Posted by Stacy Jackson
When I opened the November 16, 2009, Special Issue of InformationWeek, the first thing I read was the “Down to Smarter Business” section written by editor, Rob Preston. His article headline is “People Want Results, Not ‘Solutions.’” That got me to thinking about the Answers Systems ContractPro® “solutions” versus the “results” our clients get from our trade promotion management solutions. While our offering is best-in-class for foodservice manufacturers, it’s really the results of those solutions that keep clients happy.
The ContractPro® online application is intuitive and has robust reporting and analytics. But, our clients don’t use the system just because it’s easy to use and has great reporting. It’s those features plus a whole lot of other benefits/results in the areas of risk mitigation, resource allocation, and return on investment.
Today let’s look at how the ContractPro® solution helps manage risk.
ContractPro® clients can rest assured that their data is secure with Answers Systems. We are a SAS 70 Type II certified vendor, and we have the processes in place to support the management, maintenance, and security of all of your trade promotion data. The ContractPro® online solution . . .
- Prevents “lost” contracts: the centralized contract entry and management system ensures that draft, approved, and expiring contracts never get misplaced. Therefore, there is less potential for lost sales dollars and increased deductions due to lost contract documentation, lack of approval, or mismanagement of expiring contracts.
- Provides transparency across the organization with viewing/editing/authoring rights assigned via hierarchy. Transparency means less time spent hunting down contract documentation – savings in labor hours.
- Protects you against “maverick” contracts through use of the ContractPro® approval process and contract letter. By locking down the approval process and requiring use of the ContractPro® letter, you have assurance that the contract recipients, barring any data entry errors on their side, will have matching terms, SKUs, dates, rates, etc. This can prevent overpayments and reduce deductions.
- Helps you adhere to trade regulations: the ContractPro® solution and Answers Systems settlement services help clients comply with Sarbanes-Oxley regulations. Additionally, our standard and custom reports help you monitor trends that can alert you to potential Robinson-Patman infractions, etc.
- Helps you keep your sales force on budget with reports such as Budget vs. Spend.
- Provides protection of sensitive data during the employee separation process and provides a seamless transition of any account/contract-related data to new owners.
Check back tomorrow to hear more about how the ContractPro® solution and Answers Systems helps clients see results with regard to resource allocation.
Technorati tags: reporting, trade promotion management, analytics,standardization