P E Murray
"The management information is excellent and I get the reports I need to run my business...."
P E Murray - The Company
25 Years ago Paul Murray started his business in a small office near Storrington in West Sussex. The business specialises in the import and distribution of giftware and speciality gadgets and novelties. With many of his suppliers based overseas, Paul , owner and Managing Director, makes frequent trips to the more 'exotic' parts of the world.
The company moved to its current location xxx years ago and has grown progressively. Indeed, they have just acquired a new site a short distance from their current address, where they will build new purpose designed offices and warehousing. "It's a long way from our first office but with a staff of 10 people and a growing business we need more space" reflected Paul.
A New Software System
Just over 12 months ago, the company made another strategic decision, to change its business software. As with many small companies, they were using an 'accounting type' software system to run the business, Sage Line 50. This was adequate for the financial side of things but as far as trading, buying and selling and delivering useable reports, it was well short of what they needed.
" The software just could not give me the visibility on the business that I needed", says Paul "and it was obvious that we needed something more sophisticated but I did not want to spend a fortune. Since we buy from all over the world one area I needed to improve was the stock and purchasing. Our standard delivery is three months so I have to know what we are selling and how quickly we are selling it and when our next deliveries are coming in from our suppliers. It is a delicate balance between not too much and not too little since we cannot react quickly enough if we get our ordering wrong ".
They looked at a number of software systems and selected what they thought was the right programme, only to find on installation that it did not do half of the things they had been told. Then they learned of Anagram and its Encore e-BIS trading software.
" It was a bit of a hairy start, since we had been disappointed with two systems, so we were naturally more than a little concerned. However, Encore did do what we wanted, with a very sound set of financials. The key to us was that it is really a trading system that lets us buy and sell as we need to. It keeps track of all of our sales commission, lets us see easily what is on order, what we have sold, what we have delivered, what has been returned or what is still waiting to be delivered to our customers or to us from our suppliers. It is excellent. The reporting too is very good and provides us with exactly the information I need ".
".....there's lots more in the system that we know will really help us as we grow."
The software has many features that are normally associated with much more expensive systems. The 'drill down' allows the user to go right back to invoice line level on an enquiry if necessary and finding what people have paid in the past is very simple.
There were other factors of course; for instance the way the pricing works gives PE Murray all the flexibility it needs to organise the correct pricing levels for its customers. Importantly, Encore e-BIS also handles returns and allows them to either be put back into stock or segregated if they are damaged. Then there is the multi-currency which is vital since all their purchases are in US Dollars.
Since almost all their sales force is made up of agents, the software had to be able to handle commission payments and tracking. "We had to work with Anagram to get this in place and have been very pleased with the result. The process was straightforward. We had a meeting at which we told Anagram what we needed and they went away and came back with the solution. It was what we asked for and the update worked first time! "
When it came to stationery "We were not tied to our computer supplier as we had been with Sage. We simply looked at our current layout and then had Anagram change the document templates to what we wanted. We can now do this ourselves, if we want to."
A critical test of any new system is how easily it is to use. Paul and his staff quickly got to grips with the system operation. Commercial Manager Ian Reader recognises that "We only use a small part of the systems capability, there's lots more in the system that we know will really help us as we grow . Our credit control, which has always been strong, has got even stronger since we have easy access to all our customers details and invoice and credit history at the touch of a button. Then we have the capability to either fax or e-mail a copy to them as we talk to them on the phone".
Support and help desk are areas where many software companies are left wanting, but not Anagram. "We have had excellent support from the folk at Anagram Systems. We have prompt answers to our questions and they are really nice people to deal with ", says Paul.
HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS
P E Murray's Encore system supports five users, both operating managers and accounts staff. It handles Sales Order Processing, Purchase Order Processing and Stock Control, as well as all the company's accounting requirements. " I find it so much easier than Sage to enter sales orders and get all the information I want. I can instantly see all the specific costs and selling prices relating to a single customer order. Being a true windows product, I can open multiple windows which means that I don't have to keep coming out of one part of the system to get to another part. And if I am part way through a quote or a sales order and someone makes an enquiry, I can just open another window and get all the information I need. Its great " says Paul.
Encore has now been installed for 12 months at P E Murray. What is Paul Murray's Verdict?
"Over the last twelve months since Encore first went in, we have learnt a lot about the system and it has helped us greatly. I have no doubts that this time we have made the right decision. I am delighted just how well it's gone. A great advantage is that if we have a problem or need something specific for us, we just pick up the phone and call Anagram direct. They have people who understand business and more importantly can listen to me , understand what I need and produce the right answer, quickly and efficiently."