EASTON, Pa., June 7, 2004 — There are more than 1,000 promotional product distributors with a sales volume greater than $2.5 million searching for an industry-specific software package tailored to fit their organizational needs. Essent is changing the industry’s software landscape with a Business Management System specially designed for these mid to large-sized distributors and suppliers.
Essent offers a totally-integrated software suite that automates the entire operational gamut, including marketing, sales, web, e-commerce, purchasing, inventory control, fulfillment, shipping, and accounting. The Essent Business Management System is the most comprehensive in the industry, allowing distributors and suppliers to manage every aspect of business with a single software suite.
“Managing business with technology is like putting together a puzzle,” says Essent President Eric Alessi. “If you don’t have all the pieces, you won’t get the desired result. With Essent, users get all the pieces of the business management puzzle. It’s the comprehensive solution mid to large-sized distributors and suppliers need to manage business better.”
The Need
To gauge the promotional product industry’s wants and needs, Essent surveyed more than 400 mid to large-sized distributors and suppliers, and the results were telling — three out of four were dissatisfied with their current information management technology.
“We found that distributors and suppliers are using multiple un-integrated software systems to manage their business,” says Essent Promotional Products Industry Specialist Bryan Sheaffer. “The lack of integration results in errors, data reentry, workflow complication, and an overwhelming feeling of frustration.”
By holding focus groups and regular meetings with members of Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) and ePromoStandards Alliance (ePSA) Essent learned the nuances of the promotional products industry and gained a thorough understanding of the requirements of industry players. The end result is a Business Management System that offers true end-to-end integration, advanced functionality, and more than 100 unique industry-specific features available only from Essent.
The Problem
Research performed by Essent Labs identified a major problem in the promotional products industry: a market segment that represents almost seven billion dollars in industry sales is piecing together software in an attempt to keep up with business and customer requirements.
In this industry, it’s not uncommon to see a single distributor using three different software packages: one to manage contact information, one to manage accounting, and one to manage e-commerce. Since the systems are not designed to communicate with one another, users spend a great deal of time manually tracking information, reentering data, and correcting mistakes. The process is a never-ending cycle that’s prone to costly errors, unnecessary complication, and inefficiency.
The lack of integrated software systems is exacerbated by traditional cookie-cutter software that requires distributors and suppliers to conform to arbitrary, pre-set business rules.
“As an industry selling customized products is painfully aware, every business is different,” says Eric Alessi. “Yet, so many distributors and suppliers are using software systems that force them to run their business just like the competition. The industry deserves the same level of service from their service providers as they provide their customers.”
Further exasperating the problem is the nature of the sales process. “The majority of sales are custom, involving detailed procedures to manage sales, artwork, fulfillment, and quality control. Business process workflow is an area that receives no attention in this industry, but has a huge, positive impact on the bottom line,” says Bryan Sheaffer.
Managing workflow has the potential to significantly streamline business by reducing errors, confusion, and production delays while maximizing cost control and customer satisfaction. Workflow is an important piece of the business management puzzle that needs to be solved for the industry.
Without all the pieces of the business management system, distributors and suppliers cannot perform at an optimal level. They’re constantly playing catch up, making it tough to keep pace and impossible to get ahead.
The Essent System
First released in 1995, the Essent Business Management System helps distributors and suppliers manage data and workflow processes more efficiently through innovation, automation, and integration. By automating every major functional area — marketing, sales, web, e-commerce, purchasing, inventory control, fulfillment, shipping, and accounting — Essent software streamlines information management, automates workflow processes, eliminates data reentry and costly errors, and gives users the power to manage business with a single software system.
“Awhile back, we began researching industry-specific software packages,” says Jon Dubbs, CEO of The Dubbs Company, a prominent distributor based in Allentown, Pa. “We struggled to find a single system to automate workflow processes and fully-integrate our entire business. When I saw Essent’s software in action, I was highly impressed by it’s core functionality. The software package offers critical, industry-specific features other systems still lack after decades.”
The Essent software suite features industry-specific tools that streamline business management, including SiteBuilder™ and ArtVault™. The robust system features productivity upgrades including: product requirement surveys, company stores, linked purchase orders, job costing, consigned inventory, backorder management, prioritized fulfillment, credit card processing, and UPS®/FedEx® shipping integration. These features build on award-winning tools that automate inventory control and distribution logistics.
The Turnkey Solution
“Implementing a Business Management System is a big step,” says Bryan Sheaffer. “The software is critical, but the systems, service, and support play just as important a role. If overlooked, these pieces of the business management puzzle can lead to major operational issues.”
To ensure quality service, Essent maintains a staff of Business Analysts, Project Managers, and Systems Engineers, certified by Microsoft, who are highly-trained in systems integration, large-scale system implementation, and educational services for the promotional products industry.
Essent offers distributors and suppliers a turnkey solution, so they no longer have to worry about purchasing the right hardware or contracting third parties to set-up or service their systems. Essent is the only software provider in the promotional products industry to take this approach.
“When distributors and suppliers choose Essent, they get all the pieces of the business management puzzle — a technologically advanced Business Management System that meets the demanding needs of the industry coupled with high-caliber systems, service, and support,” says Eric Alessi.
Company Background
Essent is the leading provider of fully-integrated Business Management Software solutions and services for the promotional products industry. Essent solutions combine flexible workflow management with innovative technologies that automate repetitive tasks and simplify business processes.
Incorporated in 1981, Essent has grown from a regional software development house to a multi-million dollar corporation serving thousands of customers nation-wide. Essent is a member of PPAI and Specialty Advertising Counselors of the Delaware Valley (SACDV.)