Did You Get My Order?


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Did You Get My Order?
By: Sherri Lennarson, MAS, PPAI Chair of the Board
Issue: 2009jun

Any idea what the most-asked question in our industry is, besides “What’s new?” I’d put my money on “Did you get my order” or “When did my order ship?”

Imagine if you had a nickel for every time you have asked or answered that query. Better yet, wouldn’t it be great if you banked an extra minute each time that inquiry was considered?

Start counting that pocket change now because your Association has introduced a revolutionary tool that will indeed save you time and money. The vision to develop and deliver technology-based products, services and tools to lower the cost of doing business for all industry firms began with industry thought leaders on the 2004 PPAI Board of Directors and culminated last January with the launch of OrderTrax2.

OrderTrax2 is an amazing and simple tool that enables paperless transactions between suppliers and distributors, speeds up the process and dramatically lowers operating costs. It works by putting suppliers and distributors on the same page when it comes to communicating order status and shipping information, transmitting artwork and more. If you understand the functionality of Facebook, you have an inkling of the possibilities.

OrderTrax2 is built on e-PSA standards, the only open e-commerce standard for our industry. It takes what has been used by larger industry firms and makes them available to every firm at a surprisingly low cost.

In its simplest form, all you need is a UPIC and an e-mail address to leverage this technology. Your UPIC is free. Member pricing to purchase one seat user license is $199 (the minimal annual fee). If you are one of the hundreds using the QuickBooks application to drive your business processes, you’ll be happy to know there is also a QuickBooks plug-in application free to PPAI member companies and priced at $249 for nonmembers. Access to OrderTrax2 is through DailyBoost, our internet portal where industry players go to get news, share ideas and network with peers.

I think you’ll be impressed with this user-friendly and intuitive order management system developed by PPAI’s technology services company. The firm’s singular focus is on tech development that makes a daily difference. And what a difference they’ve made.

Back in the day (specifically the early 1980s, when I began my career in the promotional products industry), fax machines were relatively rare and no one had a clue about the internet. We manually typed every purchase order hoping for perfection because changing a purchase order meant using four different colors of Wite-Out®. Calculators were big, clunky and mandatory as we hand-figured each and every commission. Carbon paper and telephone message slips were typically found among our office supplies. Practically all business was conducted using snail mail. It was a notable event when an overnight letter was received.

During the past two decades, innovations such as fax machines, websites and overnight delivery improved the way we did business. In the ’90s having a fax number and a web address were a novelty. At the turn of this century, if you didn’t have a website, an e-mail address and a cell number, no one would take you seriously. This year, customers may question your business acumen if your company isn’t an early adopter of OrderTrax2 technology.

When John Fitzgerald Kennedy said, “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future,” he may not necessarily have been talking about technology, but his advice is just as relevant.

If you want your company to be viewed as a progressive, innovative firm that is serious about improving its business processes, then visit www.ordertrax2.com today and see the future.

Sherri Lennarson, MAS, is senior vice president of business development for Iowa City, Iowa-based distributor Bankers Advertising Co. (UPIC: BACADV).

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