Monitor Daily Activities, Stock Popular Items, Reduce Statement Costs, and Manage Stores Remotely
In business since 1992, Jay's Ace Hardware is a 12,000-square-foot retail store that relies on Epicor Software to achieve success. They regularly upgrade their Epicor Eagle system to serve customers better and increase efficiencies. Preston Bullock, chief executive officer of Jay's Ace Hardware and son of founder Jay Bullock, continues to update his Eagle system, using new tools like Epicor Eagle Performance Manager and Epicor Eagle Mobile Manager to enable the Ace best practices. Jay's Hardware continues to build on their successful retail business through constant improvements that better serve customers.
Preston Bullock believes that Performance Manager is one of those essential tools that retailers should reach for everyday to monitor every aspect of their business. With access to thousands of data fields representing the business's heartbeat, it's easier to make decisions. “We consult Performance Manager every day to view sales transactions by credit card, check, or cash in order to get a pulse on cash flow,” said Bullock. "We also look at the Top 100 report to see what is selling, what item is number one, and what items are in the top 10 or top 100. This real-time information helps us stay on top of our business."
Using the built-in dashboard views and customized templates, Performance Manager helps Jay's review the data they need to make time-sensitive decisions such as finalizing purchase orders. “Performance Manager reports inform us of what needs to be reordered like Ace advertised items that are selling quickly,” said Bullock. “We can increase sales because with timely reorders, we're always in stock on the products that our customers want.
We also look at the Top 100 report to see what is selling, what item is number one, and what items are in the top 10 or top 100. This real-time information helps us stay on top of our business.
My dad, Jay, does the ordering and customarily places our orders in advance of the buying shows. Now, with Performance Manager, he reviews the Top 100 selling items and adjusts the orders by stocking up on top sellers, which keeps us from running out of stock. That's paid off tremendously, so, without fail, every time he leaves on a buying trip; he reviews this critical information in Performance Manager.”
The Epicor iNet e-Statements and e-Invoices module allows Jay's Hardware to send statements and invoices to customers via e-mail-immediately saving time and costs on manual mailings. “After each sale, the Epicor system will e-mail a copy of the invoice to our customers, and statements are automatically e-mailed to the customers at the end of the month.
This gives our customers instant access to their invoices and statements, which reduces calls to our office staff. The iNet e-Statements and e-Invoices application helps us provide our customers with a superior level of service,” said Bullock.
We're always looking to improve, and with our Epicor Eagle system, we can.
When Preston Bullock first saw a demonstration of Mobile Manager, he was hooked on the endless possibilities of storing data on his smartphone. “We use Mobile Manager when we're away from the store and when we're in the store-we use it all the time,” said Bullock. “Throughout the day, I execute register overrides from wherever I am, eliminating the need to keep customers waiting. We scan competitors' prices and cross-check them with our own prices to remain competitive.”
Jay's Hardware management also uses Mobile Manager to regularly stay on top of business by looking up top sellers, reviewing orders and stock levels, or monitoring daily sales to spot improvement areas. “Mobile Manager gives us the ability to run the business even when we can't be in the store,” said Bullock. “Jay's success comes from our customer care and our willingness to look at data and make changes to how we do things. We're always looking to improve, and we can with our Epicor Eagle system.”
