Ferguson Lumber Increases Productivity and Improves Business Performance with Conversion from CS2000
Ferguson Lumber has been a family-run business since shortly after the Civil War. Beginning as a lumber mill, over the past 137 years Ferguson Lumber has grown to become two hardware stores and two home improvement centers. Serving a large area west of Indianapolis, 12 vehicles are in constant motion delivering materials to customers and moving goods between locations. Ferguson Lumber is successful in this highly competitive business by delivering superior customer service. Owner Joe Collings made the decision to be among the first to migrate fromCS2000 to Activant Eagle™ for Windows. In two months since going live, some functions are performing as much as 50% faster and Joe believes that the reporting capabilities of Business Advisor™ alone, made the conversion worthwhile.
"CS2000 was stretched to meet our needs. Reporting was laborious. I didn't have an up-to-date picture throughout the day, as data was only consolidated across the four locations nightly. Tracking accounts receivable and inventory was difficult. We knew we needed to make a change and I wanted to be among the first, not the last," explains Joe. "In the short time that we've been live with Eagle, I see that Eagle for Windows meets our needs today and we feel confident it will continue to in the future. Activant's dedication to providing industry leading solutions gives us a competitive edge we didn't have with CS2000."
Smooth Conversion With Activant and Do it Best Assistance
Ferguson Lumber started preparing data for conversion about three months before go-live. The Do it Best CS2000 team provided CS2000 queries that determine which data needed to be corrected in order to optimize the conversion, and Joe's team made the changes. Employees used Eagle training modules before go-live to familiarize themselves with the new system. Activant conducted on-site training for a full week before go-live, and two Activant experts were on-site at each location for the first two days after go-live.
"Our Activant trainer understands the building materials business. It's a true advantage to have someone on-site that understands our business challenges," continues Joe. "In fact, we're bringing him back to do additional training. Now that we perform the basic Eagle functions, we want to learn how to use the full functionality of Eagle to our advantage. The system is so rich, we couldn't master it all before conversion."
Multi-Location Inventory Management is Dramatically Improved With Eagle
Inventory management is touted as being Joe's favorite Eagle components. Inventory transfers between stores are now automated, instead of being hand-written and then data entered. Generating purchase orders and easily receiving goods into inventory is one-step compared to a multi-step process with CS2000.Ferguson Lumber is already seeing 50% reduction in the time required to perform these functions.
"Prior to Eagle, we were hand-writing transfers between stores. There were often lags between when data was entered at shipping and receiving locations and I wouldn't have an accurate picture of inventory levels," remarks Joe. "Now with Eagle, goods are automatically removed from the sending location's inventory and added to the receiving location's inventory upon receipt. I have a better overall view of inventory."
Armed with accurate and timely inventory data, Ferguson Lumber better balances inventory between locations and increases turns. "It's much easier for us to assess our inventory. We can eliminate product that isn't selling and easily move product between locations. The net result is that we've reduced our overall inventory levels and increased turns," asserts Joe.
Eagle Delivers Gains Throughout the Business
Eagle Point-of-Sale is fast. Ferguson Lumber floor staff and cashiers appreciate Eagle QuickFind™ with which they quickly and easily search for products and prices. Eagle's ability to work in off-line mode is very useful during power outages and internet service disruptions. Transactions are processed and stored in off-line mode, and when service is available, those transactions are uploaded.
Customer account data is readily available with Eagle. With more than 60% of Ferguson Lumber's revenue charged to an in-house account, the ability to manage receivables is critical. "It's easier to run aging reports and focus our collection efforts. Equally important is that during the sale transaction, we see account status and can decide whether to extend additional credit," remarks Joe. "As we further implement the Document Management module, customers will be empowered to look at their account status on-line which will both deliver additional customer service and accelerate payments."
Business Advisor--a Valuable Business Management Tool
Similar to many small businesses, Ferguson Lumber doesn't have an IT staff and with Eagle, it isn't necessary. Business Advisor, in particular, provides robust management reporting with an easy-to-use interface. When Joe saw a demonstration of Business Advisor, he was immediately convinced that Eagle was the system Ferguson Lumber needed.
"Business Advisor is the reason we converted to Eagle. For me, and the management team, to have a snapshot of our business at any point in time, and drill to detail as needed, is extremely valuable," asserts Joe. "Throughout the day we see sales, turns, inventory valuation and customer account status. And we have the flexibility to view that data and compare it to previous periods and industry standards. Now that we have Eagle for Windows with Business Advisor, I can't imagine running the business without them."
