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With the entire set of product knowledge available at the point of sale through an end-to-end solution, Great Lakes dealers can now provide their customers a better buying experience with quick and accurate quotes
DEERFIELD, IL, August
23, 2004 — Friedman Corporation, an enterprise software provider to the woodworking industry, announced today that Great Lakes Window, a Ohio-based manufacturer of vinyl custom windows and patio doors, has rolled out Friedman’s PowerBids, a quoting and remote order entry software for dealers, to provide tight information system integration between dealer and manufacturer, thereby improving overall customer service.
A fast-growing manufacturer of quality windows and doors with a network of dealers across United States, Great Lakes Windows sought ways to simplify the selling process for its dealers whose success is vital to the company’s own. Recognizing that preparing quotes and proposals for highly configured products like windows can be very tedious, time-consuming task, and prone to error, Great Lakes decided to enable their dealers with tightly integrated tools to help them in this area. The implemented end-to-end solution benefits both manufacturer and its dealers by saving time, cutting paperwork and reducing order errors throughout the supply chain. According to Beth Morris, Customer Service Manager at Great Lakes Window, “Having great products to sell is one thing. But having capability to accurately quote and place orders is just as important to Great Lakes’ dealers in providing quality customer service. Rolling out an integrated dealer system was the next step for our company in making order entry a much more efficient process to enhance customer’s overall buying experience.”
Friedman’s PowerBids dealer system allows Great Lakes’ dealers the ability to provide customers validated pricing right at their laptop PC and submit orders from customer’s home, speeding up order turnaround from days to seconds all the while eliminating costly errors. Pricing and product changes are controlled by the manufacturer and distributed to the field on a net change basis, providing support for rapid product deployment and flexible marketing promotions. Larson Home Improvement of Franklin, MN, one of Great Lakes’ dealers, states, “We’re big proponents of dealers-based order entry system that Great Lakes Window has implemented. It used to be that we’d have to spend hours every day reading acknowledgements when we could have been closing more sales and providing better service. Now, we get quicker turnaround time on our orders, the accuracy is much better, and we get more time to sell and attend to our customers’ needs.”
About Great Lakes Window
With a reputation for great quality and service, Great Lakes Window is well known for manufacturing quality patio doors and custom vinyl windows with outstanding energy efficiency and low maintenance. Great Lakes windows uses advanced manufacturing methods to create a solid one-piece window unit that is strong, precise and attractive. Its headquarters along with its manufacturing plant are located in Toledo, Ohio. All products are produced to meet and exceed customers’ unique requirements. For more information, visit www.greatlakeswindow.com
About Friedman Corporation
Friedman Corporation is a leading provider of
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) application software
specifically designed for the business needs of
building and home product manufacturers: cabinets,
windows, doors, and furniture manufacturers. The
company’s flagship ERP solution, Frontier,
delivers proven in-depth functionality for the management
of operations, financial, manufacturing, and distribution.
The solutions leverage the IBM iSeries and integrates
advanced new technologies such as Java, WebSphere,
and the Internet, to deliver to-order manufacturers
an ERP suite that best meets their complex business
needs. For more information, call 847-948-7180 or
visit www.friedmancorp.com. |
