Conveyer & Caster Improves Communication With Tour de Force

Conveyer & Caster, is a distributor of material handling solutions with locations in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. The company is known for its expertise in providing casters, wheels and conveyer systems solutions, as well as a full-line of general material handling products, to a full range of manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution companies.

Conveyer & Caster realized they were outgrowing their current CRM system, which they had been using since the early 1990s. The system was limited in its ability to set permissions and user based rules and didn’t offer any integration with the Infor TakeStock ERP system. These limitations meant that customer information was being duplicated between the two systems.

Conveyer & Caster main criteria for a new CRM solution was that it offered integration to their Infor TakeStock ERP system, integration to Active Directory, and mobile and desktop functionality that would be easy and convenient for their sales team to use.  After researching multiple CRM solutions, Tour de Force was the only solution that was able to meet all of their requirements.

Tour de Force integrates with Infor TakeStock ERP system through the use of the Business System Integration (BSI) Connector, which allowed them to eliminate the disconnect between the CRM and ERP systems. This integration provides quick and easy access to a wide range of business intelligence, reporting, and analysis, allowing an organization to analyze sales performance and trends that occur at multiple levels across the organization. A salesperson can easily view their customer’s sales history and open and closed orders, giving them the key information they need to approach every customer interaction.

Brian Harrington, IT Manager at Conveyer & Caster, recalled that “The implementation process was solid and we had a great team. They were on the ball and kept us in the loop at all times. The great thing about Tour de Force was that they understood our business model as a distributor, which really contributed to a smooth implementation.”


To learn more about the Conveyer & Caster implementation, visit the Tour de Force Newsroom.


For the 2019 Distribution and Manufacturing Software Guide:

http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2019_Distribution_Manufacturing_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadElectronic&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2019Guide

Visit our website to learn more about the Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services at http://www.software4distributors.com and to use our Software Features Comparison Wizard, visit http://www.software4distributors.com/compare/default.aspx.

Also, read our 2019 Mid-Year Supplements at http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2019_Mid_Year_Supplement_Blog.pdf?utm_source=DownloadPDF&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2019Supp.

Developed through a partnership with Industrial Supply, Contractor Supply Magazine and Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services, these 12 page Supplement Guides provide valuable, independently researched information. Each Guide details software company information, identifies vertical markets, highlights functions and technology features, new developments to the software package, shows graphs of the user range, basic entry price point, sales channel (how and where the software is sold), along with company contact information. The Supplement Guides provide everything you need to know when beginning your software selection and evaluation process.

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Kelsan Identifies Business Opportunities With Tour de Force

Kelsan, Inc. is a Janitorial and Sanitation Products Distributor who uses Infor SX.enterprise as their ERP system. They have been a customer since 2012 and have 75 users. Kelsan had made great use of the Build Your Own Reports (BYOR) Module to create a CRM Engagement Report to encourage user adoption and hold sales representatives accountable to using the CRM system.

Sales representatives use the Tour de Force platform to:
1) Create Activities with high-value targets and buying accounts
2) Add business contacts wide and deep: from Receptionist to CEO
3) Keep an up-to-date Opportunity pipeline with the customers and targets from point #1

Says Blaine Keller, Kelsan's CRM Manager: “The CRM Engagement Report is a rolling 7 day count of not only sales based activities, but also every time a rep modifies an Opportunity, creates an Appointment, or has a Task scheduled due."

Learn more at the Tour de Force Newsroom.


New Software Research Guides Available
Finding that you cannot keep up with all the changes in the latest software? Want to know how the software's features and functions can assist you? Please contact sjay@bswllc.com for more information about these latest editions.

For 2019 Distribution and Manufacturing Software Guide:

http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2019_Distribution_Manufacturing_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadElectronic&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2019Guide

Visit our website to learn more about the Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services at http://www.software4distributors.com and to use our Software Features Comparison Wizard, visit http://www.software4distributors.com/compare/default.aspx.

Also, read our 2019 Mid-Year Supplements at http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2019_Mid_Year_Supplement_Blog.pdf?utm_source=DownloadPDF&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2019Supp.

Developed through a partnership with Industrial Supply, Contractor Supply Magazine and Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services, these 12 page Supplement Guides provide valuable, independently researched information. Each Guide details software company information, identifies vertical markets, highlights functions and technology features, new developments to the software package, shows graphs of the user range, basic entry price point, sales channel (how and where the software is sold), along with company contact information. The Supplement Guides provide everything you need to know when beginning your software selection and evaluation process.

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Three Ways Tour de Force Uses Tour de Force

Tour de Force provides B2B solutions and tools for sales organizations. Their software solutions were created with sales teams in mind, keeping a heavy focus on SFA (sales force automation). Tour de Force not only helps salespeople at other businesses do their job more efficiently and more effectively, but it's also used within Tour de Force! Everyone in the company, from Accounting to Support, utilizes Tour de Force on a daily basis.

Here are just 3 ways Tour de Force uses Tour de Force:

1. The Front Lines: Sales
We often find ourselves in the same boat with sales staff from our clients – which is why we built the fully mobile Tour de Force Web interface for actionable data that goes where you go. Our sales team can access Leads, Opportunities, and Reports no matter where they are. If you’ve ever seen us at a tradeshow, you’ve probably seen us whip out a tablet to quickly add contact information into our system. Having that option makes it easier for us to follow up on that conversation.

2. The Anchors: Customer Support
With Tour de Force, our customer support team is easily able to pull up customer information while on the phone or onsite and can track down any open support tickets. Our system provides visibility into important information such as upsell opportunities or at-risk customers. Whether it’s increasing your sales or satisfying customers, you're covered.

3. The Nurturers: Marketing
Because Tour de Force was built with detail-oriented people in mind, we’re able to apply endless filters in order to narrow down the perfect email list to use. Any action those contacts take is reflected on their record in Tour de Force, simplifying the follow up process. We also enjoy managing our events and tradeshows in the system and can easily track all items associated with that event such as appointments, registration lists, and expenses.

Visit the Tour de Force Newsroom to learn more about they can do for your business.

New Software Research Guides Available
Finding that you cannot keep up with all the changes in the latest software? Want to know how the software's features and functions can assist you? Please contact sjay@bswllc.com for more information about these latest editions.

For 2019 Distribution and Manufacturing Software Guide:

http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2019_Distribution_Manufacturing_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadElectronic&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2019Guide

Visit our website to learn more about the Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services at http://www.software4distributors.com and to use our Software Features Comparison Wizard, visit http://www.software4distributors.com/compare/default.aspx.

Also, read our 2018 Mid-Year Supplements at http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2018_Mid_Year_Supplement_Blog.pdf?utm_source=DownloadPDF&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2018Supp.

Developed through a partnership with Industrial Distribution, Industrial Supply, Contractor Supply Magazine and Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services, these 12 page Supplement Guides provide valuable, independently researched information. Each Guide details software company information, identifies vertical markets, highlights functions and technology features, new developments to the software package, shows graphs of the user range, basic entry price point, sales channel (how and where the software is sold), along with company contact information. The Supplement Guides provide everything you need to know when beginning your software selection and evaluation process.

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Salem Distributing Company Improves Pipeline With Tour de Force

Salem Distributing Company is based in Winston-Salem, NC. It is an employee-owned company with sales in 39 countries, providing services, equipment, supplies, technical expertise and support for four distinct industries: Flat Glass and Mirror, Stone, Advanced Surfacing Materials and Vision.


Says Diane Luter, IT Director at Salem: “In Tour de Force CRM our company is divided into two major parts – Supply Sales and Machine Sales. Tour de Force CRM (TDF) has really helped us to document our machine pipeline. Prior to TDF, quotes were entered for a machine in our ERP system with no system in place for tracking that opportunity. Management’s only recourse was simply to call the sales rep and ask “Where are we with this quote?” Consequently at any point in time we did not have a firm grip on what was happening in our machine pipeline. Tour de Force CRM has changed all that. Our salesreps are now logging all aspects of a machine quote in an opportunity record."


Learn more on the Tour de Force news page.


New Software Research Guides Available
Finding that you cannot keep up with all the changes in the latest software? Want to know how the software's features and functions can assist you? Please contact sjay@bswllc.com for more information about these latest editions.


For 2018 Distribution Software Guide: http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2018_Distribution_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadElectronic&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2018DSG


For 2018 Manufacturing Software Guide:
http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2018_Manufacturing_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadElectronic&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2018MFG


Visit our website to learn more about the Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services and to use our Software Features Comparison Wizard.

Also, read our 2018 Mid-Year Supplements http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2018_Mid_Year_Supplement_Blog.pdf?utm_source=DownloadPDF&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2018Supp
Developed through a partnership with Industrial Distribution, Industrial Supply, Contractor Supply Magazine and Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services, these 12 page Supplement Guides provide valuable, independently researched information. Each Guide details software company information, identifies vertical markets, highlights functions and technology features, new developments to the software package, shows graphs of the user range, basic entry price point, sales channel (how and where the software is sold), along with company contact information. The Supplement Guides provide everything you need to know when beginning your software selection and evaluation process.



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Shippers Supply Enhances Business Intelligence With Tour De Force

Shippers Supply, Inc. is an independently owned and operated wholesale distributor of shipping, packaging, industrial and productivity/equipment solutions. Founded in 1928 in Hopkins, Minnesota, the company has 32 employees and serves the upper Midwest.


Shippers Supply had outgrown their current systems and needed a more complete solution that would provide CRM, SFA (sales force automation), BI (business intelligence), and would sync data from their Infor10 Distribution Express (FACTS) ERP system. They also wanted a system that would allow them to access information from mobile devices and would give them the ability to analyze and manage their sales pipeline.


The team at Shippers Supply chose Tour de Force CRM because of its integration with Microsoft Outlook and the Infor FACTS ERP system, and its overall configurability. Tour de Force CRM was also able to provide the full range of functionality that Shippers Supply was looking for: a complete CRM and SFA solution that would allow them to their sales pipeline and would provide their sales team with mobile access.


Shippers Supply went live with most departments in the company using the system, including Customer Service, Purchasing, Sales, Management, Accounting, and the Service Department. Sarah Zaporski, Database Administrator, recalls that her fellow employees “were really excited when we brought Tour de Force CRM on. We’ve had some additional training since the implementation, and some of our sales reps that may have been behind the curve as far as technology goes have really started getting into it. They’ve all found it to be very user friendly.”


According to Jeff Schuppe, Director of Sales and Marketing at Shippers Supply, “The Tour de Force CRM system gives us the ability to link the past with the future. We are very excited to tie our sales pipeline into our strategic business planning process. It will help us to make more calculated business decisions as we continue with our aggressive growth initiatives.” In addition to the business planning features in Tour de Force CRM, Shippers Supply also plans to start using the advanced reporting functions, the Alerts and Notifications module, and plans to implement tablets for their outside sales team.


To learn more, visit the Tour de Force Newsroom.


New Software Research Guides Available
Finding that you cannot keep up with all the changes in the latest software? Want to know how the software's features and functions can assist you? Please contact sjay@bswllc.com for more information about these latest editions.


For 2018 Distribution Software Guide: http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2018_Distribution_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadElectronic&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2018DSG


For 2018 Manufacturing Software Guide:
http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2018_Manufacturing_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadElectronic&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2018MFG


Visit our website to learn more about the Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services and to use our Software Features Comparison Wizard.

Also, read our 2018 Mid-Year Supplements http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2018_Mid_Year_Supplement_Blog.pdf?utm_source=DownloadPDF&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2018Supp
Developed through a partnership with Industrial Distribution, Industrial Supply, Contractor Supply Magazine and Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services, these 12 page Supplement Guides provide valuable, independently researched information. Each Guide details software company information, identifies vertical markets, highlights functions and technology features, new developments to the software package, shows graphs of the user range, basic entry price point, sales channel (how and where the software is sold), along with company contact information. The Supplement Guides provide everything you need to know when beginning your software selection and evaluation process.







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Heitek Automation Improves Metrics With Tour de Force

Based in Phoenix, AZ, Heitek Automation is an industrial automation distributor. A business decision was made to implement Tour de Force's BYOR Reports. Says Cory Comer, Heitek's Marketing Manager, had the following to say, “Prior to BYOR, our sales metrics came from multiple different locations, making it difficult to see exactly what was going on not only from a corporate level, but from a territory level as well. With the addition of BYOR, not only were we able to create a “dashboard” with all of our relevant metrics, we created the same report for our sales guys so they can track their goals. At a glance, we now are able to view our corporate metrics across three sales categories: bookings, sales, and profits, quickly extract our run-rates and % of our sales goals, our growth rates, and most importantly our gross-margin as a % of our sales (our goal is 30%). In addition, we can quickly see how each territory is performing against its goals, who is leading the pack, compare it to last year and the overall impact on our company’s bottom line. It’s fantastic!”


He also had this to say about Tour de Force's BYOR Industry Sales Report: “This report is especially dear to my heart as the Marketing executive for Heitek. Before BYOR, we were not able to determine our sales as they were distributed amongst industry segments. Early on, I implemented NAICS codes into our TDF Account data, but still couldn’t readily sum the totals in different segments. Now with BYOR, we are able to see our segments, broken out into 2, 3, 4, or 6 digit NAICS codes, compare growth rates in different sectors and validate our target industries against government industry data. This will make target marketing activities much easier, including prospecting, mailing and other activities. I love it!”




To read more, visit the Tour de Force Newsroom.


New Software Research Guides Available
Finding that you cannot keep up with all the changes in the latest software? Want to know how the software's features and functions can assist you? Please contact sjay@bswllc.com for more information about these latest editions.


For 2018 Distribution Software Guide: http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2018_Distribution_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadElectronic&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2018DSG


For 2018 Manufacturing Software Guide:
http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2018_Manufacturing_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadElectronic&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2018MFG


Visit our website to learn more about the Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services and to use our Software Features Comparison Wizard.


Also, read our 2017 Mid-Year Supplements
http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2017_Mid_Year_Supplement.pdf?utm_source=DownloadPDF&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2017Supp&gt


Developed through a partnership with Industrial Distribution, Industrial Supply, Contractor Supply Magazine and Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services, these 12 page Supplement Guides provide valuable, independently researched information. Each Guide details software company information, identifies vertical markets, highlights functions and technology features, new developments to the software package, shows graphs of the user range, basic entry price point, sales channel (how and where the software is sold), along with company contact information. The Supplement Guides provide everything you need to know when beginning your software selection and evaluation process.



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Neff Power Uses Tour de Force To Track And Analyze Sales Opportunities

Founded in 1965, Neff Power, Inc. is an Industrial Automation Distributor located in St. Louis, Missouri. Their primary focus is Electrical Control, Motion Control, and Fluid Power. Neff Power currently has 24 employees using the Tour de Force solution.


ERP INTEGRATION – BIGGEST BENEFIT
In addition to the CRM and Sales Force Automation features in Tour de Force, Neff Power has found that they get the biggest benefit from the integration to their TrulinX ERP system. Kevin Hogarth, Operations Manager for Neff Power, explains that “I can go into Tour de Force, and I can see all bookings yesterday for a specific number of territories, then I can drill down into other information that I need, look at open orders, open items, sales history, inquiries, etc. We also look at who are our biggest losers, biggest winners, our accounts that are up, and our accounts that are down."


BENEFITS FOR THE SALES TEAM
In the last several years, Neff Power has been able to move from strictly MRO type sales to more specialized larger projects. The addition of new product lines has given them an ideal mix of vendors that allows them to offer total system solutions to their customers. Tour de Force has contributed to this shift by giving Neff Power the ability to track and analyze their opportunities. They use the advanced profiling and filtering capabilities of Tour de Force to identify buying trends within their existing customer base, and then use that information to market their products and services to similar businesses.


With the addition of Tour de Force and TrulinX to their arsenal, and the increasing ability to provide total system solutions to their customers, Neff Power has been able to avoid feeling the repercussions of the recent economic turmoil. Hogarth states, “Tour de Force gives you a benchmark and shows you your goals, rather than just flying blind. We look at it and see which areas we need to improve in, so it’s a really good feedback device.”


To learn more, visit the Tour de Force Newsroom.





New Software Research Guides Available

Finding that you cannot keep up with all the changes in the latest software?
Want to know how the software's features and functions can assist you?
Please contact snelson@bswllc.com for more information about these latest editions.

For 2017 Distribution Software Guide: http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2017_Distribution_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadInteractive&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2017DSG 

For 2017 Manufacturing Software Guide: http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2017_Manufacturing_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadInteractive&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2017MFG 

Visit our website to learn more about the Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services<http://www.software4distributors.com/> and to use our Software Features Comparison Wizard<http://www.software4distributors.com/compare/default.aspx>.

 

Also, read our 2017 Mid-Year Supplements. http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2017_Mid_Year_Supplement.pdf. 

Developed through a partnership with Industrial Distribution, Industrial Supply, Contractor Supply Magazine and Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services, these 12 page Supplement Guides provide valuable, independently researched information. Each Guide details software company information, identifies vertical markets, highlights functions and technology features, new developments to the software package, shows graphs of the user range, basic entry price point, sales channel (how and where the software is sold), along with company contact information. The Supplement Guides provide everything you need to know when beginning your software selection and evaluation process.

Visit our website to learn more about the Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services and to use our Software Features Comparison Wizard.

Rowleys Wholesale Gains Efficiencies With Tour de Force

Rowleys Wholesale is a distributor of automotive and industrial lubricants, tires, equipment, and a variety of other products related to the automotive industry. Rowleys selected Tour de Force to provide customer relationship management (CRM), sales force automation (SFA), and business intelligence (BI).


The Rowleys Wholesale team responsible for selecting a CRM system unanimously agreed that Tour de Force was the best solution for them. The primary reasons that Rowleys Wholesale selected Tour de Force were the extensive integration to their Infor SX.enterprise ERP system, extensive integration with Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Exchange Server, the full range of features offered through the mobile solution, and Tour de Force’s extensive background and experience in the distribution industry.


“After reviewing a wide range of CRM solutions, it was clear to everyone involved that Tour de Force was the best fit for Rowleys Wholesale,” remarked Mike Rowley, co-owner and CIO. “Once we saw a demo, we were amazed at the extensive out of the box integration they provided to Infor SX.enterprise, without the need for expensive customizations or add-on middleware."


Other features of the system, such as the flexible permission structure, easy to navigate Manager’s Console, powerful Gap Analysis, and use of user defined fields contributed to Rowleys decision.


To read more about the Rowleys integration and learn about the features provided by Tour de Force, visit their online Case Studies.


To read more, and access additional case studies, visit the Infor Newsroom.

New Software Research Guides Available
Finding that you cannot keep up with all the changes in the latest software?
Want to know how the software's features and functions can assist you?
Please contact snelson@bswllc.com for more information about these latest editions.

For 2017 Distribution Software Guide: http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2017_Distribution_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadInteractive&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2017DSG 

For 2017 Manufacturing Software Guide: http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2017_Manufacturing_Software_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadInteractive&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2017MFG 

Visit our website to learn more about the Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services<http://www.software4distributors.com/> and to use our Software Features Comparison Wizard<http://www.software4distributors.com/compare/default.aspx>.

 

Also, read our 2016 Mid-Year Supplements.<http://www.software4distributors.com/downloads/2016_Mid_Year_Supplement.pdf>

Developed through a partnership with Industrial Distribution, Industrial Supply, Contractor Supply Magazine and Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services, these 12 page Supplement Guides provide valuable, independently researched information. Each Guide details software company information, identifies vertical markets, highlights functions and technology features, new developments to the software package, shows graphs of the user range, basic entry price point, sales channel (how and where the software is sold), along with company contact information. The Supplement Guides provide everything you need to know when beginning your software selection and evaluation process.

Visit our website to learn more about the Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services and to use our Software Features Comparison Wizard.