The newsletter for
Key Operators of
DDMS Systems

Vol. 6, No. 1

June 30, 2006

Comments? Tips for fellow dealers? Success stories?  Ideas to improve ECi technical Support? Email keyops@eci2.com

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Key Ops Dispatch, an e-mail newsletter, comes free of charge to all DDMS® customers.

In This Issue:

Hello from your ECi Support Teams and Premier Account Managers!
I'd like to point out important information in this issue of the KeyOps Dispatch.

The big news:

1. ECi Ships DDMS General Release Version 8.10. Please see important installation tips and find out what's new.
2. Project Cozumel Released to ECi Beta Test Dealers. What's in store to help you compete with the big box?
3. Free Timely Web-Based Training. ECi offers four free Web training sessions on your quarter-end procedures this month.
4. Sign Up for Hands-On Training. ECi offers KeyOp and Report Writer training seminars in July at special rates.
5. Survey Targets PSN Services, ASB. Your team is working hard to help you streamline your purchasing communications!

Here are some helpful tips:

6. Periodic pcAnywhere Login Changes Recommended. Do you use the same old login? Don't leave your server open to connections.
7. United Stationers Suspends Dial-Up Access to SCORE System. If you launch text-based SCORE from the (SR-F) screen, you must use WebSCORE after June 30.
8. Machine Reports Illustrated. In our comprehensive guide, you'll find step-by-step instructions and sample reports using representative machine & equipment data.
9. Sync Your Furniture Manufacturer Orders with DDMS. Learn how to set up your system to handle Steelcase and Herman Miller orders.

Your ECi Support Teams and Premier Account Managers would also like to share some news & tips:

• To all who came to the ECi Direction 2006 Users Conference, Thank you! What a great success! It was great to meet you.
• As you may have heard at our national conference, ECi plans to include the Customer Price Plans application in our next major DDMS release, set for October 2006. At the same time, we plan to release a new Report Designer application that can be used to design and run new sales reports.
• To all who responded in the Purchasing Communications Survey so far, thank you! If you have not completed the survey yet, please do so if you have an opportunity. Your participation is important. We are using the data to determine how to help you streamline your purchasing and to make a case for additional PSN trading partnerships.
• For more faces of ECi, don't miss the tech profiles in the Spring issue of the ECi Insider print newsletter, which is in the mail this month.
• is.group asked us to shut down the PSN services for its subsidiary, Express Computer Supplies. It has been absorbed into the is.group regional distribution center system. You may need to remove Express Computer Supply from your item database and purchasing launcher.
• TIP: In PSNControl's My PSN Files window, you can move vendor pricing files from the Miscellaneous tab by right-clicking the file name in the Received Files box, then selecting Move To, and clicking the appropriate vendor.
• Please welcome Debra McClure to Team Synergy. Previously an ECi employee for many years and a senior trainer, Debra rejoined our staff full-time in January 2006.
• Please welcome Harvey Schwartz, Jayme Laird, and Sheila Nolan to Team Alliance. Harvey transferred from Team Synergy, after joining ECi in April 2005 with 17 years of technical customer service experience. Jayme transferred from Team Pinnacle, after joining ECi in April 2005 with six years of customer service experience. Sheila has joined ECi in May 2006 with seven years of experience with DDMS software, and three years specifically with machines & equipment.
• Please welcome back John Grimes to Team Pinnacle. John brought several years of help desk experience to ECi in 2004, and after a brief stint in network engineering with an Internet service provider, he has returned to us this June.
  

Sincerely yours,

Allen Beavers, ECi Premier Account Management
Allen joined the company as a Support Technician in 1995 with a Bachelor's degree in management from Texas A & M. He also served as product manager, quality control manager and support manager before transferring to Premier Account Management.

Paul Bowers, ECi Team Alliance Technical Support
Paul joined ECi as a support technician in 2002 with ten years of experience in technical support. "My favorite aspect of this job is the challenge every day of a new problem to solve," Paul said. "And I enjoy helping people."

John Marshall, ECi Team Synergy Technical Support
John joined ECi as a Support Technician in 2002 with a Bachelor's degree in Finance from Texas A&M and several years in network support for telecom companies. "Here at ECi, I'm kind of an advocate, behind the scenes, for advances in e-commerce," John said. "I'm very keyed up about what our customers are going to be able to do with Project Cozumel."

Chase Shepherd, ECi Team Collective Technical Support
Chase joined the company as a Support Technician in 1992 with a Bachelor's degree in marketing and communications from University of North Texas. "I'm happy to listen to customer concerns, to try to make their situation better," Chase said. "I'm glad I can contribute especially through Report Writer to provide the information they need."

Duwayne Stevenson, ECi Team Pinnacle Technical Support
Duwayne joined ECi as a Support Technician in 2003 with more than 20 years experience with office supply companies, from driving a delivery truck to operating a small store. "I have used DDMS since 1989," Duwayne said. "I understand that when you're calling in, it's not just your auto short-buy, it means schedule changes and missing cutoffs with vendors. I know the buying groups, the power channels, and the competitive pressures that independents are faced with. I've been there."

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ECi Ships DDMS
General Release Version 8.10

As of Thursday, June 29, 2006, ECi has completed all shipments of its new general release, Version 8.10, via United Parcel Service (UPS) Ground. ECi began shipping the software update in waves to all active DDMS customers May 12, 2006.

With hundreds of enhancements and fixes, Version 8 includes many features to help your company streamline procedures and take advantage of new technology. The list below is just a sample, and provides helpful links:

• Next Generation Program Architecture. Some applications released in DDMS Version 7.11 and higher use a SQL database engine and .NET programming architecture. This may require some changes to ensure proper file backups.
• Bank Statement Reconciliation (pdf). Mark deposits and checks as cleared or outstanding to balance your bank statements.
• Approval Link™ Payflo Pro® Edition (pdf). Process credit card payments with Level 3 item detail and accept American Express cards via VeriSign's™ Payflo Pro®.
• Pay Multiple Vendors on One Check in A/P. A brand new feature of Accounts Payable is paying multiple vendors with ONE check. Transactions with buying groups such as is.group or TriMega are easier than ever. For detailed instructions, see Accounts Payable (pdf).
• Warehouse Bin Designations. Streamline picking, packing, and other warehousing operations with bulk bins, multiple bins, floating bins, staging bins, and more! For detailed instructions, see Warehouse to the Max! (pdf)
• Enhanced Furniture Order Entry Change Mode. In the Order Entry Change Mode, a multitude of enhancements have been made. For detailed instructions, see DDMS Office Furniture Edition (pdf).
• Furniture Work in Progress (pdf). View and compare your actual costs on an individual order basis prior to and after invoicing to ensure a more accurate bottom line.
• Furniture Job Costing. View job costing totals at the project, item, and employee levels, and access additional detail. For detailed instructions, see DDMS Office Furniture Edition (pdf).
• Machine Billing by Estimated Copy Counts. DDMS can calculate an average meter reading for monthly billing if none has been entered. For detailed instructions, see What's New in Version 8 (pdf).
• Machine Dispositions. A machine disposition shows the overall status of the machine, whether it's on hand, rented, leased, or sold, and is automatically adjusted based on actions you take in DDMS. If you plan to use the new disposition feature, you must perform the steps described in Machine Disposition Setup (pdf) after loading your software update.
• Machine Demo Picker. A new Machine Order Entry mode automatically creates work orders for setup, delivery, network, and pickup. For more details, see Machines and Equipment (pdf).

This list of enhancements above is not exhaustive. Get more information online:

• Before you load any software update, check our Web site for last-minute changes that may affect you in Release Notes.
• During installation, take special care to follow instructions on file "compression" to accommodate new data fields, sharing a new folder on the server before installing the client software update, and adjusting your backup scripts if needed to properly back up new SQL database files. Installing Version 8 DDMS (pdf) is online and included in your package.
• For information about enhancements released in the DDMS Version 8 software, see What's New in Version 8.
• For information about all released changes, use Program Updates on our Web site to look up all corrections and enhancements released in Version 8.10, Version 8.10.1, Version 8.10.1-A, Version 8.10.20, Version 8.10.40 and other versions. Note: Versions with a .X means that we have completed and tested a change, but have not yet assigned it to a specific released software version.
• For additional information about specific features, use your online help after you load the software update. Search for keywords such as "Reconcile."

If you have not received your Version 8 software update by July 14, inform your support team at ddmssupport@ecisolutions.com, and include your support account number, contact name, company name, shipping address, and phone number.

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Project Cozumel Released
To ECi Beta Test Dealers

Our completely new e-commerce product, an Internet Service System code-named Project Cozumel, is currently released to beta testing. Its advanced features and an all-new look and feel will represent your company well. Project Cozumel harnesses cutting-edge technology, including the latest ASP .NET techniques, SQL Server database, and AJAX, a new technology that makes Web applications faster and more responsive.

Independent usability researchers helped ECi focus on "who is going to actually use this, what are they intending to do, and do they have the tools to do it?" said Lewis Bass, ECi product manager. "Our third party analysis took end consumers and put them through specific tasks on both our Web site and the competitor Web site. It gave us an idea of where we are strong and where we really need to make some strong gains."

Project Cozumel includes these features and more:

• A Brand New Look and Feel. Our competitive analysis has resulted in a very clean, user-friendly interface that brings the most crucial tools into focus. Long reports will allow visitors to re-sort the data by clicking the column header, and print directly to PDF.
• Streamlined Order Flow. You'll see notable advances in Quick Order, Search, Cart and Checkout flow that make each step delightfully intuitive. New rows automatically appear once an item is added to Quick Order. The powerful search engine caches search results to speed up common searches for every site.
• More Cross-Selling. Based on user input, Project Cozumel presents related products, and makes it easy for visitors to add to their carts.
• Rotating Today's Specials. New image links appear every few seconds. Handy navigation buttons let visitors scroll among your specials.

  

• Superior Order History and Favorites. Your customers will find it easier than ever to create new orders, work with existing order data, and maintain lists of their favorite supplies.
• Robust System Integration. As always, the flow of orders between our Web storefront and business systems is seamless and transparent. Now, it can take advantage of our new Titan database and programming architecture for improved performance and user-friendly data access.

In the future, Project Cozumel's customer service module will provide order history, backorders, invoices, usage reports, wholesaler drop-ship package tracking, quantity break pricing, item comparisons, and stock availability.

"Customers," said Steve Danziger of AAA, "are more and more evaluating us based on how powerful and robust our front end is and how responsive that is."

Steven Woodall of Reliant Business Products agrees. "If you go out for bid these days in the office supply industry, the first question is 'Do you offer online ordering?' Really, to be in business today you need an online ordering system, and Cozumel is going to be state of the art. With it, the independent dealer is going to be heads and shoulders above the big-box dealer."

What about dealers who stay with existing Web storefronts for now? "There are no current plans to get rid of Dealer Station and related products," said Ron Books, ECi senior vice president. "If it makes sense to do so in the future, it will be considered. But until then, we will continue to host, support, and provide maintenance releases."

Books continued. "Our focus is to understand both the end user needs and the competitive landscape, and use that knowledge to deliver a best-of-breed product."

Once beta site dealers complete beta testing and indicate that the product is ready for general release, ECi will announce the release of Project Cozumel, as well as its official name.

We will set up a controlled general release schedule, as we do for all ECi software general releases. Sites will be turned on in waves, a process that may take several weeks. The first waves will include beta sites and large investors, with consideration made for historical online order volume. ECi's controlled approach to general releases allows your training and support teams to provide the requisite attention to all dealers in a fair manner, and to properly assess server performance as consumer usage increases.

Our Marketing department is working on an information kit you can hand to your customers. It will highlight the features that your consumers care about, with full-page screen shots, and charts for side-by-side comparison to Dealer Station. We are also creating an implementation plan to assist dealers with customer conversion.

"Our goal is to get core ordering functionality and flow as sound and stable as possible," said Books. "This first release is only the beginning. For our independent dealers to be able to compete and win on a day-to-day basis - that's the gauge of our success."

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Free Timely Web-Based Training

ECi offers free Web-based training for large groups to learn about features you can implement now!

All you need is a PC with an Internet connection to view the demonstration, and a phone line to hear the host. Tentative topics are as follows (subject to change; Watch for the email from freetraining@eci2.com for more details):

• July – What’s New in Version 8 (2 sessions) and Bank Reconciliation (2 sessions)
• August – System Maintenance
• September – O/PUS
• October – Customer Price Plans
• November – I Didn’t Know It Could Do That!
• December – Year-End

Each session can accommodate 50 connections on a first-come, first-served basis. There’s no need to register. For connection instructions, see www.DDMS.com/training/free

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Sign Up For Hands-On Training

ECi is hosting special hands-on software training seminars at our Fort Worth, Texas facility. Each three-day seminar consists of two sessions with complementing topics:

Attend a specific session, or join us for all three days at a discounted rate – whichever is more appropriate for your business. Each seminar offers hands-on training in the newly released Version 8 software. Participants will have the opportunity to learn by actually using the software to perform everyday tasks.

*The cost to attend includes lunches and training materials. For session outlines, registration forms, and details on lodging and transportation, see Training Seminars on ECiSolutions.com.

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Survey Targets PSN Services, ASB

One of the fastest ways to optimize your DDMS system is by eliminating labor-intensive tasks related to purchasing communications.

The easiest and most cost-effective means you can communicate with your suppliers is via the ECi Private Supply Network (PSN). eCommerce Industries, Inc., and several suppliers are investing a significant amount of money so that the PSN is available at no charge to all dealers.

"In the past few years ECi has released a number of features and services that have really been a lot of assistance, and one of those is the PSN," said Robert L. Davis, owner of Office Source and customer since 1993. "It allows you to send your purchase orders online, and it's much quicker than it used to be by modem. Even while you're talking to the customer on the phone, you immediately know (with stock checks) whether that item is available, or what you can substitute. ECi provides software and services that allow us to run our businesses in a more efficient manner, so we can spend more time with our customers."

You probably already use PSN services for some of your purchasing. What you may not know is that we have added several new supplier PSN services over the last few months. We want to be sure you take advantage of them.

We would like to report the results of our online survey, launched in February:

• Between February 3 and June 19, 2006, we received responses from 14 percent of our customer base. Compared to other business-to-business survey response rate benchmarks (10-30 percent), we would like to see more of our customers respond to the survey.
• A great majority of respondents use one or more PSN services, such as to transmit orders to wholesalers, to check prices and stock availability, and retrieve electronic invoices.
• Half of respondents didn't know certain vendors offered PSN services. ECi has periodically released new and enhanced services for additional vendors. The list now includes ActionEmco, Arlington, DMI Supplies Network, Eastern Distributing, Express Computer Supply, is.group, S.P. Richards, SYNNEX, Tech Data, TriMega, United Stationers, and Xstamper (see Private Supply Network (PSN) Documentation). PSN services for additional suppliers and furniture manufacturers will be announced later this summer.
• A quarter of respondents requested assistance setting up PSN services for certain vendors. Techs from each support team, along with ECi Product Manager Jennifer Frye, personally responded to these dealers.
• More than half of the respondents reported using the Auto-Short Buy (ASB). Since this is DDMS's biggest timesaver, we are encouraging more customers to implement it. Last month, many dealers took advantage of free Web-based training sessions on the ASB, and it was one of the most popular topics at the ECi Direction 2006 Users Conference. The ASB automates the following processes: creating the short-buy purchase orders, transmitting the purchase order to the wholesaler, performing the pre-receiving procedure, and transferring the wholesaler's backorders to another purchase order. To learn how ASB works, how to set it up, how to interpret related reports, and how to complete the purchasing cycle using auto receive and auto flush, see Using the Automated Short Buy (pdf).

If you have not already responded, we encourage you to click here to complete the quick survey; it should only take about 60 seconds. Rest assured that we do not share personally identifiable information with any third parties. It's an important part of our Privacy Policy.

"We will continue to monitor PSN survey results," said Jennifer Frye, ECi Product Manager. "It helps us understand our customers' needs, it inspires new initiatives in training and support, and it justifies adding and enhancing PSN services even more."

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Periodic pcAnywhere Login Changes Recommended

Do you leave your server open to connections, or use the same old login you have for years?

With pcAnywhere™ (from Internet security technology company Symantec at www.symantec.com), you can allow your ECi support technicians to connect directly to your DDMS server on a temporary basis.

For the sake of security, we strongly recommend two simple policies:

1. Change your pcAnywhere password often.
2. Cancel your host session immediately after your tech has disconnected.

For more information, see File #231: Setting Up and Using Symantec pcAnywhere™. The section, “Your pcAnywhere Caller Login Password” explains how to change the password. The section, “Cancel Host,” shows how to prevent other connections.

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United Stationers Suspends
Dial-Up Access to SCORE

If you access United Stationers’ text-based SCORE system through your (SR-F) Purchase Order Entry screen, please note that USSCO is suspending dial-up modem access to its SCORE system as of June 30, 2006.

All dealers who wish to use the SCORE system can access the WebScore Application on United's Reseller Zone at USSCO.Com. United Stationers cited a declining use of dial-up connections and the relocation of USSCO corporate offices and data center as the driving factors.

For more information about WebScore, contact your USSCO representative.

The dial-up SCORE system is completely independent of DDMS purchasing functions. Rest assured, the suspension of dial-up SCORE does not affect purchase orders created or transmitted with DDMS’s P/O Entry application. It also has no affect on stock/price checks via the ECi Private Supply Network or other PSN communications.

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Machine Reports Illustrated

If you are up for some light bedtime reading, try our new user manual, Reports for Machine Dealers (pdf).

This 158-page manual features detailed instructions on how to run every report that our machine applications offer. It is illustrated with sample reports using representative machine & equipment data. 

Reports in the DDMS Machines & Equipment edition can help you manage your machine sales and service workflow in several aspects:

• Manage your inventory. You can track every item as a unique, individual unit, including each unit's critical accessories. You know who owns, borrows, or leases each individual unit, what maintenance has been performed on that unit, what service is due, and how much profit each unit has generated for your company. Check out the following reports: Rent/Loan/Demo/Lease, Machine Warranty Status, Renewals To Be Updated/Updated, Maintenance History, Critical Parts Usage, Deleted Customer Machine, On-Hand Counts, Sold Machines, Item Journal, Serial Meter Maintenance Report, In Stock Equipment, Umbrella Machine Listing, and Serial Record and Inventory Maintenance.
  
• Supervise technician performance. Some reports help you manage your service department's work load and identify technicians who need special attention or training. Check out the Tech Recap Analysis, Tech Total Analysis, Exceptions 3-30, Maintenance History, Customer Hits, Workorder Journal, Technician's Chronology, and the (EZP) Call Monitor Report.
  
• Analyze customers. Some reports can help you identify customers who need attention, and figure averages and benchmarks to help management — not to mention your sales reps. Check out reports for Cancellation, Contract Totals, Exceptions 3-30, Customer Hits, History Analysis, Machine Warranty Status, Copies Between Calls, Lease Maturity, Expired Lease/Buy Out, Customer Contract, Callin History by Customer, Customers with Serial Machines, Customer Contract Data, Customer Machine Listing with Shipto, Timeblock Contract Usage, and Copies Used.
  
• Monitor parts usage. Usage reports can help you identify customer maintenance needs, tech training needs, violations of company policy, and problematic equipment or accessories. Check out reports for Preventative Maintenance, Projected Part Replacements, the Future Part Needs (which you can save to a LOW-STOCK file for purchasing), the Parts Not Replaced, Workorder Journal, Customer Hits 3-30, and the Exceptions 3-30.
  
• Prepare for accounting. For help with billing and tax filing, see reports for Contracts To Be Billed, Renewals Invoiced, Rental Billing, Meter Billing, Billing Information, Deferred Income, To Be Depreciated, Use Tax, and Depreciation Master Listing.
  
• No Reinventing the Wheel. Boilerplate templates help you communicate with customers on maintenance agreements, service contracts, meter cards, meter reading requests, and service workorders.

For more information, see Machine FAQs.

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Sync Your Furniture Manufacturer Orders with DDMS

Having all your furniture purchase orders in sync with DDMS means all your sales follow the same business system. It ensures the accuracy and integrity of your sales history, receiving, accounts payable, invoicing, and project management information.

You can synchronize furniture manufacturer orders with DDMS:

• Steelcase. When you send purchase orders through the Steelcase Hedberg system, you can automatically replicate them within DDMS. You can create furniture orders by importing and releasing Hedberg files into DDMS. When you finish creating the order, the P/O is automatically built using the same P/O number as in Hedberg. By having the P/O in DDMS, you can view project management information for this order. In addition, because the P/O exists in DDMS, you can also receive it in Furniture Order Entry so that you can ship it. To learn how to set up your databases in order to communicate with Hedberg, see Setting Up and Using Steelcase® Hedberg System™ Communication (pdf)
• Herman Miller. All furniture orders transmitted to Herman Miller use the SIF file format. Transmitting a P/O to Herman Miller exports a text file that can be imported into the Herman Miller Kiosk system and thereby transmitted to this vendor. To learn how to set up your databases in order to communicate with Herman Miller, see Setting Up Electronic Communications with Herman Miller (pdf).

Later this summer, we will announce new electronic purchasing services with other furniture manufacturers, such as Allsteel, Global, Kimball, Knoll, and Haworth.

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