Success Stories

Activant Prophet 21 Helps Distributor Improve Efficiency and Customer Service

Outdoor Equipment Distributors of Raleigh, NC, originally founded in 1931 as the Raleigh Auto Supply Company, has been selling outdoor power equipment since 1955. The company officially changed its name to Outdoor Equipment Distributors in 1969 to reflect the change in its business. Since then, the company has continued to grow and now serves power outdoor equipment dealers throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee (Tri-Cities area), Virginia, and West Virginia.

Dramatic changes occurred in the power equipment industry through the 1990s. The emergence of mass-market retailers became a convenient way for manufacturers to sell large quantities of products, putting the squeeze on independent dealers to become more efficient. Outdoor Equipment Distributors had built its reputation on providing quality products in a timely fashion, yet cumbersome business processes, especially in warehousing, needed reevaluating to keep up with market demands. Outdoor Equipment Distributors' management wanted a comprehensive enterprise solution to streamline their distribution chain and boost earnings.

The Solution

After evaluating the available options, Outdoor Equipment Distributors selected Activant Prophet 21 to run its business operations. Outdoor Equipment Distributor management knew that Microsoft SQL Server would give Prophet 21 the scalability to allow growth plus the flexibility to integrate with other applications, both of which were more difficult with their previous system. Plus, the Crystal Reports feature provided a clear, readable format for reporting business information. Another asset for Prophet 21 was the addition of Activant's warehouse management system. Outdoor Equipment Distributors became the first Prophet 21 user to benefit from the warehouse management system using bar coding and RF technology to cut down the staff time and paper work necessary to generate and fulfill shipping orders.

The Result

Outdoor Equipment Distributors implemented Prophet 21 in March 1999 and immediately saw results. With Prophet 21, the company learned new ways to organize their business, an impressive feat according to Operations Manager Todd Holland. "We were impressed with Prophet 21's ability to help our business right out-of-the-box," said Holland. "This was helped along by the excellent training we received from Activant, which allowed us to use the system immediately after going live." In fact, Activant's customer service and consulting staff played a major role in Outdoor Equipment Distributor's purchasing decision.

"We feel that customer service and training are a top priority when choosing a software vendor, and we knew from our visit to Activant that we would have the support of a knowledgeable, professional staff," said Holland.

Compass provided another tremendous value in tandem with Prophet 21. This solution completely modernized Outdoor Equipment Distributors' warehouse operations. Ultimately, the new efficiency of the warehouse management feature saved Outdoor Equipment Distributors from having to hire two additional warehouse employees - a tremendous savings. Holland added, "Prophet 21 drastically improved our ability to serve dealers in an efficient, timely manner."

The Future

Outdoor Equipment Distributors has seen significant returns from its Activant solution and looks forward to the prospects of Internet commerce. Currently, the Outdoor Equipment Distributors Web site serves as an information tool, but does not drive any real commerce. Through Trading Partner Connect's B2B Seller, the Company plans to increase their Internet play, and Prophet 21 provides back-end solution to streamline this new process.

The future promises to be lucrative for distributors that make best use of technology, and Outdoor Equipment Distributors has positioned itself to do just that.

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