WSEasy™ FAQ

Q: What is Route Accounting anyway?

A: Whenever you have a company that distributes a product to customers, and you employ an outside sales force that actually visits the customer locations, you are performing Route Accounting. Specifically, you must account for the orders which are placed for those customers, the items which are delivered, and any returned goods. Typically, an outside salesman or "Route Accountant" goes to the customer, checks the inventory levels of the products he supplies to that customer, and determines which items and how many of each need to be ordered. Many times, this is done using a pen and order book along with a product master book. The route accountant (RA) looks on the shelf and sees 5 widgets. He then looks in the master book and finds that there should be 15 widgets on this customer's shelf. The number 15 is the "par value" for that customer. He then writes in that 10 widgets need to be ordered, and he notes the price which he gets from the book. This process is continued until the order is complete. Sometimes, the RA has goods with him on a truck and he can deliver these goods immediately. In other cases, the RA is simply creating an order which he will mail or fax back to the distribution facility where it will be filled and shipped to the customer.

Q: OK, my company does something similar to that. How can WSEasy™ help my operation?

A: WSEasy™ automates the above process. Instead of a paper based system, each RA carries a laptop, palmtop or hand held computer containing all of the information in the paper based system and more.

Q: We distribute over 6000 items. WSEasy™ can't handle that many on a hand held computer, can it?

A: Yes it can. WSEasy™ employs the proprietary DeciMax™ database technology developed by Wengert Software Engineering, Inc. This allows us to get up to 40 MegaBytes of information on a single type II PCMCIA SRAM card. For example, WSEasy™ can have a master file of 10,000 items, with item number, category, vendor code, description, list price, quantity on truck and quantity normally stocked for each of the 10,000 items. In addition, mix files for each customer are also maintained. This allows specific pricing and stocking information for each item on a customer by customer basis.

Q: All that data on a hand held is great, but how do I access it?

A: WSEasy™ allows your RA to build an order for a customer. He selects the route he will be processing on the current day. This will be all the customers he should visit and the order in which he should do so. When he arrives at the customer, he starts the order by selecting the customer from the pick list, entering a PO number, order type, payment method and any additional information. He then begins to build the order. If barcodes are available, he simply scans the item number on a back-tag or on an item currently on the shelf. If no barcode is available, he can select the item from a pick list. Using the pick list, he can search by vendor or item description within a given category. Therefore, even with 10,000 items, he can locate the item he wants in a few seconds!

Having selected the item, he now sees that for this customer, 20 should be on the shelf. He counts only 15, so he types in "5" in the quantity field. WSEasy™ then tells him that he only has 3 on the truck. He can adjust the quantity to 3 and also place a separate order for 2 more (or he can simply order more on the next visit). This process is continued until all items in the store have been checked and/or ordered. He can print out an invoice for the customer and deliver the product. The order is also sent via MODEM back to the distribution point. This way, the accounts receivable is adjusted and the quantity of items needed to restock the delivery vehicle is reported. In a situation where the RA carries no goods, the order is simply sent back to the warehouse via MODEM where it can be packed and shipped the same day!

Q: OK, so entering an order sounds faster. What else does it get me?

A: Accuracy. Because there is no paper work and there are no data entry clerks, your accuracy goes way up. Customers receive fewer wrong shipments which improves there satisfaction. You spend less time and money processing returned goods. In addition, everytime an order is sent via MODEM, the hand held receives the latest product information including pricing and promotions. Your RAs are equipped with the latest information and they can use this information to push sales. Moreover, because your RAs can process orders faster, they can visit more customers or they can visit the same customers more frequently. This allows you to reduce your route accounting sales force or allows the customer to keep lower stock levels. Either way, it is a win for you as the distributor.

Q: What about electronic messaging ? It sure would be nice if I could alert my route sales force of promotions or important company meetings on the fly.

A: You're right. That is why WSEasy™ contains a full electronic messaging feature. You can broadcast messages to one or all route accountants, they can send messages to you, and they can even send email to each other via the host system. Your salesmen stay in touch and you maintain control.

Q: I have a coffee service company. We deliver coffee and tea to offices all over the country. In addition to delivering consumables, such as coffee grinds and tea bags, I want to track equipment that we lease like coffee machines and water coolers. Can WSEasy™ do that?

A: Yes it can. WSEasy™ allows you to track assets like you described. In addition, WSEasy™ can be used to instruct your RA to perform a maintenance check of an asset. In your case, WSEasy™ tells you when an asset is placed. Your RA collects the deposit along with the payment for supplies he delivers. Then, each week when he visits that customer, you instruct him, via WSEasy™, to perform a cleaning of the coffee maker and to collect any lease fee associated with the equipment. He does this as part of the normal order building process, so it is easy for him and therefore it gets done correctly. You can even instruct him that the machine should be swapped out and returned for an overhaul.

Q: Where does all the data go? Can WSEasy™ be interfaced to our existing accounting software?

A: WSEasy™ runs on a Microsoft Windows 9X/2000/NT/XP machine. All data is stored in a relational database management system. Wengert Software Engineering, Inc. can supply interface software to virtually any system you might have. Data can be exchanged via ftp, telnet, or simple ASCII file transfers. WSEasy™ can export data in whatever format is necessary to co-exist with your current information management system. WSEasy™ has been interfaced to Great Plains Dynamics, QuickBooks Pro, Macola, Peachtree, and other accounting packages.

Q: I have some good sales people and some bad ones. I want to make some personnel moves, but it is difficult to nail down how good the good ones are and more importantly who are the real bad ones. How can WSEasy™ help?

A: WSEasy™ provides full labor tracking. You know who is building the big orders, how long it takes them, how many customers they see, the average time of each visit, and WSEasy™ can even rank your RAs by volume, total sales or efficiency. You can see who creates the most incorrect orders resulting in returns. With the WSEasy™ labor tracking functions, you can be sure that the personnel moves you make are the right ones and you can back up your moves with supporting data.

Q: This must cost a bundle. How can I afford such a system to get all of these benefits?

A: Actually WSEasy™ will pay for itself in no time. Maybe you can eliminate personnel, such as data entry clerks who are currently keying faxed or mailed orders into your data processing system. Or perhaps you can reduce your sales force. Better yet, you can use your excess capacity (due to efficiencies from WSEasy™) to expand your product line or to visit your customers more frequently, thus providing a higher level of service. This puts you ahead of other suppliers competing for your accounts. Moreover, imagine the savings associated with the tremendous level of accuracy you will achieve using a WSEasy™ system.

Q: Well it all sounds great. I can see the benefits and the cost savings. But you don't know my salesmen. Your computers will never last in their hands, will they?

A: We can configure WSEasy™ on a wide variety of computers. If durability is a concern, the Intermec-Norand 602 can be dropped repeatedly from 4 feet to a concrete floor! On the other hand, if your people are accustomed to handling delicate equipment like a cell phone, you can use a Palm Pilot system which costs much less. Whatever your need, we can meet it.

Q: I am interested. What should I do next?

A: Contact a sales representative for a free evaluation and quotation at 1-800-485-7810 or click contact to email your inquiry. We are ready to discuss your needs and configure a system to fit your operation. Wengert Software Engineering, Inc. specializes in engineering software solutions, like our name states. We will make WSEasy™ fit your operation rather than shoe-horning you into a less than optimal "standard" package.