September 2011
In connection with the Migration to Agility class at PartnerConnect!11, watch for our upcoming Agility conversion article series in the monthly Focus newsletter. This series will outline how migrating to Agility will help your business experience greater efficiencies. In this segment, hear what DMS+ to Agility converts Wagner Distribution, Williams Distributing and Moehl Millwork have to say.
Agility Transforms the Way you Access Information
Agility is a strategic investment for the future. Built upon years of experience in the building material industry, Agility has deep functionality, yet is user-friendly for all skill levels. Add that to its quick and easy information access through the multiple windows feature, viewers that produce custom reports and the comprehensive Agility Dashboard and you can see why customers made the switch to Agility.
Windows Allows Multi-Tasking
Agility makes it easy to get in and out of transactions and access information to improve customer service. Users improve their efficiency in the Windows environment by being able to have multiple Agility functions open simultaneously; so you no longer have to leave the current function to perform some other task. You can be working on multiple purchase orders, quotes and sales orders at the same time while simultaneously updating records or running queries or reports.
Wagner Distribution Holding, a drywall and building material distributor, converted from DMS+ to Agility in 2008. Agility helped them grow in leaps and bounds by allowing them to multi-task within the system. “I always have so many windows open on my screen. It is kind of my to-do list,” Wagner Distribution’s Operations Assistant, Jon Neppel explained. “I can keep all of the information I need on my screen. If I had been in DMS+, I would have to finish one thing at a time.”
Williams Distributing, a 14-location building material distributor out of Grand Rapids, Michigan, converted to Agility in June of 2011. In just a few months, they’ve seen improvement in customer service due to Agility’s multiple windows functionality. “Being Windows-based, Agility gives us more tools for providing good customer service; like looking up product locations, pricing and availability. Everything is linked together and a click away,” Williams Distributing’s President, Mike Koster said.
The Windows-based aspect of Agility has also been a significant benefit to Moehl Millwork, a wholesale millwork distributor out of Ankeny, Iowa, who converted from DMS+ to Agility in 2010. “The Windows based part of Agility makes it much easier to use,” Moehl’s Vice President - Finance, Mike Ryerson said. “It feels more like the documents we use in Excel, Word or even on other databases. It flows very nicely when moving to the next function and the next item to work on.”
At-a-Glance, Customized View of Your Business
With Agility’s powerful viewers, users no longer have to spend time producing custom views. In a few clicks, the information you need is right there. “The difference with Agility is how easily and quickly you get information,” DMSi’s Supervising Product Consultant, Scott Green explained. “If someone comes in and wants a report that lists customer purchase orders and the last two months of sales listed by item, it is a simple print and click process to compile the information.”
Moehl Millwork’s employees customize viewers to fit their needs. “We like the flexibility and that we don’t have to make Agility a “one-size-fits-all” product within our company,” Ryerson said. “We can let each employee come up with screens, settings or viewers that work best to give them the information they need.”
Moehl’s Assistant Operations Manager, Robert Zimmer, echoed Ryerson’s excitement about the viewers. “I’m able to take big snapshot views of sales orders and inventory over multiple locations, multiple customers or many delivery days,” Zimmer said. “Before, I would have to look in five or six different places in order to get the complete picture. Now, I can use a viewer to pull all that information in one spot and drill down into individual sales orders to answer my questions very quickly.”
The Agility Dashboard is another component of the system that delivers quick information, integrating all of Agility’s components. In an instant, view common system functions and activities such as recent activity, standard reports, viewers, key performance indicators (KPIs), notification reminders and user notes. “None of our legacy products have anything remotely close to Agility's Dashboard,” Green said. “The convenience factor is impressive, but that fact that you have everything in one place is one of the aspects our customers’ enjoy the most.”
“My Dashboard is finely tuned for my needs,” Koster said. “I just want to see the amount of orders in terms of dollars that are entered for the day. I also include a couple of reports. In DMS+, someone would have to run those reports and send them to me in an e-mail. This is a lot better.”
There has never been a better time to position your company for the future than now. Agility, with its unparalleled information access will help streamline your business. DMSi will be offering multiple classes about converting to Agility at PartnerConnect!11 October 12-14, in Omaha. These informative classes will broaden your understanding of Agility and you will hear first-hand from companies like yours who have made the switch. Click here to register for PartnerConnect!11. You may also contact Scott Green at sgreen@dmsi.com or 800-347-6720, extension 176.
About DMSi Software
DMSi Software is a privately held company providing software to nearly 400 building materials companies in North America. Since 1976, DMSi Software has consistently empowered its users to become more productive, competitive and efficient. For more information on DMSi Software, please call 800-347-6720 or visit dmsi.com.
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