booths respectively with presentation that features Toro’s new EZ-link integration. Both Jim and Joe will be available to answer questions and talk about EZ-Link and our c-Systems business systems products.
c-Systems main booth at GIE-Expo will have sales and management personnel available to answer questions and demonstrate our business management systems. Personnel attending will be : Steve Stinson – President, c-Systems Software, Bob Senger - Consultant (Former President, Softpower Software) , Ned Gardner – Sales Representative, Michael Strausser – Sales Representative, Pam Marsden – Sales Representative (Former Sales, Softpower Software), and Gary McDuffee – Customer Service Manager.
This year marks several firsts for c-Systems. Not only will we have presentations at the Toro and Exmark booths; we will also have our new c-Systems booth on display. This is marks the first time for our new combined c-Systems and Softpower companies to attend a trade show together too.
c-Systems will be at booth 7004, Toro’s booth 7192 and Exmark’s booth 7094. Please drop by and see us.
c-Systems Support Comes Through
Capital Engine Co. president Thomas Cowher was in a meeting at 9 a.m. May 24 when received a call that his company’s business management system computer would not turn on.
“We could not get the machine to boot up at all,” he said.
His employees spoke to a local computer repairman, who told them they’d need a new hard drive. They then called c-Systems support department and were put in contact with Brian Sorenson. Knowing that the busy Memorial Day weekend was near, Brian immediately built a new server and expedited it back to Mr. Cowher. Meanwhile, he had Mr. Cowher send him the system’s backed up information so the data would be ready once the system was received.
Upon receipt of the new server, Sorenson loaded the system information and Capital Engine Co. was fully operational again. The entire process took a little more than a day.
“The process to get back up and running went more quickly and easily than I ever imagined,” said.
Cowher said they gained other benefits – such as backup hard drives to prevent another incident – when upgrading the server, including the faith of c-Systems’ support department.
“To go from having a hardware crash on Monday morning to being back fully operational by mid-day Tuesday far exceeded my expectations,” Cowher said. “[It] makes me fully appreciate our decision to remain a c-Systems customer.”
Softpower Acqusition – What does this mean?
With the acqusition of Softpower Business Solutions, c-Systems will become one of the largest providers of business management systems in the Outdoor Power Equipment industry and will substancially strengthen our presence in the Powersports industry. This merger will bring together complimentary products that fit well together and offer modules that were not available from individual companies.
As a combined company, we will have a customer base of approximately 1500 dealers and distributors, doing business in 49 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico. The combined company will employ approximately 50 people, including all of the SoftPower staff. Technologically, the new company will have the largest and finest programming staff of any software company serving your industry. This statement carries over to our combined support staff as well.
We believe this merger offers our customers many important benefits. SoftPower and c-Systems have been competing in the same markets for more than 20 years. Because our markets are the same, there is a great deal of synergy between the two organizations. By combining, we are able to create a stronger, more robust, and efficient organization. All of this translates into more valuable support and services for our customers.
We have already begun the process of streamlining and enhancing customer support services. We are already in the process of adding modules to the SoftPower products that were designed by c-Systems to enhance customers support services to their customers. We realize that if a problem arises, you need it fixed in as little time and with as little aggravation as possible.
While the programs provided by SoftPower and c-Systems were designed for many of the same markets, there are differences in the programs scope and design. As a customer of the combined company you will have access to all of the modules and software developed originally by either company. With the acqusition, Softpower customers will have access to c-Systems programs at a significantly reduced rate. The same rate that current c-Systems customers would pay for the programs or upgrades. Likewise c-Systems customers will have access to Softpower programs and upgrades at the same prices as current SoftPower customers.
While discounts are great things to receive, Softpower and c-Systems customers will derive the most benefit from future software enhancements and new products yet to come. By sharing resources and ideas and combining the best features from each company’s software, we can create unbeatable business management solutions that exceed the capabilities of either company’s original products.
We also want to assure all our current and prospective customers that our business continues without any interruption or loss of quality. As we work through this process, we will keep you informed at every step along the way. We look forward to getting your feedback and suggestions as we start this very exciting journey.
C-SYSTEMS SOFTWARE TO ACQUIRE SOFTPOWER BUSINESS SOLUTIONS
ARLINGTON, Texas (March 4, 2010) — c-Systems Software, Inc., a leading provider of business management systems for the outdoor power equipment, powersports and agricultural industries, announces the acquisition of Softpower Business Solutions.
The combination of c-Systems and Softpower creates the largest, most technologically advanced business system vendor in the Outdoor Power Equipment Industry.
“Sharing technology, uniting resources and eliminating duplication of effort will produce a company more focused, adept and agile,” c-Systems co-founder, CTO and CFO Jim Phelan said. “The end result becomes a huge win for both companies, our customer base and the industries we serve,”
Effective April 1, the combined companies will continue their traditions of quality, innovation and industry leadership for the benefit of their current and prospective customers.
“Both companies have a long and proud history of providing the finest in dealer management systems and both are considered to be the premier companies in this marketplace,” c-Systems president Steven Stinson said.
Softpower president Bob Senger said he looks forward to combining efforts with c-Systems in order to create a more efficient organization. We have already begun the process of enhancing customer support services,” he said.
Beginning in April, c-Systems will rebrand Connect-based Softpower’s programs as Softpower by c-Systems and SoftBiz by c-Systems.
c-Systems Software, Inc., is a leading provider of business management systems, supplying cutting-edge technology for the outdoor power equipment, agricultural and powersports industries since 1983. We offer software, hardware and full-service, turnkey solutions for dealers and distributors in these industries. Our mission is to provide solutions that increase efficiency, deliver more value and enable our customers to become more profitable.
For more information about c-Systems Software, please visit our Web site at www.csystemssoftware.com.
