Plug and Play Enterprise calls its hardware/software combination a “turnkey e-commerce solution.” The software is preloaded on a server that the dealer plugs into the company’s computer backbone next to the ERP system, explains Cary Anderson, Enterprise’s vice president of research and development. All the dealer needs is a dedicated Internet connection, such as a T-1 line or cable modem.
A dealer can easily customize what “privileges” each customer can have. For example, the dealer can limit a customer’s access to inventory information and customize the level of integration with the ERP system. An order can be entered as a quote and held for review (often by a salesperson) before being entered as an actual order. It can be entered as an order, but without automatically allocating inventory. Or, orders can be made fully automatic so that inventory is allocated immediately in the ERP system without any human intervention. Most dealers retain an intermediate checking step in the process, Anderson says, but it is up to each company.
Schneidman says the implementation process for the system was easy; it could have run as delivered, though Interstate chose to make “cosmetic modifications” to the program so that an e-commerce screen looks like a page from Interstate’s Web site. “ECS has a lot of users out there and some of our customers go to other lumberyards that use ECS Pro. We wanted to look different than the others and the system gave us that capability,” Schneidman says.
Although e-commerce at Interstate still is in an early stage, Schneidman believes the system will help keep his customers even more loyal in the future. “We are giving them good customer service and good information,” he says. “And it will be harder for them to switch to another supplier.”
While other dealers may prefer to wait, Interstate has found that e-commerce is worth implementing sooner rather than later. “It’s one of the best investments you can make,” Schneidman advises other suppliers. “From a cost-benefit analysis, you can’t go wrong.” —Jay Holtzman is a Jamestown, R.I.–based freelance writer.
