Usgift.Com Launches Sales Force Software

Furniture World Magazine

USgift.com, an Internet wholesale distributor, today announced the roll-out of order-entry software for sales representatives in the gift, garden and home decorative accessories industry. Sales agency K. L. Kravis & Associates in Detroit, Michigan, will test the software in a pilot beginning this month. USgift.com will provide the new order-entry software and training free to sales agencies. Developed specially for use in the field and in showrooms in the gift and home decorative accessories industry, the software is designed to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of sales orders and provide access to USgift.com's Web-based commission tracking process. "We want to give sales representatives the best possible tools to increase sales for their suppliers and reduce administrative overhead. This technology will allow sales representatives in the field to transmit orders quickly and effectively," said John Hayes, CEO and founder of USgift.com. With the new order-entry software, sales representatives meeting with retailer buyers will be able to scan product orders into their database and transmit orders directly into USgift.com's Web-based system for order processing and tracking. A compact notebook computer, barcode scanner and portable printer will be made available at special rates through USgift.com's relationships with Dell Computers and IBM. "We're building the foundation for a mobile, lightweight system that's scalable and that can extend into other highly mobile platforms to improve sales representatives' ability to collect orders during sales calls and transmit those orders each night," said Mark Eggers, manager of sales force automation for USgift.com. USgift.com used Microsoft Corp.'s DNA architecture to develop the technology foundation so that the order-entry software would be compatible with Microsoft Office products, added Eggers. "We polled sales representatives and experts in the industry to study order-entry automation before embarking on the development of this product," he said. "We realized that existing order-entry software didn't address all the needs we heard sales representatives expressing. Therefore, we focused our software development on functionality of the database, scalability, support, systems integration and communications reliability, which were all identified as crucial features by sales representatives. Our new package rolls all that up into one automated business solution." Eggers noted that the need has always existed for order-entry software specially tailored to sales representatives in the gift, garden and home decorative accessories industry, but expense and the intense labor required to develop and maintain such a tool prevented sales agencies from implementing it. "We're glad USgift.com has taken the lead in developing sales force order-entry software specific to our needs. We accepted the invitation to participate in the roll-out because we know USgift.com is dedicated to improving order-entry efficiency and commission processing for our sales representatives. Implementing software like this is an important step forward for our industry," said Gerry Byrnes, President of K. L. Kravis & Associates. The test pilot kicks off with a training session for Kravis & Associates sales representatives, who will receive laptops with the software pre-installed and pre-tested. After the pilot, USgift.com will make the order-entry software available for free to the nearly 70 sales agencies that are working with USgift.com, which includes about 1,000 individual sales representatives. Dell will provide a packaged system so that sales representatives receive laptops with the order-entry software pre-installed and pre-tested. USgift.com will provide hands-on training sessions for all sales representatives and make the hardware, including laptops, scanners and printers, available at special lease or buy rates as part of the relationship with Dell. "We're launching this software to provide our agency partners with technology that will enhance their business. We want to help them build a truly mobile office," Eggers noted. About USgift.com: Atlanta-based USgift.com provides wholesale distribution in the gift, garden and home decorative accessories industries by purchasing products from manufacturers and re-selling the products to "bricks and mortar" retailers and online retailers. Using the Internet, USgift.com's B2B Web site offers retailers 24-hour access and ordering capabilities, quality in-demand products, secure and reliable site systems, and superior customer care. USgift.com has secured more than $31 million in equity capital and is backed by Internet Capital Group, Gilbert Global Equity Partners and Ingram Industries, and has several leading strategic partners including Ingram Fulfillment Partners, Microsoft Corporation and GE Capital Commercial Services. For more information visit www.usgift.com