Success Stories

David Shaw knows a thing or two about customer service. The CIO of Selecta Products, a California-based master distributor of electrical components and supplies, understands that customer service goes beyond "service with a smile;" that it is both a commodity and a concept an organization must offer to best the competition.

One only needs to look at Selecta's past to understand how this philosophy translates to evolution. "We started 30 years ago by offering a switch display program to help distributors meet their customers' needs, but when our competition got in on the game, we had to offer something more," recalls Shaw. "So we began labeling the displays with the distributors' names. It was still our product, but branded to each individual customer."

Because Selecta sells only to distributors, Shaw explains that they must offer everything from indicator lights, switches, and terminals to fasteners, power tools, and accessories to maintain a strong hold on the market and give their customers access to the product lines they need to succeed. "We're a family-based company, and we consider the customer a part of that family, so success is a shared endeavor," he says.

Embracing this familial attitude means making life simpler and more efficient for all parties, and Selecta has found their answer in B2B Seller, Activant's fully integrated Web-based storefront solution.

"We saw the need to capture the convenience and a competitive advantage a B2B storefront offers," Shaw explains. "If one of my customers was looking at me versus a competitor, and the competitor has his literature, and I have my literature and Web address, then I'm one step ahead."

Product Placement

Selecta treats customer service as equal parts attentiveness and convenience, and with B2B Seller, they are able to assess their distributors' needs and position products with seer-like accuracy. Since many distributors place repeat orders, Shaw uses B2B Seller's ability to track frequently bought items to offer a simplified shopping experience. "We offer our customers predefined shopping lists comprised of products like seasonal A items," says Shaw. "All they have to do is select the items they need from the list, which reduces their keystrokes and saves a lot of time."

Shaw understands that a close relationship is a strong one and therefore appreciates B2B Seller's ability to forge a connection with Selecta's customers that far exceeds the convenience of an electronic catalog. For Shaw, B2B Seller is a data tool, one that provides round-the-clock access to critical information, as much as it is an engine of commerce.

"It's important to offer services that aren't directly connected to your products, like the real-time order and shipping data that helps our distributors better serve their customers," explains Shaw. "If a customer can track an order on their own, then you have a tool that saves time, but because they do this while we're closed, or on a Sunday night, the time savings are combined with an unmatched level of convenience."

A Close Relationship

The simplicity, accessibility, and convenience of Selecta's B2B Seller site has yielded return on investment (ROI) of both the measurable and intangible variety, which Shaw calls "hard ROI" and "soft ROI," respectively. While the measurable, purely mathematical hard ROI may be more attractive on paper, it is the latter Shaw finds most rewarding. "It's easy enough to say that such and such has increased because of the site, but it's what we can't measure, the good will, where the site makes the biggest impact," he says.

"We don't often hear how our site makes people feel, but we can tell when customers are in tune with what we're doing, so we've found a way to further our reputation and standing," Shaw adds. "It's an image we want to foster, and our site gives us the ability to do that."

Part of this ability, according to Shaw, comes from B2B Seller's integration with Activant's Windows-based solution, Activant Prophet 21™. Through a direct connection to Prophet 21, the status of all B2B Seller orders are updated in real time, giving both Selecta and their customers access to only the most pertinent and timely order information.

"For us, the link between B2B Seller and Prophet 21 makes the biggest difference in open orders, because our customers can see exactly what's going on with their orders at any hour of the day," explains Shaw. "They can see when we process the order internally, mark it as 'shipped,' and send it out the door - and they never have to wait until the end of the day to see this information.

"They're so interconnected that I like to think of B2B Seller as the online extension of Prophet 21, like Prophet 21 part two," adds Shaw.

Since enhancing their reputation hinges upon customers embracing their B2B Seller site, Shaw views Selecta's relationship with Activant as an integral factor in a successful future. "This is a partnership, there's no question about it," he says. "Activant listens to what I say, they encourage and are receptive to my feedback, and are committed to improving and enhancing an already powerful tool - overall, you can't get much better than that."

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