Wish # 6044 - Multi store Inventory Display Screen

Under INVENTORY - MULTI STORE we have the start of useful tools --but one item that seems to be missing ( if you know - let me know as well ) is the DISPLAY SCREEN --like the 2-2 screen in J-Con. On this screen many of the useful items where shown for ALL STORES for any ONE PART NUMBER ...

for example - you could see how many on hand - how many sold for what period ...and so on. We need a screen like this - so we can look at a single part and see if any store is missing something.

More Multi-store tools -- please ..... in Multi-store youlike to verify you have al the stores similar when & where they need to be -- to get your ducks in a row ...sort of.

Next Gen Cat works in Mode 2

at the recent Exploris training is was mentioned --oh - by the way --did you know that the Next Gen Cat works in MODE2 (no internet connection ) ... and the conversation went one -- but a few of us had op[en mouths ... I looked at Bob and said --did you know that ...

While they struggle to fix the problems with the DIFFERENCES in vehicles that we have in Canada vs the USA ( an example was given for Mercedes E class - where the USA have far more models offered than we do in Canada ) ...the ability to have e-cat lookup in times of NO INTERNET is really handy to have ... and of course that is HINDSIGHT if you didn't set at least ONE TERMINAL to new next gen e-cat ... hint ... hint ...

Of special Interest for Cdn Jobbers

This may ( or may not ) be helpful to USA Jobbers - but most certainly helps the Cdn Jobbers.  At a recent EXPLORIS training meeting it came up that the INTER-BRANCH TRANSPORT between Montreal  and St John to Toronto had special routing numbers ..and that some had seen a memo on this ( which of course yours truly has to claim he didn't ... hmm )

IF the SHIPPER CODE is not set you run a good risk that you will NOT get your parts ... OK - you now have my attention.   Second thing that got my attention was listening to how many jobbers routinely took their back order list and  re-ordered it from one of the other warehouses --and looked at me and said --you don't ....  hmm  ... second time in minutes I am looking not quite as sharp and my ego has be believe I am ( or should be )

The SOURCE SETUP is NOT available for us --you have to call the help desk and their password level makes it show ( see attached image ) ... note I still pushing the idea of numbered menu's ...8-1-7 (but  7 is invisible normally )

If this works for you --- so be it -- it was meant to be of some free help

a Blockbuster idea ??????

Ever hear something and in your heart you knew it was such a TREMENDOUS IDEA ...  and then you ask yourself --would I have ever thought of that ....   well  the fact remains that YOU didn't yet think of it --so it is somewhat suspect to think -=- oh yeh - I was going to have that idea TOMORROW ...  at least for myself I am a realist ... I know my limitations ....  and I have NEVER thought of this --and likely I would never in the future either .... how could I be so DUMB to overlook this idea ....

Heard from Bob Miller ( Walker Rd Auto - Windsor, ON )  who heard it from Tim Peck ( Tilbury, ON ) at a recent EXPLORIS training meeting hosted by Afzal ...

When you come across a part that has disappeared ... just not there ....  and you are ready to do a stock adjustment .... STOP .... set up a store use account and BILL IT to that store use account ...

Now --take 10 seconds for this to sink in .... 10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 -1 .....

Holly Cow --what a TREMENDOUS IDEA .......

Good Points
-you can see how much your adjustments are costing the store - read the statement  monthly - call up that account weekly --whatever
-you can track all the parts and dump into excel to see trends
-helps you at year end for proof on inventory write downs

Possible Bad Points
-can this be provincial taxable  ... moot point for Ontario jobbers as once the summer of 2010 comes --all provincial tax becomes a value added tax ...

Staff Issues - you have to track your PARTS LEDGER and look for staff who need additional reminders for training ... look for the N's in the report on stock qty.

Fine Tuning - set the account to require a PO# -- and have staff write in the summary on why the part is gone.  Also remember if you find something ...do a CREDIT to this store account --you want all in's and outs that are unexplained to be tracked ...

Fine Tuning - set account to receive e-mail copy of all invoices --and send to the store manager or audit person ....

Do you share my enthusiasm for this idea ?

Wish # 6043 - NUMBER the Menu in EXPLORIS

Just call me old fashioned ... there are times that a number is quicker and faster than the LONG NAME of how a staff member gets  to the right page in Exploris.  I dug out my original request for this ( shown at bottom ) from 2005.

So the next time you need to tell a staff member you need to run a >> CUSTOMER >>ACCOUNTS>>ACCounT PRICING >> CUSTOMER PRICING SHEET --- you could shorten that to a 6 1 2 5 ... you will remember the easy & everyday used items first and slowly the rest become committed to memory

So --how about numbering the menu's -- it gives us an extra way to make things easier ....

From: "Rick Young"

Date: March 2, 2005 8:59:44 AM GMT-05:00

To: "Greg HENDERSON" ,

Cc: "Dave Johnson" , "Doug Crowe" , "Emmet McLellen" , "Moe Armstrong" , "Serge Peladeau" , "Roy Hedges" , "John Chachere"

Subject: RE: Exploris questions - Alternates -- Numbering Menu's - using866Xploris

Reply-To: 

Greg,
Regarding question(s) ..........(snip) ......

Number 4, I like the idea of numbers but I believe your suggestion may

require a good deal more work than just adding the number.  We would also
have to design a way for Exploris to "read" your number inputs so that it
would then know which main category and sub-categories to go to.  I will
bring this up in our next meeting with the developers.

Rick

-----Original Message-----
From: Greg HENDERSON [mailto:Greg.Henderson@wrenchead.ca]
Sent: Monday, February 28, 2005 3:51 PM
To: david.credle@gpi.com; Rick Young
Subject: Exploris questions - Alternates -- Numbering Menu's -
using866Xploris


Hello David or Rick
 

                      ( snipped out #1 thru #3 for clarity )

4) can anyone vote on if we should number the menus ...for example if you
numbered the menus -- adding a  alternate would be a 3-1-6
       Inventory is 3rd main group
           Part Entry is the 1st under Inventory
               Part Association is the 6th under Part Entry ..hence 3-1-6.
I like the numbered menus -- I have been used to them all my jobber life
-they  serve a purpose especially once someone is good with the system
...like J-Con 2-13 --who knows what that is ...see my point .... People who
know the system can save time by the 'numbers'

Regards


Greg Henderson

Wish #6042 -OVER STRIKES - show the difference

EXPLORIS Wish #6042 - would be NICE to see the ORIGINAL price as well as the new OVER STRUCK price ( changed price ).   Then you can export and pl;ay in Excel to see impact & trends


And if we can push it -- would be nice at the time of over  strike the clerk answered a box of REASONS WHY he/she did what they did :
    EG) - competition price match ( then - add details )
            - shop worn part
            - special ( and fill in reason )

Wish #6041 - script to delete B/O's over 60 days old

We have a problem = the older ADIS computers the warehouse uses ( for now ) deletes all orders over 60 days old -- but as jobbers we have to remember to do that -- and guess what -- we forget --

The problem is BIG --as we think the part is still on order - but it is NOT.

We need an automatic script to go into our system and delete at 61 days .... to save us time &  effort to do this manually.  This is just ONE point --how can we make the relationship between Exploris and the CARQUEST warehouse computer actually work .... so they know what one another is doing in real time.

Wish # 6040 - small points on Move ups

Exploris Wish # 6040  - some small points on Move Ups

-ability to see description #2 - so you know f that part has been superseded
-ability to better LIMIT parts outside of stocking depth effected by sales - so that  you can filter out parts in Mvt Code 8 with sales from suggested to be added to your store
-ability to customize your screen ( so like ALL CARQUEST stores - we can DROP the columns for Min and Max  and free up that space for things we actually use
-in multi-store operations - the ability to OPEN ALL parts to see the  per store data -at present you must click the PLUS sign on each part

Note -- click here for an additional point added to #6040

Exploris Wish # 6039 - systems approach to CASH SALES customer status

Can we have review on cash sales and see if we can add more of a 'systems' approach.

Issue -- default cash customer ( typically customer #1 but can be set to anything ) lacks some features.  The missing features need to be applied to all account numbers set as CASH

- ability to get reports on HOW MANY cash customers are 'tagged' to this account ( pretty basic )

- ability to get sales stats on above customers within each account

- these would be nice to have

-ability to flag notes for any customer for set criteria within the cash customer number - for example = pop a note on any customer with more than $1000 in sales YTD ( the exact $$ set by store ) and then we can explain how we will MOVE the customer to the NEXT status level

-ability to confirm that customer allows e-mail - and offer e-mail specials for those who opt in ( require Marketing Dept help & co-operation)

- ability to set sales criteria and MOVE any customers to another base level cash account --say --from one tagged with billing schedule #1 to a billing schedule #2

- this one involved co-operation with Marketing  -- but have a coffee with the marketing dept - find out who killed the cash customer PERFERRED CARD we briefly saw a few years ago - and see if-when we can have it back - what a WONDERFUL marketing tool to be used to motivate our better customers to buy more from CARQUEST in return for customer  perks and specials.

A combination of minds - Jobbers - Marketing - IT -- we can make the cash customer 'system' really work for us.  At present it is only piece meal and fragmented.  So much more can be gained.

Wish #6038 - Consolidate attachments if sending e-mail copies

This is in addition to Wish # 6027 ( http://carquest-exploris.blogspot.com/2010/01/wish-6027-e-mail-invocie-re-prints-from.html )

When we sent two e-mail copies of invoices - the customer gets TWO e-mails 

---so if we send 50 copies - well - he gets MAD ... and wonders how stupid can we be ....

How can this most valuable option be made better

- multiple copies are consolidated to a minimum of e-mails

-ability to flag all copies for a current month (handy but not as critical as the above )

Exploris Wish #6036 - Salesmen Commissions with option for MARGIN

Looking at a screen and it mentioned Salesmen Commissions --so we asked. The helpful person had never been asked that and did some testing and checking --OK -- here is what we know.

You can set up salesmen commissions - but it is very basic and very much in some additional options. You can set a commission % under staff setting and you can have different percentages for various lines ( any idea if we have a report for this ...smile ... where is our universal report writer we really need )

BUT --and there is always a BUT ...paying commissions on SALES is only one option --- we have been a believer in paying on GROSS MARGIN. That way you don't have to endure any GAMES that some salesmen might play.

If you have full time staff and pay 10% of sales ( and you have a 33% GM ) then you can pay 30% of GM and you are at the same level.  Try it --get a calculator.

For us - we have part time salesmen - and they get an additional bonus to wages -- so the bonus on sales can be re-calculated to the same % on gross margin --and if any salesmen want to do nothing but sell low margin oil filters - go ahead -- it becomes a WIN-WIN ( or a lose-lose ) situation ... the more margin they get - the more bonus they get.

So - in addition to the option for commission by sales -- PLEASE add an OPTION for Commission by Gross Margin.

Chicken or the Egg ??

Ever wonder why CARQUEST has so FEW Multi-store jobbers ( when compared to NAPA ).  Is it their resistance to have drop-ships ( in Canada we have almost zero ).  Or other factors that LIMIT economies of scale??

The multi-store jobbers that are here - have an issue -- how do we get our voice heard for things like ... well ... this is an EXPLORIS blog after all ....   like Multi-store functions for Exploris.

Like so many other things in corporate America --the problems come down to the dollars and who gets them ... and we don't have a very storing voice.

If you are Multi-store  - make your voice heard -- or we will never get the computer system we where promised.

The ask yourself -- could CARQUEST become a better group if they had MORE MULTI-STORE groups?   What do multi-store owners bring to the table that helps all?   And we get a Chicken or the Egg issue - any thoughts....