Distributors & Jobbers Service Market Manufacturers

Activant Eagle For J-CON Provides A Competitive Edge For Advantage Canandaigua

Executive Summary

Canandaigua is the Iroquois word meaning “chosen spot” and Advantage Canandaigua, also known as Finn Auto, chose to serve the automotive aftermarket in this beautiful location in the Finger Lakes area of western New York about 30 miles from Rochester. Starting as a family business some 60 years ago, Advantage Canandaigua is now owned by Hahn Automotive Warehouse, Inc. A long-term Activant user starting on Triad and later Activant J-CON®, Advantage Canandaigua recently migrated to Activant Eagle® for J-CON®. Since its painless conversion to Eagle, the store manager spends less time on back-office tasks and more time on valuable customer-facing activities at the counter. Countermen better serve customers with Internet access to manufacturer sites and Activant Cover-to-Cover™ at every station.

“Our J-CON system worked very well for us, but we recognized that a Windows-based solution was the future. We had the opportunity to migrate to Eagle and now the business benefits from functionality we didn’t have before,” explains store manager, Jeff Moulton.

Converting from Activant J-CON to Activant Eagle was a Breeze

Advantage Canandaigua began running on Eagle at the beginning of June in 2006. “The conversion process was easy. Activant’s support, installers, trainers and management team were phenomenal. Activant converted our data, trained our staff and stayed with us for a few days after go-live to make sure we were running smoothly. Most important, the change was transparent to our customers, except for the added capabilities we have with Eagle,” describes Jeff. “After a few weeks, the counter staff was completely proficient with the new system. I can see how easy it will be to train new employees on Eagle’s familiar Windows interface.”

Increased Order Accuracy and Special Orders with Internet Access and Activant Cover-to-Cover

Prior to Eagle, Advantage Canandaigua had Internet access and Cover-to-Cover on only one computer and since it was inconvenient to use, it wasn’t frequently used. Today with Eagle’s full Internet access on every computer, countermen regularly use the Internet to confirm part numbers, availability and other up-to-date information. Advantage Canandaigua also has Cover-to-Cover on every computer to help counter staff quickly find the right part. Cover-to-Cover is tightly integrated with Eagle and with a simple click in Activant Part Expert®, part pictures, diagrams, schematics and specifications appear on-screen and can be e-mailed or faxed to customers, or shown to customers in the store.

Approximately 30% of Advantage Canandaigua orders need research beyond simply entering a part number and generating an invoice. Countermen appreciate the ability to have multiple windows open and toggle between Eagle, Cover-to- Cover and various sites. “In our competitive environment the ability to deliver outstanding service is critical. It’s easy to move between Eagle and manufacturer Web sites to view additional information. We do a lot more special ordering now because it’s so easy,” explains Jeff. “Today we’re using Cover-to-Cover 100% more than we were before Eagle. Both it and Internet access helps us quickly meet customers needs and gives us a competitive edge. Our customers rely on us for expertise and our ability to reliably deliver the right parts. With convenient Internet access and Cover-to-Cover integrated with Eagle, it’s easier for us to deliver superior customer service, which gives us a competitive edge.”

Intuitive Reporting Saves Time and Aids Decision Making

Eagle’s flexible reporting saves Jeff a lot of valuable time that is better spent on customerfacing activities. “With our J-CON system, we had a lot of information available, but it was in standard or canned reports. If I needed information in a different way, I took information from several reports, typed it into Excel and did my analysis. Today with Eagle, I simply customize a report that contains what I want and either look at it on-screen, export to Excel or print it,” describes Jeff. “My favorite aspect is that I can drill into the details until I uncover exactly what I’m looking for. That is very helpful in quickly processing customer returns. A couple of clicks and we know exactly when the part was purchased and how much was paid.”

Jeff has a few key reports queued up for him to see every day. He looks at sales by customer compared to previous months. He looks at inventory levels. He looks at his salesperson’s performance, which is particularly important in maintaining good customer relationships. If Jeff notices a decrease in buying, he or his salesperson has a proactive conversation with the customer to determine the reason, which leads to preserving the relationship. “We don’t have an office staff. I do all of that myself. Back office tasks are 30% faster with Eagle. I now spend more time at the counter, which improves customer service and is more valuable to the business,” states Jeff.

The Future Looks Bright with Eagle

“We’re seeing positive changes in our business with Eagle. I spend less time in the back office. We more frequently use Cover-to-Cover and the Internet. We can do more for our customers such as e-mailing reports and part pictures,” says Jeff. “And we know there is even more we’ll do in the future with new features like signature capture. With Eagle, we have a foundation on which we can continue to add Activant modules and functionality that will continue to improve our business.”

"Back office tasks are 30% faster with Activant Eagle. I now spend more time at the counter, which improves customer service and is more valuable to the business."

Jeff Moulton
Store Manager
Advantage Canandaigua