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Case Study: Sullivan & Associates

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“dynaMACS has made my job so much more efficient. ”

Reyna Vargas, Office Manager
Sullivan & Associates, Inc.

Sullivan_Associates_LogoClient Challenge

Cumbersome and time consuming. That was the problem with Sullivan & Associates Sales, Inc.’s former sales and commission software.

The team knew time was being wasted on outdated software that was difficult to use and required the agency to enter non-essential information. But they didn’t realize the extent of the lost time until they used dynaMACS.




Sullivan_Associates_StatisticsdynaMACS Solution

A referral led Sullivan & Associates to dynaMACS, and they liked what they saw from the start. The first time-saver was the ease of use and intuitive screens that made the implementation simple. “We really didn’t need any assistance. We were up and running in no time,” says office manager Reyna Vargas.

Shortly after the agency began using dynaMACS it became even more apparent how much more efficient dynaMACS is than their prior software. “The amount of time it takes to enter commission statements has dropped from two weeks to four days,” Vargas says. That’s 112 hours of data entry time reduced to 32 – one third of the time it previously took!

One reason for the time savings: the old software required the agency to enter extraneous data. “We had to enter a lot of data that we didn’t need, but it was mandatory.”

Not so with dynaMACS. Agencies can customize data entry fields to collect only relevant information. For example, Vargas can set up her system to enter customer name, date, part number, quantity, sales rep split, PO number and more. Or if she doesn’t need some of that information, the fields are not required. They will be automatically skipped as she enters data.

Vargas’ overall impression of dynaMACS? “It’s made my job so much more efficient.”

Tip #1406 – dynaMACS Software Start Options

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You can set your preferences in dynaMACS so that either the Sales IQ, Process, eSi or cRm screens open first upon launching dynaMACS.  You can also set preferences so that when your Sales IQ screen opens, the Source field defaults to Sales or Commission Received.  The following explains how to set these preferences.

Setting the dynaMACS Main Screen Focus

You can select what screen you would like to appear when first launching dynaMACS by selecting it in the Preferences screen.  In the following example we will change the start screen from the dynaMACS Home screen to the Sales IQ screen.

  1. From the main dynaMACS screen select File>Preferences.Main Screen
  2. From the User Preferences screen go to field 29 – Start screen.  Select the down arrow to the right under the Preference column.  This will display all of the start options available.  Select SalesIQ from the drop down list and select the Save button and then the Exit button.  The next time you log into dynaMACS you will be in the Sales IQ screen.User Pref Screen 1

Setting the Sales IQ Screen Source Default

You can choose to have the Sales IQ screen start with the Source field defaulted to Sales OR Commission Received by setting it in the Preferences screen.  In the following example we will change the preference to start Sales IQ with the source of Commission Recd.

  1. From the main dynaMACS screen select File>Preferences.Main Screen
  2. From the User Preferences screen go to field 28 – Start Sales IQ As:.  Select the down arrow to the right under the Preference column.  This will display all of the start options available.  Select Commission Recd from the drop down list and select the Save button and then the Exit button.  The next time you log into Sales IQ the source will be defaulted to Commission Recd.User Pref Screen 2

Tip #1405 – Maximize the dynaMACS State/Region Zip Code Feature

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dynaMACS has a powerful feature that automatically populates the State/Region field based on the Zip Code entered when adding or updating customer records (provided a valid 5 digit zip code is used).  The use of the State/Region code is beneficial when generating reports in either Sales IQ or a Sales Analysis report.  The following instructions show you how to activate this feature.

***IMPORTANT!  PLEASE create a restore point before activating this feature and running the utilities!***

Example of a State/Region Report printed from Sales Analysis Rpt Generator:

Report Sample

Step 1:  Turn on the Auto Build State/Region Feature in System Information Setup

  1. From the dynaMACS main screen select Other Functions>Administration>System Information Setup.dynaMACS Main Screen 1
  2. Select the System Options tab.
  3. Check the box Automatically build State/Region upon Zip Code Change?
  4. Select the Save button.Sys Info Setup Screen

Step 2:  Run System Utility 1007 (Creates Customer State/Region codes table)

  1. From the dynaMACS main screen select Other Functions>Utilities>System UtilitiesdynaMACS Main Screen 3
  2. Select Utility #1007
  3. Select the Run buttonSys Utilities Screen 1
  4. Select the Yes button on the Confirmation dialog box.Confirmation Dialog Box  Delete Confirmation Box

Step 3:  Run System Utility 1008 (Replaces Customer State/Region codes in customer records)

  1. From the dynaMACS main screen select Other Functions>Utilities>System UtilitiesdynaMACS Main Screen 2
  2. Select Utility #1008
  3. Select the Run button to complete the update.Sys Utilities Screen 2

Tip #1404 – Using Sales IQ Filters in Versions 2013 and Above

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The Sales IQ Filters screen has been redesigned to include or exclude “ranges” of selection criteria.  For example, instead of selecting one State/Region code you can now enter a range of State/Region codes to filter on and then include them or exclude them from the list.  The new features include:

  • Selection Criteria field with options Starts With, Contains, or Does Not Contain
  • Value fields to be used in conjunction with the Selection Criteria fields
  • Include or Exclude This Range field

Example:

In the following example we will filter all customers in the State/Region range of OH439 thru OH440.

  1. In the Customer section of the Filters screen select Starts With from the drop down box in the State/Region field.
  2. Enter OH439 in the lookup field directly to the right of Starts With.
  3. Enter OH440 in the lookup field directly to the left of Include/Exclude This Range.
  4. SelectInclude this Range from the range drop down box.
  5. Select the Apply Button.Filters Screen
  6. After selecting Apply, you will be returned to the Sales IQ screen and only customers in State/Region code range OH439 thru OH440 appear in the Customer list.
  7. To clear the filter select Normal Data from the Filter drop down list.SIQ Screen

Case Study: Bowerman Marketing Group

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“dynaMACS takes reporting capabilities to new levels.”

Judy Tingley, Office Manager
Jane Janosik, Customer Service
Bowerman Marketing Group

Bowerman_Marketing_Group_LogoClient Challenge

In 2004, Bowerman Marketing Group learned that the sales agency software they had been using was discontinued. The software had been sufficient and provided the agency with good information about sales and commissions. When seeking new software, Office Manager Judy Tingley visited dynaMACS at a trade show. She quickly realized that dynaMACS provided everything that their old software did and much more.

Bowerman_Marketing_Group_Statistics

dynaMACS Solution

“I was pleased with the reporting capabilities. The number of choices to sort sales and commission information was greatly enhanced,” she says. “dynaMACS provides the flexibility in reporting that we need. Our sales force benefits from territorial reports by salesman. The specific agency reports provide valuable overall information by manufacturers and customers. It enables us to view where the most activity is, where we need to improve our efforts and to cover our territory more effectively and efficiently”.

Jane Janosik, primary user of dynaMACS, provides the owner with weekly and monthly reports. She notes, “The software helps us run the business.”Janosik likes the monthly and year-to-year comparison data and uses this to assess reports from the manufacturers.

Tingley recalls the process of transferring data from the old software to dynaMACS. “dynaMACS customer service helped us every step of the way and nothing was lost in the process.”

Now, years later, dynaMACS is there whenever the agency needs assistance. “We always get a timely response and the representatives are very helpful and patient. They answer our questions, resolve our issues and continue to make improvements to the software.

Tip #1403 – Using Sales Entry Options to Customize Your Sales Entry Screen

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To increase efficiency during sales entry, you can customize some settings temporarily for the current session or permanently for all sessions. You can even have different customized settings for each manufacturer.

Changing “Sales Entry Options” Default Settings

  1. From the dynaMACS main screen menu options select Process Sales Entry Options.DM Main Screen
  2. The Sales Entry Options window will open. Each customizable option correlates to a field on the Sales Entry screen.
  3. Select the applicable options from each drop down list and then choose the Apply button to apply these settings to the current session. Select the Save button to save these settings as the default settings for all future sessions.These default settings apply to all manufacturers without an established record in Sales Entry Options. See the next section in this document on Changing Sales Entry Options for a Manufacturer to customize sales entry for a manufacturer.Sales Entry Screen 1

Changing Sales Entry Options for a Manufacturer

The Sales Entry Options screen also allows you to create customized entry options for individual manufacturers by selecting a manufacturer, choosing the applicable options and then selecting the Save button.  Once you have sales entry options saved for a manufacturer, each time you enter sales for this manufacturer the Sales Entry screen will reflect the options chosen here for that manufacturer.

  1. From the Sales Entry Options screen select the Manufacturer radio button and enter the Manufacturer Code.
  2. Select the applicable options from each drop down list and then choose the Save button. These options will be saved for all Sales Entry sessions for that manufacturer.Sales Entry Screen 2

Field Descriptions and Available Options for Customizing Sales Entry fields:

Set Focus to Mfg After Save – Selecting Yes will save the settings so that after saving an entry the Mfg code is saved for the next sales entry.  Selecting No will leave the Mfg field blank for the next sales entry.

Customer – Allows you to select the customer using Customer Code, Manufacturer/Customer Code or Manufacturer Related code.  This is useful when you are entering from a sales report or commission statement that has the manufacturer’s customer code.

Sales Rep – By selecting Enter the cursor will STOP at the first Sales Rep field (primary).  By selecting Skip the cursor will SKIP the first Sales Rep field primary.

Sales Rep (%) – Commission split percentage for the primary sales rep.

  • Enter (default) – Allows operator to enter an override for the rep split.
  • Skip – Bypass this field.

Multiple Sales Rep % – Allows entry of second and third sales reps and their commission split percentages.  Note:  Rep (%) must be active.

  • Enter (default) – Sets the fields as active; however, the cursor skips over these fields to minimize keystrokes during entry.  You can use the Shift-Tab keys to go back and change these fields.
  • Skip – Bypass this field.

P.O. No. – Allows entry of the Purchase Order number.

  • Enter – The cursor stops at this field for entry of each purchase order number.
  • Skip (default) – bypass this field.

Invoice No. – Allows entry of the invoice number.

  • Enter (default) – Cursor appears in this field for entry of each invoice number.
  • Skip – Bypass this field.

Invoice Date – Allows entry of the invoice date.

  • Enter (default) – The cursor stops at this field for each invoice.
  • Skip – The field stays active but the cursor does not stop at this field.  You can use the mouse or the Shift-Tab keys to go back and change the invoice date.

Post Month – Sets the month/year for posting of the sales entry.  (Field is always active but the cursor does not stop at this field to minimize keystrokes.  You can use the Shift-Tab keys or the mouse to go back and change it.  If you change this field, it changes back to the original setting after the current entry is saved.)

  • InvMth (default) – Uses the month and year from the invoice date as Post Month.  This is the default setting for dynaMACS.
  • PrMth – Uses the Process Month as the Post Month.  The Process Month is in the yellow box under the Options toolbar on the Sales Entry screen.  If this month and year is not correct, cancel the session and start over.

Non-Comm/Total $ – Allows entering non-commissionable amount to calculate the total for the entry.

  • Enter (default) – Cursor stops in this field after entering Sales ($) amount to enter freight or discounts.
  • Skip – bypass this field.

Commission – Activates the field for entering commission by amount of percentage.

  • Comm$ (default) – Activates the Commission$ field to enter a commission amount.
  • Comm% – Activates the Comm% field to enter a commission percentage.