Integrating Telemarketing & Accounting Software helps
Dental Supply Firm Improve Sales Representative Productivity

Tulsa Dental Products has dramatically improved the productivity of sales representatives by allowing them to perform their entire job function, including being able to respond to virtually any customer request for information, without leaving a single software package. The key to the success of the SalesMark® software is that it integrates inbound and outbound telemarketing functions with comprehensive accounting functionality. The software allows sales representatives to enter orders, check the status of current and previous orders, check payment history, send product literature, and perform many other functions within a single software environment.

Tulsa Dental Products manufactures and markets an innovative product called Thermafil® which is used by endodontists and dentists specializing in root canals. The product has a plastic or metal carrier that forms a core for a material that when heated fills the cavity left by removing the root. The result is a root canal can be easily filled and finished in considerably less time while minimizing discomfort for the patient. The company also manufactures and markets a variety of other products all targeted for endodontics.

The company's sales efforts primarily revolve around inbound and outbound telemarketing calls and direct office visits by outside sales representatives. Sales representatives deal with dentists and office administrators that expect immediate answers to their inquiries. In other order entry products, sales functions are not integrated with the accounting system. Should the customer ask any questions, other than one involving a current order, the representative has to ask the customer to wait while he or she walks over to the accounting department, asks a clerk to look up the information and then calls the customer back.

In an effort to overcome this problem, company management sought a solution that would handle both order entry and accounting inquiries from a single user interface and provide sufficient security features so that sales representatives would be able to obtain the information that they needed from the accounting system without total access to sensitive areas. Finally, management wanted a system that could be customized to their specific needs at minimum expense.

The Excellence Series^TM from SouthWare Innovations, Inc., Auburn, Alabama, was selected because of its strength in sales and order entry, inventory and purchasing as well as its strong financial and accounting features.

Another reason for selecting the Excellence Series was its maturity. It was first released in 1984 and has been continuously upgraded and improved over that time. The Excellence Series runs on many different platforms including personal computers.

Tulsa Dental's system runs on a UNIX platform with access from both personal computers as well as character terminals. Character terminals are used by most of the 50+ users because they are considerably less expensive to purchase and maintain. The server is a DTR Status with three 2 Gigabyte hard drives. A dedicated telecommunications line was established from the Tulsa headquarters to the company's manufacturing and distribution operations in Johnson City, Tennessee.

The key advantage of SalesMark is that it provides sales representatives access to all the information that is necessary to do their jobs. The accounting staff uses exactly the same user interface as the order entry staff so both accounting and sales have no difficulty in locating or understanding the information displayed on the screen or quickly accessing the information needed.

For example, a doctor might call because he received the wrong item on an order that he placed a week ago. The sales representative can, in a few seconds, call up the doctor's account, scroll through previous orders, find the order and then drill down to see a copy of the invoice. The representative can see who placed the order and what it was supposed to contain as well as any notes that pertain to the order. The representative may also need to check payment status or send out additional information to the doctor. All can be accomplished without putting the customer on hold or calling them back.

All SouthWare® programs contain an unusual feature called "Breakout" that makes it especially convenient to move from one task to another. For example, suppose the representative is working on a particular order and a second customer calls with a question. The representative can push a single button, breakout of their current task, access the second account and assist that customer. After resolving the issue, they simply return to where they started on the earlier order.

A key advantage of the Excellence Series is that it is written in ACUCOBOL, a language easily customized by qualified programmers. For example, Tulsa Dental needed to add the concept of active and inactive accounts by their pre-determined set of criteria. This was implemented so that whenever a customer calls after having not placed an order for a specified period of time, the sales representative is prompted to ask a series of questions designed to determine why they waited so long before placing this order. The customer also automatically receives a special promotion designed to encourage them to become a regular customer again. Custom programming was used to create the specific criteria for Tulsa Dental. Another custom program was created to automatically assign customers to sales representatives based on the company's definition of a territory.

SalesMark's standard contact management software contains an automated follow-up program that allows sales representatives to request various types of promotional material to be sent to a doctor . The record is automatically added to a follow-up list and is accessed and processed by the mail room on a daily basis. SalesMark also contains multiple contact name and number fields as well has a call history function which provides a "note pad" for recording text conversations with clients.

An important advantage of finding a single system that handles telemarketing as well as financial accounting is the ability to generate reports that cover all management needs. In addition to the standard reports available, many special reports were developed using SouthWare's ReportMate^TM module. The reports are so easy to modify that financial personnel can do it themselves without getting a programmer involved and data can be downloaded to Excel or Lotus 123.

SalesMark is a flexible solution that integrates the ever changing needs of the sales and telemarketing staff without sacrificing the integrity of core accounting functions.

SouthWare SalesMark

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