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| Q. What is Escape? |
| Escape is a Sales Force Automation softward system
designed specifically for manufacturers who use a combination
of field sales representatives, in-house customer service
representatives and eCommerce
(B2B) to sell their products to retail outlets. The
manufacturers upload their catalogs to the Escape Ordering
Units (Field Unit or
WebRep application), along with other key data (customer
information, order status, orders that have been revised
or entered by another
means, product availability, and embellishment art
data and images). You, the field sales representative,
then use an Escape Ordering Unit
to write orders and check the status of existing orders. |
| Escape drastically reduces the time required for
you to write orders, and reduces time spent in customer
follow-up, since the orders are written from an up-to-date
catalog, with current
customer-specific pricing, and with full knowledge of product
availability. More... |
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| Q. What are the Escape Ordering Units? |
| Escape offers two Ordering Units for use by field
sales representatives: the EscapeRemote Field Unit and the WebRep
application: |
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The EscapeRemote
Field Unit is an application that, when loaded
on a laptop (or desktop), enables sales reps to
write orders off-line for all the lines they represent
and submit them for fulfillment when convenient
via a simple internet connection. When used in
conjunction with a Linked Supplier, you will receive
customer data, product availability, order status
and embellishment art data and images. The EscapeRemote
Field Unit also has Customer Relations Management
features in which can keep notes on your customers
and orders, keep track of appointments, and provide
reminders to yourself for key activities. The Field
Unit can operate with several different suppliers. |
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WebRep(tm) order entry software is a component of the Escape system
that enables reps to enter orders “on-line” via
a web browser. It works just like the EscapeRemote™ Field
Unit application and provides many of the same
features, but requires that you be online to write
and submit orders. Generally, the WebRep application
operates with only one supplier, although that
supplier can have several “active” catalogs. |
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| The manufacturer’s Escape system can support both types of
Ordering Units, so you can work with them to obtain the type that
best fits your needs. More … |
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| Q. I work with several suppliers. Will my Escape Ordering Unit only
work with suppliers that have Escape installed at the home office? |
| The EscapeRemote Field Unit works in two different modes: Linked
and Un-linked: |
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“Linked” signifies
that a company has an Escape system installed at their facility,
whereby data is exchanged electronically with the Ordering Units
(catalogs, customer data, order status, product availability and
embellishment art data and images out, orders in). |
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“Un-linked” means that the customer data
and catalogs are entered manually, and you submit orders to the
manufacturer via email or FAX. You can enter the catalogs using
the built-in Catalog Editor, or we will enter them for you for
a small fee. |
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| You can then work with a practically unlimited
number of suppliers (some Linked, some Un-linked), each of which may
have multiple catalogs. More … |
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| Q. How do I get my customer data and catalogs entered into my Field Unit? |
| The answer to this question depends on whether a manufacturer is “Linked” or “Un-linked”: |
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Customers that have been assigned to your territory, and catalogs that have been assigned to you will be automatically downloaded into your Field Unit by “Linked” manufacturers. Other data, such as item availability, embellishment art data, and order status information may also be included. |
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For the case of “Un-linked” manufacturers, you enter the customers manually the first time that you write an order for them. The customer data will then be retained in the database for subsequent orders. You can enter “Un-linked” catalogs yourself, using the built-in catalog editor (similar to entering data into a spreadsheet). However, most sales representatives take advantage of our catalog entry service, in which we enter the catalog for a nominal fee. |
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| Q. Do I need high-end computer to run the EscapeRemote™ application? |
| No! All you need is an IBM compatible computer (laptop or desktop)
with internet access. Any hardware you would buy new today would be
more than adequate to handle EscapeRemote™. We would recommend
something in the Pentium class with a minimum of 128mb of RAM, with
at least 100mb of free disk space and 1024 x 786 resolution video,
running Windows XP. We do not have a Macintosh version. |
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| Q. Some of my customers require a copy of each order for their records.
Is this possible? |
| Yes! You can set up your own customer profiles to have your Escape
Ordering Unit send copies of orders automatically, via email or fax,
when you submit the order. Now your customer knows exactly what they
have purchased from you instantly! |
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| Q. One of my suppliers has an Escape system and I submit orders to
them electronically. Can I change products within their catalog? |
| As a linked supplier, all catalog changes must be handled by the
supplier at the EscapeBase™ Unit. Once they make the change(s),
next time you log in, you will receive any changes made automatically,
including pricing |
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| Q. Can I run sales reports within the EscapeRemote Field Unit for
all of my suppliers? |
| Yes! Escape has a comprehensive report module that allows you
to run a variety of reports for all your suppliers.
A thorough data filtering capability is included to
allow you to customize the content
of the reports, and you can save these report formats
for future reference. Drill down capabilities give
you the added information to keep track
of your entire sales performance down to the SKU level!
More … |
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