Microsoft 2015 Convergence

You say or mention Microsoft around just about every distributor and their employees and they respond “Excel” almost in unison. Some will say ‘Outlook’, ‘Power Point’ or ‘Access’. Very few will say AX (The ERP software) or AX Dynamics. Your kids and grand kids will say ‘X Box’ or all the programs that go along with them.

Microsoft is a huge worldwide company with many facets to what they offer. At one time Microsoft had a reputation of being very rigid….do it the Microsoft way or hit the highway. Not so now! Microsoft has opened up the tent so to speak. They have lots of VARS that specialize in reports (BI to some) and various forms of CRM.  They do have their programs like MS Office, Skype Technology and their basic ERP software (AX) The result of opening up the tent so to speak are some astounding success stories such as AccuWeather.

For example, AccuWeather.com is built using Microsoft technology and what you see on the Internet at AccuWeather takes 9.5 BILLION hits a day … world wide. I got to talk to a few people at AccuWeather and they don’t have any down time. That got me thinking about some distributor web sites that freeze up with far fewer hits. But it also got me thinking about back office productivity with current ERP systems and how many have problems just importing a single Excel price sheet into their 10-20+ year old ERP systems.

Back Office Functions of Connectivity

The modern day distributor that purchases a new ERP system can have one click connectivity and have native built in functions that they don’t have to pay to have customized. They can also look for some world class Inventory and connectivity across many platforms.

This is very basic, but with the connectivity function between Excel and Microsoft AX, assuming they have permission, the user can import price sheets and data with a single click of the mouse. The native ability (built into MS Excel 2010  or newer)  shows up on the Excel tool bar at the top of an open Excel sheet. This is very similar to the import function for Quickbooks Pro. Other ERP’s still have problems importing Excel into their systems and while this may not seem like a big deal, it is. It is the same sort of functional connectivity that you see in MS Word, Excel, Power Point and Outlook.

The modern day distributor using Microsoft AX, along with Advance Supply Chain software from I.B.I.S. Inc., now gives the distributor all of the internal functions that most would have had to buy as add on modules with other companies. They have covered all of the bases of how to set up and collect SPA’s to inventory control. Combing Business Intelligence (BI) and CRM is something that gives the distributor the horsepower to meet business challenges of today and in the future.

Skype and the possibilities

The use of Skype and the technology that surrounds Skype will enter the distributor’s business arena sooner than what one might think. The functionality of Apple’s Facetime, which is offered on iPhones, could sooner than later be in your inside sales areas. Your company will be able to offer live assist, or training or connectivity with your customer in the field as they explain a problem.

So, over the next few days, I’ll share some other company insights that I got to see first hand. You’ll be surprised at what is now available  that can help a distributor increase back-office productivity while at the same time run customer facing marketing programs while you look at your own business intelligence. Convergence 2015, which was a Microsoft event, brought together many companies that have unique software, built on Microsoft platforms, that can drive distributor sales and profitability.

Technology and data is everywhere

The tools for the modern day distributor have converged at Microsoft which now commands attention by businesses that normally think of Microsoft as being limited to Excel. As the expression goes, Microsoft is not your dad’s 1980s Oldsmobile.