Auto One has been using the software since the late 1980's. In that time the store has progressed from a Novel 2.1 network and the DOS version of the software to a five computer network with multiple printers and bar-coding.

Geof used most of the features in the old DOS program and was enthusiastic the become involved in the development of the new Windows product.

"Good stock control is essential to the running of this business."

Bar-coding:
With the DOS environment, the bar coding was not a cost effective option, so although the software was designed to handle it, he had opted not to include it in the original install.

With the new windows environment, the cost of setting up and operating a bar coding system is negligible, so became the obvious choice.

 "Trade sales have become a significant part of our sales, because of our reliability and price competitiveness ."

Retail and Trade Sales:
One of the main features of the Auto One stores is that they do both Retail and Trade sales. A retail sale only requires a till receipt, whereas the trade customers prefer a fully featured invoice format which includes (among other features) the price they pay as well as the rrp of the product.

To achieve this without compomising the ease of use and speed of processing sales, the software automatically prints the sale to the appropriate printer without intervention from the till operator.

"+Impact POS has been good for us because we spend time spend with the customer to provide the solution they want, rather than battling the computer."

Trade Sales:
As briefly mentioned above, the Auto One stores do a large number of trade sales. When we developed the new program, Geof's input to the trade sales side was invaluable. His requirement was the ability to sell not only at retail pricing, but to also sell at various trade prices. The +Impact Windows program has the ability to sell at up to 10 different trade prices. This is based on a matrix table of rates, which provide an almost limitless combination of selling prices for the customer base. For example, fast moving items like oils which have a lower margin need to be sold at a different margin than an air filter for the same trade customer.

From the stock card, Geof can see the various cost prices, the selling prices and the markup rate and margin rate for each item.

Sales History:
The complete sales history is recorded for each customer. This enables the operator to ensure consistent pricing for a product to the customer, and factual information to base and queries about. If necessary, the selling price for the trade customer can be pegged to the last price they paid, irrespective of the trade pricing structures.

"Purchase right so we can sell right."

Stock Control/Re-ordering:
As you can imagine, Geof has a lot of stock lines to keep a track of. The stock items may have one or more suppliers. Each stock item will have a preferred supplier. Geof has identified the minimum number of each item he keeps in stock. He knows from the suppliers, the quantities he has to purchase in, and in some cases, he sets the maximum quantity he wants to carry in stock.

From this information, the purchase program can generate a reorder suggestion which can be edited and sent to the supplier, then stored as a purchase order.

This purchase order is then retrieved as the goods come in. He can check the price and quantity, putting the unsupplied items on back order, or deleting them if they can't be supplied. The completed order is then processed to become an suppliers invoice, updating the creditor record and all purchase history on the stock system and creditor history.