In Merchanter you can negotiate a deal for the whole order as well as setting prices and discounts for individual lines. To modify the whole order value you can choose to click on the Total fields in the top right corner of the Edit Order screen. Select the VAT inclusive or exclusive total figure depending on which one you wish to work on. In the whole order discount window you can see the current value of the order and enter the target value you would like to achieve. This will show the revised margin based on your entry. Once you have a value you are happy with you can choose how to apply it to the order: Spread Discount - applies a percentage discount to all the order lines in order to achieve the total you are after. Discount Max Value Line - applies a percentage discount to the order line with the highest value, leaving the other order values undiscounted Whole order discount - adds a whole order discount into the totals of the order Click 'Apply' to make the changes to the order.

When communicating with a contact on Merchanter you need to have all the relevant information at your fingertips. The contact view shows the contact details and preferences for the contact, and summary information about their company, including trading KPIs, activity timeline, company information, user notes and sales/purchasing analysis. Any call, email or relevant information can be simply recorded as a Note, appearing in the contact and customer timeline.

Relieving the pressure of paperwork A recent piece of research by Parker and Chandlers Building Supplies and reported in the Builders Merchants Journal found that paperwork is one of the biggest causes of stress within the building trade, with over 60% of general builders agreeing that they struggle to keep paperwork in order. While Parkers and Chandlers have gone above and beyond to create an online “paperwork portal” for builder customers to help them streamline admin, we started thinking about it from the merchant perspective – how much time is spent within the average builders’ merchant every year on paperwork? What IS paperwork and why is there so much of it? It’s easy to grumble about “admin” but what actually makes up “paperwork”? Invoices, quotes, receipted, proof of delivery notes, POs, staff contracts, product certification, stock counts, personnel details, banking letters and notifications, internal communication…. Once you start thinking about all the areas of the business where an administrative trail is required, it really starts to add up. These days, a lot of it isn’t physically paper-based, but some still is, leading to a mix of information in different formats. That lack of consistency in itself can lead to issues, with staff having work out where particular records or details are kept in order to check, send or reference them. If you add up all the micro-processes within your business, from creating each document in the first place to filing it, finding it again, reporting on it or sending it to the intended recipient – how much time is spent on paperwork every year? (Tip – don’t try to work this out. It will just depress you.) So what’s the answer? Well like most things in life, there is no quick fix or silver bullet, sadly. But there is a lot you can do – and it will come as no surprise to you that our number one piece of advice is to invest in a decent digital ERP system where everything can be stored consistently and accessibly. But there’s more to it than that, and it will take buy-in across your workforce, and the right systems in place, to make it happen. Firstly, analyse your current processes. As with any issue, understanding the current status is essential, so it’s a good idea to consider just how many areas involve administrative processes. A system like Merchanter means that every member of the team is recording every process, transaction, stock movement and delivery consistently and using one, integrated system. That means the information held by the system is always up to date and accurate, as people can update orders and processes from anywhere, at any time, meaning you always have the latest view of information. It also means that information is recorded consistently in a place that is easy for it to be found. You don’t need a computer science degree to navigate the system – it’s pretty intuitive, so if you’re looking for the latest quotes for a specific customers, it only takes a click or two to find it. Ditto product certification records, despatch notes, POs, delivery notes and much, much more. Think how much less time you’d spend searching for documents if you could find exactly what you wanted within three clicks. Automation saves time The other annoying thing about a lot of admin is that it’s repetitive. So again, technology can help here. Merchanter has a really flexible set-up so you can automate certain admin tasks, such as invoicing, payment reminders and much more. Not only does that save time, it also eliminates a lot of human error, as it can be set up to go on particular dates up front so there’s no danger of forgetting, or being missed if a particular person is off that day. You can also automate alerts and reminders to prompt action at particular times. Whether that’s a credit control or stock level alert, a margin protection reminder or a warning about missed deliveries, it keeps you in control at all times with less effort, in less time. There is also a lot of time saving to be made when it comes to reporting. When information is easily accessible, reporting becomes much less of a chore, and rather than having to painstakingly copy data from once source to another, you can simply export it, copy and paste or just generate a report right then and there. Simple. Every saved keystroke counts The productivity and output levels of modern business is phenomenal - or it can be. The more we streamline processes and let technology work as a tool on our behalf, the more our businesses are capable of scaling up. Imagine the cumulative time spent on keying in orders, stock takes and sales in an average year – and then imagine how much time could be saved if each process only took a few seconds rather than a few minutes. Perhaps it doesn’t sound like a big deal that a PO can be raised in 10 seconds, straight from a quote – but if that PO used to take 5 minutes, that’s a lot of time saved in a year. And time, as we all know, is precious. Merchanter lets you streamline every process, every information search and every transaction, and those microsavings add up to a really significant compound saving over time. Pass the savings on The more streamlined and efficient your business is, the more of a pleasure it will be to deal with from a supplier and customer perspective. Less error, less delay, less waste - more great service, on-time deliveries and up to date records. When records are stored consistently it's easy for any member of the team to answer a customer query instantly, it's easy for a supplier to check an invoice status, and it's easy for your staff to feel empowered and in control. Digital paperwork is more environmentally friendly The other benefit of a digital system for your paperwork is that, as more and more of the paper trail becomes digital, not only is it easier to find what you're looking for, it's also much less draining on physical paper resources. There is a bigger knock-on effect of the sustainability factor throughout the business too, but on a micro level, every sheet of paper saved is a good thing. Every business needs to find ways to become more efficient and enable staff to be more productive rather than more busy. Merchanter is designed for exactly that purpose – to make every day that little bit simpler, and to allow you to achieve more with less effort. If you’re interested in trialling the ground-breaking simplicity of Merchanter for yourself, please register for the free online demo system here .

How often do you see “good communication skills” listed on a job ad, or a CV? When was the last time you stopped to think about what it actually means? Having clear communication with customers, suppliers and staff is vital for any business. The better your communication, chances are, the better your services levels, staff satisfaction levels, supplier relationships and customer loyalty will be. But communication is a tricky beast. The problem is, what suits one person doesn’t necessarily suit another; and what one person understands isn’t necessarily what another does. There are some big questions to ask yourself when it comes to communication. These include: - What is it you’re actually trying to say? - Why do you need to say it? What outcome are you looking for? - Who are you speaking to? - Are you using the right medium to suit that person? - Is your message clear? - Is what you’re saying being understood? Are you sure? - Is your organisation aligned in the messages going out? - Are you listening as well as speaking? Be clear on your objectives and purpose If you’re not clear in your own mind what you’re trying to say, or achieve, then that will come across. Confusion is the enemy of action, and if you’re confusing people with mixed messages and multiple calls to action, don’t be surprised when you don’t get the response you wanted. Ask yourself what you want to say, and why you want to say it. If you’re really clear on those points in your own mind, your communication is likely to be all the clearer for it. Be consistent That doesn’t mean always say the same thing, but across your organisation, your staff should be aligned in the main messages and means of communication they adopt. If you have brand guidelines, make sure everyone knows what they are. Lead by example – and literally, give examples if you want people to follow a particular structure or format. Your organisation will appear all the more professional for it, and you can be sure that every member of staff is putting across the right messages in the right way. Be relevant This is probably the single biggest point of communication. Relevance is everything. If the person you’re speaking to feels that what you’re saying doesn’t apply to them, or doesn’t matter, then they won’t listen or act. If you’re sending out sales emails, be as personalised as you can be. If you’re trying to get new leads, make your pitch customised to the recipient – think about what THEY care about, and put yourself in their shoes. If they feel you’re speaking directly to them, they’re much more likely to listen. Be genuine This is about more than just honesty and transparency. This is also about using a tone of voice in your company messages that suits the products and people you’re dealing with. There’s no point using jargon-filled marketing speak if that’s not how your customers talk – just like there’s no point trying to dumb down a technical product if your customers expect a high degree of specification. Know your customers, know your suppliers, use their language (within reason!!) and be true to your own company values. Using professional, polite, plain English goes a long way in most cases! Be choosy Don’t overload people with too much communication. Be respectful of how many emails and calls they get on an average day and choose your communication times and methods carefully. Communicate what’s important and relevant to them (not just to you!) and think about when they might be in a position to receive that communication and act on it. Think also about which medium you’re using. Do you have to email, or would a phone call be quicker? Do you have to phone if it’s not urgent, or would a gentle email be better? Twitter probably isn't the place to be chasing invoices, and Facebook messenger isn't the place for a 1:1 with your direct reports. Everyone you speak with is different so consider how YOU would like to receive a particular piece of information – but remember that everyone is different, so what suits you might not suit everyone. Be helpful This isn’t so much about being considerate for the other person’s sake – actually, the more helpful you are, the more likely you are to get what YOU want. Chasing up an invoice? Include all the relevant information in one place so there are no excuses to not act. Making an appointment or trying to make a sale? Make sure you include clear, easy to follow calls to action, as well as things like links to make the process as easy as possible. Every additional action you ask someone to make is another barrier to stop them acting – so make life easy for them, and you have a better chance of getting the results you want. If your message isn’t understood, that’s on you, not them We all tend to have a habit of assuming that someone else’s misunderstanding of what we’ve said is their fault, not ours. “I made it perfectly clear,” or “I explicitly said…” are common complaints. But if the other person hasn’t understood, it’s not always down to them not listening – a lot of the time, it’s down to the original communication not being clear enough. YOU might know exactly what you mean but other people can’t read your mind – and remember, language, tone and meaning are highly subjective and open to interpretation. Don’t leave it to guesswork for people to understand you! TIP: Before you send out that sales email, complaint or instruction, get someone else who isn’t involved to read it first. If they can explain clearly what you’re trying to communicate, then great. If they struggle, you may need to change it so it’s clearer. The power of a good conversation Conversations are immensely important. They form and develop relationships, they build trust, they impart and receive information. Done well, they can motivate, develop, persuade and entertain. Done badly though, they can be deeply damaging, creating rifts in relationships both in and outside work, and can create major issues of miscommunication. There is a huge amount of information out there about how to have better conversations at work and we will revisit this in a later blog too. But a few things to bear in mind when considering work conversations are: plan ahead for what you want and need to say, and how you are going to say it; focus on what the other person is saying and really listen to them, rather than just wait to speak; be clear in your conclusions and check consensus in actions. That goes for meetings, phone calls, video conferences, sales pitches, staff reviews, feedback sessions – it always pays to think it through and always seek understanding and clarity. A quick checklist for good communication - Do you know what you want to say and why you want to say it? - Have you considered the medium you’re using? Is it right for what you’re trying to say? - Have you thought about who you’re speaking to, and whether they will understand? - Are you listening to what the other person is saying and giving them a chance to speak? - Have you checked that the recipient received the communication? - Have you checked that they understood it? - Are the actions you want them to take really clear? - Have you made it easy for them to do as you ask? - Do people know how to communicate with you?

Merchanter is a system that allows every member of the workforce to unlock their full potential, with a host of features designed to make everyday tasks quicker and easier, putting the right information in your line of sight for efficient, productive working. We talk a lot about stock management, but there are lots of other areas of a merchant’s business that a good ERP system can enhance, and Merchanter caters for every member of every department, from procurement to logistics, stock management to finance and everything in between. In fact, not all our customers are stockholders – we also work with agents, importers and distributors who don’t all use the stock features of the system at all. If that’s you, you might be interested to know that Merchanter caters for all forward contracting needs as well, so even if you don't hold stock yourself, it's still an incredibly useful tool. (If you're interested in finding out more about our forward contracting features, we'll be talking about in more detail in a future blog, so watch this space!) So whether you stock materials or just trade them, here are five ways that Merchanter’s purchasing features can help you drive efficiency, productivity and profitability throughout your business. Get the best pricing every time Compare prices instantly from different suppliers; import prices lists and compare with previous purchases. Whether you’re looking by supplier or by product, you’ll instantly see the best prices available by comparison against each product line, making it quicker and easier to make sure you’re paying the best price, every time. You’ll also be able to see what you’ve paid with a given supplier in the past, so you’re always on top of the negotiations and can easily keep track of changing costs. Order easily and quickly Issue POs straight from the supplier or product record for fast, painless ordering. Merchanter offers fantastic stock optimisation and management tools so you’ll always know where to focus your attention for optimum availability. This integrates with the purchasing features so you can raise POs straight from the product or supplier page. You can also see order history both by supplier and product line instantly, so you can keep on top of pricing changes and discrepancies, and there are a number of built-in safeguards to ensure orders aren’t incurring additional charges such as delivery cost. Manage and compare suppliers You can see supplier history and pricing instantly so it’s really easy to keep track of how your suppliers are performing. You can also easily see how much you’re spending with a given supplier, what their track record is for delivery timings and reliability, and you’ll always have a complete record of quotes, invoices and orders at the click of a button. All these combine not only to ensure you understand the buying habits across the business and how suppliers are performing, it also gives you valuable information to use when negotiating terms and pricing ongoing. The system keeps track of historic pricing for comparison, but it’s also quick and easy to upload and import supplier cost and product databases for instant, current comparisons. Avoid costly oversights The system has a number of safeguards in place to avoid expensive additional charges. Therefore it’s easy to see when an order falls below a minimum order value, or will incur a delivery fee. With instant price comparisons and supplier history, buyers will find it easier than ever to keep on top of service levels and pricing consistency, and will be able to avoid costly oversights. Manage live orders for great service and pre-empt issues Buyers will have straightforward visual measures of live POs, overdue POs and orders received and despatched so it’s never been easier to keep on top of every order, ensuring the best customer service. Knowing what’s in the pipeline and having instant access to stock information enables every member of the team to pre-empt delivery or availability issues and take action directly to avoid out-of-stocks or order shortfalls. Managers can see individual, team, depot and business-wise metrics to ensure service is being delivered across the board, with key KPIs front and centre for total relevance and clarity. Simple ERP software to make every day easier There are over 110 KPIs within the Merchanter system so every user in the business will have the tools they need to get the job done more easily. Key information is instantly visible and you can drill down into the detail easily and directly. Compare MTD and YTD figures easily, import and export data without any hassle, and create and compare orders in just a few clicks. And of course, because Merchanter is 100% Cloud based, you can access all that information and perform every task from anywhere, at any time, on your smart device. So whether you’re working from home, on the road or in the yard, Merchanter helps you every step of the way, keeping the information in the business current, accurate and totally integrated. If you’d like to find out more about Merchanter or try the free online demo system for yourself, just register here for login details.

Sound counter-intuitive? We believe that with better tools, you can achieve more. We believe that by improving every process in your business, your people have the power to achieve greater things more easily. We believe that greater process efficiency leads to higher productivity, lower wastage and better profit margins. We believe that when your business runs more smoothly, more cohesively, and more efficiently, your customers get better choice, better availability and better service. We believe that happy customers mean better business success. And we believe you can achieve all that with less effort. “Merchanter is a pleasure to use all day long. The flexibility and control in terms of pricing, the simplicity, and options available to control our stocks, will be a gamechanger to our company.” Mike Tregunna, Build Supplies Ltd ERP is expensive. Choose carefully. Investing in a future-ready, digital ERP system is not a snap decision. It is a big decision and it doesn’t come cheap. Nor should it. Your business is complex. It need specialist software to help you unlock its full potential, and specialist software requires a lot of time, effort and experience to develop. And when it comes with implementation, training, constantly evolving capability and full helpdesk support, you can see why it requires investment. But a good ERP system will not only help you run your business more efficiently – it will actively help you to grow it. It will pay for itself, and even add incremental value. It will drive productivity and profitability, helping you to focus where focus is required and achieve more from a leaner base. That means you can do more with less. Choose the features your workforce actually needs, and stop paying for things they don’t. You can do more with fewer users on the system, because every person can achieve more than ever before. Access, availability and flex “Merchanter lets us see exactly what is happening in the business and gives us complete control, from anywhere. It helps us to focus on the most important elements and we are already seeing significant commercial benefits after just five months.” Patrick Phipps, Independent Slate Supplies As a cloud system, Merchanter lets you stay in control from anywhere, without specialist hardware. Simply log in through any browser on your smart device, and you’re good to go. That makes flexible and remote working a breeze, and means information from on-the-road sales teams, delivery drivers and yard workers is always up to date. And because it’s cloud-based, you’re always on the latest version, with evolving opportunities to integrate with PIMs and third-party platforms like eCommerce or accountancy services. The capacity is almost limitless, making it as close to future-proof as anyone could claim. Do more with less Perhaps one of the most core concepts of modern business is the notion of doing more with less. Digital tools like Merchanter can help you to do just that, staying in control of your business and understanding it at a more granular level, while actively enhancing your service offering and workforce wellbeing. Powerful tools make scaling your business up possible, so you don’t need to massively increase staff numbers or investment in order to reap the benefits. “This is the weapon of choice for any builders’ or timber merchant that wants to bring their business up to date and drive forward.” Mike Tregunna, Build Supplies Ltd With the adoption of eCommerce on the rise, it’s essential for all merchant businesses to find new ways to help meet the fluctuating demands of the business without exposing yourselves to financial risk. Using a system like Merchanter can help do just that, giving you the control, accessibility and performance of a much bigger workforce without the increased risk.

How much is shrinkage costing your merchant business? Every merchant knows that stock shrinkage costs money. But according to BMF "Shrink Academy" trainer Paul Winstanley, as quoted in a recent article in PBM magazine, there is a lot more to shrinkage than meets the eye – and it could be accounting for up to two thirds of merchants’ financial losses. While stock shrinkage is a costly drain on a merchant’s bottom line, the implications run wider throughout the business. Shrinkage, suggests Paul Winstanley, applies to all processes and procedures within a business, meaning there are multiple pressure points within any merchant business where efficiency and accuracy failures could be leading to unnecessary losses. It’s vital, he says, to engage with employees across the merchant business to get a true picture of what’s happening, not just in the board room or head office. Keeping in touch with what’s actually happening on the ground is essential – the theory of a process or management practice means very little if it’s not working for those in charge of actually carrying it out day to day. So why are we talking about it? Two reasons. Firstly, to highlight the very valuable training offered by the BMF for merchant staff, which can provide invaluable skills and approaches to implementing more efficient and effective methods. And secondly, because we believe our software can help every merchant to identify opportunities and gaps for improvement, mitigate risk, flag concerns, and drive increased efficiency across the whole business. In fact, we’ve even developed unique features to help with this exact issue. Here are 10 ways Merchanter can help address the issues of shrinkage: 1) Stock Confidence metric offers insight into stock-accuracy erosion over time. In short, it accounts for shrinkage and calculates the accuracy of a current stockholding figure. This effectively waves a warning flag to help you focus time and effort on the areas of stock which need more focus. 2) Perpetual inventory used to be almost impossibly time-consuming, but new technologies make staying on top of stockholding stats an awful lot easier. From bar code scanners to real-time, organisation-wide integration of data, the numbers you see are up to date, making it easier to spot discrepancies and identify risk further out. 3) Stock turn KPI help you to drive more efficiency in the value of your stock. In a nutshell, this nifty little metric tells you how hard each stock line is working so you can quickly and easily make smart decisions about how to boost profitability. 4) Built-in credit control and margin protection give additional peace of mind during price adjustments and customer or supplier negotiations, so you know your people are always working within acceptable tolerances and not incurring unnecessary risk. 5) Price tracking in the market helps the system flag up when replenishment costs are going to be an issue, helping you to stay on top of profitability. 6) Customer and supplier data helps you quickly see which are operating profitably and which are a drain on resource, effectively costing more to work with than they’re worth to the business. 7) Automation of time-consuming processes helps free up people’s time and focus to help drive productivity, leaving them able to focus on the areas which drive better value for the business. 8) Better reliability, availability and pricing helps secure better customer service and loyalty. Fewer disappointed or annoyed customers means fewer missed opportunities. 9) Comprehensive, relevant and easily accessible metrics for over 120 areas of the business help you stay on top of all the moving parts of the business at a glance, meaning you can make smarter decisions faster. 10) Being simple to use and quick to learn, there’s less room for human error and much faster adoption by your workforce, leading to better engagement and employee retention levels, enhanced customer service thanks to enhanced and up to date levels of accessible information, and more efficient business practice across the organisation thanks We are developing many new features to help our customers manage business more efficiently, focusing on everything from logistics and transport planning to even more advanced stock control. If you have an idea for a feature that would make YOUR life easier, please get in touch - you never know, we might just be able to create it! To read the original article at PBM, just click here To check out the fantastic range of training courses available for members of the BMF, take a look here And to register for 30 days’ free access to the Merchanter online demo system, just click here .

If you’re fed up spending your evenings and weekends working – whether it’s doing accounts, stock checks, business reports or anything else, we hear you. Business is busy and it can be hard to find the time for everything else. We totally understand the pressures of merchanting and running a business. But we want you to help you take a stand and reclaim what’s yours – your time. What if all those things were bit less time-consuming? What if the information was right there at your fingertips, and what if the stock takes stock-took themselves*? Time-saving tools to drive productivity Merchanter is designed for merchants so is packed with features that help you make processes within your business more efficient. It has been designed to be easy and intuitive to use, so your workforce can be up and running with it quickly and the time-saving benefits can kick in sooner. How much time would you estimate is spent in your business every day tracking down paperwork? Past quotes, invoices, POs, delivery notes, material certification? Comparing sales figures and profitability reports? It really adds up. Modern ERP systems for merchants can really help streamline these processes, keeping everything readily available and easily searchable. Say hello to a new way of managing stock Perpetual stock optimisation makes a lot more sense than monthly or quarterly stock takes but can be time-consuming to get right. We have developed specific features to help you know which areas need your focus so the gaps get filled in good time and you get more insight into which products are selling through well, and which lines may need some extra help. The tiered pricing system means every member of your workforce can use the system and you only pay for the features they need. That leads to better integration and up-to-date accuracy across the business, and reduces the time wasted in tracking down information. Automated features to free up more time Why not let technology take the strain and speed up those repetitive, manual tasks that suck up too much time? Send invoices, reminders and quotes automatically to make your operations more scalable and free up your people’s time to add value where they’re really needed. Work from where you are If the last year has taught us anything it’s the importance of accessibility. Using a true cloud system like Merchanter lets you access your business from wherever you are, on your smart device, with no need for specialist hardware or power-hungry servers. It lets your business stay up to date through remote and flexible working arrangements, but also means there’s no delay waiting for sales reps to return to the office to check availability or place and order, nor for delivery drivers or yard workers to upload goods receipts and PODs. Don't waste time on updates and maintenance (let us do it for you) One of the great things about a cloud system is how easy they are to update and maintain. No more booking site visits or installing new servers - updates are either automatic or at worst, done remotely, so you're always working on the latest version of the system with no disruption. It also means when there's a new feature, or you find a snazzy new third party feature you'd like to integrate, it's a lot more straightforward to do than it would have been a few years ago. And finally, cloud systems are easier and quicker to install in the first place, and can often hook up with your PIM or accounts package etc to minimise disruption when onboarding. You're up and running faster, and because it's easy to use, even the training phase isn't too painful! Smarter tools for smarter business Essentially, Merchanter makes it easier for you to run your business better. Integration, accuracy, accessibility, flexibility and ease of use are all core elements of the system, and the compound effect drives efficiency, productivity and profitability. And all that in a fraction of the time. So the question is – what will you be doing with your evenings? *This might be stretching the point (and the rules of grammar) a little – but it’s a lot easier than a shed-load of clipboards, we promise!

On Wednesday 21st October, the BMF held a virtual technology forum. It featured a panel of experts from different areas of technology, including ecommerce, stock optimisation and health and safety, and it proved to be a fascinating and in some places eye-opening session. The forum is still available for members on the BMF website for members, if you’re interested (and you probably should be!) But we wanted to share a few of the key take-away points with you here as well. Digital transformation is coming – and fast Digital is advancing with a phenomenal rate of change. As Kevin Reeves, from the digital team at the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) reported, digital is growing 7 times faster than any other part of the economy. Younger generations are digital natives – that is to say, they have grown up around technology that most of us could only have read about in sci-fi novels as children. This generation forms an increasingly large part of your customer and supplier base, and their expectations are very different to more traditional audiences. Digital delivery – online ordering, online management systems, apps, AI, machine learning etc – is going to be become the standard. And merchants will have to be able to keep pace with that change, or risk losing out significantly. What is digital transformation? "Digital transformation is about enabling people to use information better, make better decisions, improve processes and apply technology wisely.” CLC Digital Team Digital transformation – the process of changing business operations, management and commercial activity to online and automated platforms - is intended to make people’s lives easier. It may not sound like that up front, but digital systems can bring about an incredible improvement in efficiency, accuracy and performance. Going digital doesn’t just mean adding online ordering or ecommerce to your business though – it goes much deeper. As the case study by Haldane Fisher made crystal clear, going digital requires a step change throughout the entire organisation – and it means updating ALL systems to digital to be able to provide good service. Ecommerce needs digital foundations to succeed All speakers were in agreement that an eCommerce platform will only succeed if the merchant has the digital back end operations to keep it running smoothly, and a great case study from Haldane Fisher made that even more apparent (see below). “Ecommerce thrives when an organisation is underpinned by digital delivery.” Kevin Reeves, CLC Fortunately, digital ERP systems have developed a long way too, and cloud systems (yes, like our own UT400, now you come to mention it…) can integrate seamlessly with industry specific eCommerce platforms like that of eCommonsense. UT400 offers an incredibly sophisticated stock optimisation functionality which not only enables merchants to accurately monitor and measure stockholdings, but also actively helps to optimise that stockholding’s value and reduce risks. (You can read more about that in last week’s blog on the Stock Turn KPI, and there will be a lot more exciting features being announced soon, so watch this space!) Getting your digital ducks in a row before putting an eCommerce platform in place is so important, and will make the transition to digital an awful lot easier for you and your staff. Technology is moving fast It’s safe to say that technology is developing faster than most people can follow. The rise of voice search and visual search (based on applications like Google Lens) could prove challenging for merchants and make online performance harder to master. The key piece of advice is all about building the right data foundations. It’s vital to make sure all products are accompanied by accurate, comprehensive descriptions, images and product information which gives enough detail to satisfy search engines (and the wide-ranging terminology used by internet users!) Plenty more information is available on this from the BMF and other trade organisations, and the European roll out of the ETIM project (which is all about data model standardisation for products across Europe) is also very relevant. Digital is a whole-organisation shift Haldane Fisher’s Stephen Rooney presented a convincing case study on the reasons behind their decision to go digital, explaining why it is so important to embrace digital across the organisation. He outlined the strategic thinking behind the move – both in terms of growth strategy competitiveness, process, and service delivery, and also as a defensive strategy to future-proof the business, maintain relevance and to appeal to a younger workforce as an employer. He offered a great deal of advice to any merchant thinking of going digital – the greatest of which was “Do it now – because sometimes later becomes never.” With technology changing so fast, the sooner these agile digital platforms are adopted the better, as they allow a much greater flexibility for expansion in the future. Technology can be an invaluable tool for good Change is rarely comfortable and making big changes across your business will inevitably involve hard work, expense and disruption. And perhaps recent reports about data mishandling and medical tracking on a national scale have not done a lot to reassure people that technology is a good thing. But digital transformation is happening regardless, and it’s better to be prepared. Quite apart from the operations and management technology on show, it was fascinating to see technology being used for health and safety purposes during Covid and beyond. For example, RDS presented their health check entry stations using their patented BlackBox technology, offering identity scanning, mask policy adherence, temperature checking and so on. Perhaps the government should have knocked on their door while developing track and trace… Tools like these could offer huge peace of mind for merchants and their customers, ensuring a safer and healthier environment for all. The forum showed so many different applications of technology – not least the fact that so many of us were able to still participate despite not being physically in the same room – and it’s important that we are not put off by perceived complexity. The cost and time savings, efficiency potential, sustainability and productivity capacity far outweigh any initial discomfort, and of course great service will always win out too. Customer expectations are changing fast, and merchants need to be able to meet those needs – or unfortunately, there will be a competitor who will do so instead.

What can your Quote Conversion Rate (QCR) tell you about your business – and what can you do about it? (Otherwise known as data-driven decision making) You know that feeling. You’ve got the figures in front of you, and you’re staring at all this lovely information and thinking – now what? What is it REALLY telling you? And How can you USE that information to make changes and do something about it? Data-driven decision making is incredibly important. It means that the decisions you make in your business are based on what is actually happening – not based on instinct or perception. And the good news is, it’s also easier these days than it ever was before. These days we have incredible technology at our fingertips to gather, store and analyse enormous amounts of data for us. As a merchant business, if you are using an integrated ERP system, it will be processing a huge amount of data – but it’s up to you to know how to use it. Having the information is step 1 – knowing how to apply it is what will give you the best competitive advantage. Why do you need an industry-specific ERP system? There are many advantages to using an industry-specific ERP system to run your merchant business. UT400 is our latest ERP system for merchants and it’s 100% cloud based, so you can access and control your business from anywhere, at any time, on any smart device. It is designed to help you capture and analyse the most relevant and useful pieces of information within your business to help you grow. Without an industry-specific ERP system you are missing out on the customised experience and data potential that can help your business to perform at its best, and you won’t be using information that’s as relevant as possible to your business, stock, suppliers or customers. UT400 currently has over 110 separate KPIs, giving unbelievable detail about every performance and productivity factor of your business. The potential for making positive changes at every scale from micro to macro is enormous – but only if you know what to do with the information in front of you. We want to deliver unrivalled value for our customers, so as part of that, we are providing a series of KPI Spotlight Feature blogs to get you started. Applied Analytics 101 Yes, is sounds like a really dull college module, but actually it's pretty simple - we're just talking about how you look at the information in your business and apply it to your processes and systems. Here's a simple guide: Introducing the Quote Conversion Rate (QCR) The quote conversion rate, as you might guess from the name, simply tells you how many of the quotes you send out to potential customers turn into actual orders. So, at a glance, it gives you a simple percentage figure. Great. So far, so simple. So what? Well here’s where it gets interesting. Firstly, can you answer a simple question: what is your current QCR? Chances are, if you’re not measuring it, it’s lower than you might think. It’s really important to know what is ACTUALLY happening in your business, because the reality is nearly always different to the perception. Without having the information in the first place, you can’t even start applying the insights that can lead to dramatic improvements in efficiencies, and even guide higher level decision making about stock lines and customer or supplier management. Once you have the information, there is a lot you can do with it. In UT400 , every process has a note-making facility. Therefore, a sales rep or account manager can add a note to every quote to say why it was rejected. Of course, we don’t live in a perfect world and we don’t always get told the real reason, but in the instances where we DO know, this enables you to keep track of those reasons and spot patterns. With UT400 you can drill into the detail really easily to start looking at the reasons for the figures, so you start to build up a really clear picture of what’s happening in your business processes and can then cross-reference with other factors. One small KPI can relate to so many different areas, and once you start thinking it through, you can start seeing how each piece of information has a bearing on so much else, including - Pricing - Availability - Lead-times - Processes - Stockholding - Delivery options - Area of service - Order value and frequency What’s trending? Whether or not you’re actually given a reason, common themes may well start to emerge when you’re monitoring your QCR over time. There are lots of questions you can ask: - Is pricing regularly an issue? - Are you converting loads of quotes at low values, but very few at the higher end? - Are certain products quoted on regularly but rarely ordered? - Is availability given as a reason? - Are lead times losing you business? - Where are the sweet spots across the year where you’re converting loads of quotes, and where are those leaner months where the QCR is dropping off? Every single aspect of the QCR can be used to gauge the effectiveness and efficiency of the processes and habits within your business. There are loads of implications for products, but also for customers and suppliers. Implications for product If you can clearly see that a particular type or range of products is being quoted on regularly but hardly ever ordered, there is clearly a disconnect and it’s costing you time, effort and resource to continue stocking and quoting those lines. Of course, with high value items where a single sale more than justifies a low QCR that’s absolutely fine, but if you start to spot the trends across lots of lower value items or ranges, you can potentially start to be more efficient about what you hold in stock, and in what quantities. You can infer all sorts of meaning and information from the QCR – and not just if it’s low! If you’re regularly getting incredibly high QCRs, it’s possible your pricing is TOO competitive and you could be making more profit on certain product lines. Implications for customer relationship management Are you spotting particular trends with particular customers? Does customer X always need 12 different quotes several times per year but only ever places ad hoc, low value orders? Does customer Y always bite at the first quote? Maybe there’s room for slightly more profit, or slightly longer lead times if fast delivery is costing you a fortune. You can also look at related patterns and use the information to enhance your selling and service processes. For example, if you’re noticing a lot of quotes go out but never get a response, you could add a process to chase up after a set number of days, or test different options within your sales team and selling cycle; if there are consistent quotes but low returns on order with no reasons given, perhaps a customer service call or survey to find out why would be in order. Knowing your QCR means you can work out your cost per order. A fulfilled order doesn’t just cost your business in terms of the materials and delivery; you’re also paying for the admin time of every quote and order fulfilment, so it’s really useful to know how much you’re spending to get a sale. Once you know, you can work on it and create new efficiencies in your processes and systems which will play a big part in overall profitability. How data drives better decision-making None of the information alone will tell you exactly what you should do of course, but once you have the statistics at your fingertips and understand the implications and possibilities of how it relates to your business, stockholding and customers, you can make those judgements for yourself and turn the insights into an action plan. You might choose to incentivise your sales team to convert more quotes, increase order value or frequency, or introduce new automated systems to gather feedback and information - the potential for improvement is vast, and when it's based on real data from your own business, you know it will make a difference. Of course, whether you make changes is always up to you. You might decide it’s worthwhile continuing how are you, because although it’s taking your staff longer to process every order, it’s worth it for your reputation as providing the best service. Or you might stick with that fussy customer because although they only order once for every 12 quotes, those orders are big and they’re a longstanding and influential customer. And that’s absolutely fine - but if you don’t know for sure what you’re dealing with, you can’t make a decision based on your own data, which means you can’t know for certain what the implications of that decision are. Watch this space We will be looking at all the KPIs in the UT400 system in the course of this series. If you have any queries in the meantime or specific KPIs you’d like us to cover, do get in touch by emailing info@ten-25.co.uk

In any industry, businesses must anticipate the needs of their customers to provide the right offering, whether that’s in developing new products or providing a particular service. For merchants, that’s a complex challenge, given all the variables that can affect supply and demand. Having spoken at length with our own customers, including timber merchants, builders merchants, steel stockholders, plumbing merchants and more, as well as research into what both commercial and domestic customers are looking for in the wider market, we have built that feedback into everything our ERP software helps you to do. Here are the top 6 things your customers want from you 1. The right products in stock Availability is of paramount importance. Understanding what stock holding you have across your entire business, and enhanced access to supplier information to help you optimise stock control and understand what’s on order and due where and when, is hugely beneficial for merchants. And if you can use intelligent reporting to better predict demand and negotiate better rates with suppliers, so much the better. 2. The right products supplied at the right time Streamlined operations management and logistics control have a big impact on customer satisfaction. Being able to process orders faster, build orders from stock, milling or directly on site, and optimise delivery efficiency with strong transport planning are all factors in helping provide the supply chain proposition your customers need. 3. The right products at the right price Everyone loves a bargain, right? Well yes, but the “right” price doesn’t have to be the cheapest price. Being able to set pricing automatically by customer and based on other factors like frequency, value or quantity can save a lot of time, and having built-in margin protection and credit control is a great way to empower your sales team to make on-the-spot decisions and deals while de-risking the process for your own business. Prices will always fluctuate based on supply and demand, so make sure you have total transparency and reliable reporting to help guide your pricing decisions, and implement changes efficiently and fast. 4. The right products as easily as possible Customers in all sectors are becoming used to the ease and convenience of online transactions, and potentially less patient with slower, more traditional methods. Importantly though, offering a service that minimises the obstacles to purchase and is done in a way that suits each customer is the key component. Whether that means online selling or click and collect, simplifying repeat orders, speeding up trade counter collections or having faster access to information to instantly resolve phone queries, the principle remains the same: make it as easy as possible for your customers to access the products they want, and they’ll keep coming back to you time and time again. 5. The right products with great communication Everyone gets impatient when they don’t know what’s going on. Even delays in supply or order shortfalls can be forgiven with the right communication. Using automated updates so your customers know exactly what’s happening with their order will help manage expectation and keep things clear; emails and printed documents can be sent instantly online, with order progress alerts, transport delivery alerts and so on to keep everyone up to date. And with a system that is always up to date with everything from credit history to despatch notifications, it means anyone can answer a query instantly rather than needing to wait for the right person to be in the office, or trawling through files of old orders to check the details. 6. The right products – with a little bit of magic This last point is a collation of a lot of feedback suggesting that preferred suppliers do all of the above, and then they go just that bit further to set themselves apart. Really surpassing expectation on customer service is a big part of this, but it can be anything else that shows a customer you’re really looking out for them. A handwritten note from the MD to say thanks, predicting the need for an order before they’ve even had to ask about it, saving them time and hassle every day – it will be different for everyone, but it’s pretty clear that it isn’t just the price, availability and range that will make you a preferred supplier. It’s that little bit extra you add on top, whether that be service, added value or user experience. And maybe, just maybe, the software you use will help you deliver it. Do you have anything you’d like to add to this list? What feedback have you had from YOUR customers about why they come back to you? We’d love to hear from you – just email info@ten-25, or connect with us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.

Make sure nothing slips through the cracks with Part-Paid Cash Sales KPI When we designed our new cloud ERP system for merchants, UT400 , we knew we had to create a system that would work how our customers needed it to work. Real life, day to day, we wanted to create helpful tools to assist our customers in getting their jobs done more easily. The system is therefore full of helpful metrics, alerts and reminders to make sure mistakes are fewer and further between, and that things don’t fall through the cracks. And we know (because our customers have told us) that one of the areas where things can get forgotten easily, is on part or split payment transactions. The Part-Paid Cash Sales (PPCS) KPI tile tells you very simply how many part-payments have been made in the system. Just click on the tile to open the detail, and then you can drill down line by line to access the product and payment details, link to invoices and so on. Simple. Being aware of the part-payments is step one. Once you know which products are involved you can then attribute the correct follow up, whether that’s issuing an invoice for the balance, cash on delivery or selecting multiple tender types. An alert, in the form of an amber coloured despatch button, will remind anyone issuing an order for delivery that it has only been partially paid for, so it never gets forgotten. Once the payment has been received and the delivery made, your accounts are instantly updated and the item is switched to complete. Again, nice and simple, giving you a real time overview of the moving parts of the business - like cash flow. Add to existing orders for enhanced service Imagine a customer has placed a Click & Collect order on Tuesday morning to pick up the next day. The order was worth £220 and has been paid in full. But at 5pm on Tuesday, the customer remembers they need to add more items to their order, taking it up to £500 – it’s late, so they phone up to add the missing items. Whoever takes the call can simply add the new items to the existing order and if it’s not settled at the time, the order will automatically switch from paid in full to Part-Paid, with the remainder due at the time of collection (or on invoice, according to the terms you have in place with that customer.) The point really is that you have total control and flexibility, enabling better customer service, without any risk to your own finances thanks to the automatic alerts and reminders which prevent any partial payments from slipping through the invoicing cracks. Flexible, practical and valuable tools for the real merchant world UT400 has been built based on 40 years' experience working with timber merchants, builders’ merchants and steel stockholders, among others. We listen to what our customers need and we build the solutions they want. UT400 is easy to use and, importantly, it allows you the control and flexibility to use it how YOU want to use it, letting you offer the best level of service combined with the most efficient, sustainable and profitable processes. There are over 110 KPIs built in to every system as standard, giving you unparalleled insight into the day to day operations of your business, letting you make the right decisions faster, reducing waste and boosting productivity.