For the most part, DS90 is used by wholesalers, distributors, and manufacturers and has been deployed since 1991. Currently, the majority of Software Concepts' DS90 clients are in the northeast United States, but the company just started establishing distributors across the country.
DS90, which runs on iSeries and i5, consists of 10 modules: Application Control, Order Management, Inventory Control, Purchasing, Sales Analysis, Light Manufacturing, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, General Ledger, and Commission Management.
When talking to customers and prospects, Software Concepts has found that functions like accounts receivable, accounts payable, and general ledger are taken as a given--they are in every package, from low-end accounting software to high-end ERPs. What's more, these functions are so straightforward as to offer little room for innovation. Instead, customers typically rank DS90's flexible order management functions as its prime advantage over its competitors.
Order Management and Customer Service
Software Concepts has striven to make the order management process as easy as possible for users. Comprehensive search facilities allow users to find customers based on a number of criteria, including, among others, ship-to city or state, bill-to city or state, company name, or even just a few characters anywhere within the company name.
To simplify the ordering process, when an existing customer calls up to place a new order, DS90 shows order-takers the items that appeared on that customer's previous orders. If the customer wants to order any of the same items, the order-taker can select them from that list rather than finding and rekeying the item numbers. To further enhance productivity, an order can be created directly from a quote provided to the customer.
Automated Drop Ship Orders
DS90 has built-in capabilities to handle drop shipments. For example, if an item is not stocked at the DS90 user's warehouse when an end-customer orders that item, DS90 can automatically produce an order to the supplier that will then drop ship the item to the end-customer.
The treatment of freight charges can be a source of frustration in other software packages. Many jurisdictions charge sales tax only on the cost of the items ordered, but some tax freight charges as well. Some accounting and ERP applications force users to "fake out the system" by creating a line item called "freight" before sales tax can be charged on it, but DS90 provides the option of charging tax on freight even when it's entered normally.
DS90 facilitates the enforcement of rules concerning the ordering process, such as forcing the entry of a purchase order number before completing orders from customers that require purchase orders. Or it can place on hold orders from customers who are over their credit limit. In addition, notes that will pop up under certain conditions, such as when taking an order from a particular customer, can be placed into the system to provide relevant information to order-takers.
The order management module also allows users to view real-time inventory status, allowing them to answer customers' stock availability questions without leaving the order entry screen.
Sales Analysis
The DS90 Sales Analysis module displays sales and profit information in numeric and bar chart formats. This facility can be used to answer critical questions, such as who are the most profitable customers, what are the fastest moving items, who are the highest-performing sales representatives, and are there any sales trends of note? Data produced by the Sales Analysis module can also be integrated into spreadsheet applications and third-party query tools for further analysis.
In addition to the 10 standard modules that ship with DS90, Software Concepts has developed modules that perform specialized functions or serve narrow market niches, such as flower distributors, paper converters, and advertising specialty suppliers.
Multi-Company Capabilities
Holding companies or companies with subsidiaries can set up separate environments for each company, or they can choose to manage multiple companies within a single environment. However, it isn't possible to roll up separate companies' general ledgers (GLs) into a consolidated GL if the companies are managed in different environments. That can be done only when companies are managed within a single environment.
Multiple environments and multiple companies within one or more of those environments can exist simultaneously. For example, if Company A is an entirely independent entity, it can be managed in its own environment, while Companies B and C are managed in a second environment so that their GLs can be consolidated.
Graphical and Textual Interfaces
DS90 comes with text-based and graphical user interfaces. Both can run simultaneously in a single environment, allowing users to choose the one that is most productive and comfortable for them.
The user interface employs a familiar treed menu structure that can be expanded to incorporate other software into DS90's menus, making it easy to integrate in-house and third-party developed applications. Taking advantage of this facility, Software Concepts has formed alliances with other vendors in order to provide some of the more commonly required functions, such as EDI.
DS90 can be set up to display different menu structures to different users so that users see only the functions they need, thereby reducing the clutter and increasing productivity.
Installation, Training, and Source Code
Software Concepts offers professional services to help install and, where necessary, customize DS90. It also generally budgets 80-100 hours of installation and education time with each sale. Currently, most of this training is done on-site, but as the company expands its sales geographically, it expects to do more of its training over the Internet.
One thing that sets Software Concepts apart from most other application vendors is that it gives customers the DS90 source code. The company claims that, while it remains fully committed to continued product development and support, this provides an added level of confidence because customers know that they will be able to maintain the application no matter what the future may bring. Software Concepts offers four flexible DS90 pricing options designed to appeal to small and growing businesses, at price points not generally seen in the iSeries market.
Joel Klebanoff is a consultant, a writer, and president of Klebanoff Associates, Inc., a Toronto, Canada-based marketing communications firm. Joel has 25 years experience working in IT, first as a programmer/analyst and then as a marketer. He holds a Bachelor of Science in computer science and an MBA, both from the University of Toronto. Contact Joel at
Software Concepts, Inc.
3 Survey Circle
North Billerica, MA 01862
USA
Web: www.sci400.com
Email:
Tel: 978.584.0400 ext. 712
Fax: 978.584.0499
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