Jacuzzi retailer standardises on ACCPAC hosted solutions

ACCPAC has announced that independent Jacuzzi retailer, TRU Spas, has implemented ACCPAC hosted business management applications to handle all of its accounting, customer relationship management (CRM) and Web-store functions.

"To capture the growth predicted for the spa market and to pre-empt competition, TRU Spas needed to deploy sophisticated business management applications that would meet the needs of customers, prospects, suppliers and dealers, along with accounting and sales staff," says Keith Fenner of ACCPAC.

TRU Spas opted for a suite of products delivered via a software subscription service at ACCPAC Online, www.accpaconline.com, ACCPAC's application hosting facilities. The products deployed are ACCPAC Advantage Series accounting, ACCPAC eCRM customer relationship management, and ACCPAC eTransact Web-store solutions.

TRU Spas wanted to get its new applications in place quickly. With limited IT personnel on staff, it needed to find a way to get going without hiring more people. By selecting ACCPAC's hosted business management applications, the company avoided complicated IT implementations.

"Installation was effortless, allowing TRU Spas to focus on administrative set-up and internal training, rather than networking or server configuration," says Fenner.

In addition, with its ACCPAC subscription, budgeting is more accurate and there are fewer surprises, which is essential to an entrepreneurial business whose core concern is generating working capital.

"Another important factor in shortening implementation time was ACCPAC's in-depth product integration," says Stephen Knapp, finance director at TRU Spas. "The ACCPAC products are all integrated right out of the box, so implementation focuses on customisation, if needed, rather than basic data integration.

"As a result, time-consuming tasks such as separate data entry and translation between disparate products is eliminated, thus increasing business efficiency and productivity. Access to data is smooth and streamlined."

With ACCPAC eCRM, TRU Spas leverages the data integration benefits from the very first contact with prospects. TRU Spas staff can now begin tracking and servicing prospects by using the Web for direct lead capture at marketing events such as trade shows.

These instant leads, complete with information about the prospect's product preferences, are available to salespeople throughout the company even before prospects leave the show floor.

The profile data enables TRU Spas salespeople to tailor their offerings to the specific needs of the prospect. Once a sale is closed, all customer data, from initial contact forward, is available to TRU Spas staff.

"Since the customer data is fully integrated with the accounting system, sales reps can look up not only a customer's contact information but also their credit status, payment history and status of any outstanding orders, among other details," Fenner explains. "With complete customer information at their fingertips, they are equipped to service customers effectively and create additional sales opportunities."

TRU Spas is opening showrooms, recruiting dealers, negotiating partnerships and developing indirect sales channels. This expansion makes lead sharing among all parties important. Regardless of where or how leads originate, TRU Spas is using ACCPAC eCRM to track them to closing.

"As a prospect progresses through the buying process, TRU Spas can develop their profile in great detail with ACCPAC eCRM," concludes Knapp. "It enables us to provide potential clients with tailored information before they reach a decision, giving us a competitive-edge."