Optimal Sales & Merchandising is Optima Group solution for the automation of the sales force.

Description:

Optima Group develops complete customized solutions for sales force automation. The benefits of such solution are increase in efficiency of sales force, updating of sales and delivery information in real time, improvement of relationship with customers and partners and cost reduction.

The main modules of these solutions are: 

• front-end module, installed at the sales representative (on a portable computing device - PDA - Personal Digital Assistant). This module facilitates on-site data gathering
• backoffice module, installed on the main server of the company, which is the central point were all the data is collected and processed for reporting purposes
• communication module, which allows for instant data transmission to the head office via a mobile telephone network (GSM, CDMA, etc)

The main procedures of this application are:

•    Sales management
•    Customer credit
•    Merchandising
•    Marketing
•    Stock reports
•    Analysis
•    Reports

1. Pocket PC Application - Functional Specifications

Mobile solution covers three main activities:

 1.1 Pre-Selling (order taking)

 1.2 Direct Selling (invoicing)

 1.3 Merchandising

Main functionalities for each of these modules are described bellow.

 1.1 Pre-Selling:

•    Management of information about products, orders, payments, clients;
•    Outlet (Point of Activity - POA) data maintenance;
•    Daily visit plan to outlets;
•    Order taking;
•    Payments.

 1.2 Direct Selling:

• Management of information about products, orders, delivered goods, payments, clients;
• Outlet data maintenance;
• Daily visit plan to outlets;
• Stock management for the VAN: loading, unloading, inventory;
• Invoicing;
• Return of goods;
• Payments;
• Data analyses.

 1.3 Merchandising :

• Management of information about products (own and competitors), POSMs, clients;
• Outlet data maintenance;
• Daily visit plan to outlets;
• Information about own and competitor products presence;
• Information about own and competitor’s POSM presence;
• Collection of status information about equipment installed at customer’s location;
• Data collection for “call-cards” defined by Trade Marketing dept.: facings, price survey and other needed types of data;
• Promotions’ monitoring;
• Agents’ and distributors’ monitoring;
• Other important information of the market.

2) BackOffice Application - Functional Specifications

 The main functionalities of the BackOffice solution are:

• Management of new POA imported from PocketPC;
• Management of POA under specific responsibilities of BO Administrator;
• Agents’ orders management;
• Agents’ invoices management;
• Daily routes management;
• Payments management;
• Promotions management;
• Discounts management;
• “Call-cards” management for Merchandising data collection;
• Reports management;
• Import/export from/to accounting software.

2.1 Analysis and Reporting

BackOffice application provides a powerful analysis and reporting tool based on Microsoft OLAP tool.

The reports for Pre-Selling and Direct Selling activities are usualy obtained in accounting software.

For Merchandising activity, reports are grouped in major categories::

• Outlets (POA Univerve) analysis;
• Distribution/availability of products;
• Pricing analysis;
• POSMs analysis;
• Promotions analysis;
• Sales Force – Field work analysis;
• Other information analysis.