

October 2009 From the Desk of \| Tip \| Announcements \| Industry News \| Special Offer When we graduate from school, we think we’re done being graded. No more report cards or GPAs. No more teachers breathing down our necks or parents checking up on us. No more tests, term papers or all-nighters. Then we enter the “real world” and quickly learn that life is littered with evaluations. From the water cooler to the boardroom, we must perform. We are judged in official annual reviews and unofficial daily reviews. Do we arrive early enough? Stay late enough? Do we work fast enough? Hard enough? Are we good enough? We assess our personal lives, too. Who has a better car, bigger house, and designer clothes? Or who has the best-looking spouse or the best-behaved kids? Whose favorite sports team is faster or stronger? We even seek reviews voluntarily, such as by a favorite for this time of year: Halloween costume contests. If evaluation is inevitable, but we’re so caught up in reviewing ourselves and others, who’s grading our business? Sure, there are owners, shareholders and board members; but, usually they’re focused on high-level decisions. And, if the company is making money, all is well. Then there are customers; but, most times they are silent unless something goes wrong. There also are awards programs, like the one our partner Phocas just won; but, those are more for bragging rights than for internal evaluation. So, who is reviewing the intricate details of the business operation? Operational reviews may be the responsibility of an operations manager; but, it can be nearly impossible to evaluate from the inside out. In addition, my experience with ERP systems such as Eclipse and SAP has taught me that, when it comes to software, you only know what you know, and you don’t know what you don’t know. For some people, that’s like living in darkness as if you never knew daylight exists: you think the dark is just fine! And then, someone turns on the lights ... In the past four years, Zerion has had great opportunities to show distributors new ways of doing things, to uncover options they aren’t taking advantage of, and to demonstrate little changes that make big differences. Often, this happens during a UFO training session or when we’re consulting on a problem or conversion. However, the most likely opportunity for uncovering these “hidden gems” is during an operational audit. During my time at Hughes (now HD Supply), we learned the value of grading ourselves. After a location converted to Eclipse, we’d go back 90 days later and perform a comprehensive audit to be sure the employees were properly trained and were using the system to its fullest potential. Now, we do the same kinds of audits for our customers, and we do them at many different stages during their time on Eclipse. During an operational audit, we spend 3 days in the warehouse, the office and the system to bring shortcomings of the operation and system set-up to the forefront. For instance, many customers have never questioned why the control files and ship via print statuses' are set the way they are. Why are some ship vias set to Qs and others to Ms? Is there an easier way? Typically, the answer is "yes." Others have never thought about using Picking Confirmation to manage pick tickets in the warehouse. Do you find yourself printing multiple pick ticket copies, too? You can set up a Work Ticket, Routing Copy, or Yard Ticket. Or, something as simple as buying a label printer and printing shipping labels from Eclipse can take little time to set up; but, can cut down on minutes per day, per person. There are many other helpful options that are only a few clicks away; but, you have to first know they exist and then understand how to use them. It’s kind of like when you needed a little extra guidance and advice from a neutral party back in those school days. Your teacher had a specific, but limited, role in your development, just as your software vendor does. Your parents (and now your boss) were focused on the bigger picture and didn’t necessarily “get” the specifics of what was going on at school. Sometimes it was the guidance counselor who gently showed you what you were missing and pointed you in the right direction; be it for your career, for higher education, or for your life. He or she may have been evaluating your situation, but always had your best interests at heart and had suggestions to help take you to the next level. It is that outside perspective from an expert resource that can really make the difference. My resolve today is that you find a guidance counselor who can help you “turn on the lights.” If you happen to decide that’s us, we’d be honored. Check out our special of the month for a great deal. Tony King, Vice President 321.229.1089 Back to Top What’s happening with distribution, software and business? Zerion is committed to being a resource for our clients and friends. In the newsroom on our Web site, we have an RSS feed supplying new articles all the time. We also have some links to industry news. Here are some of the recent articles we found most interesting: Kriz-Davis Selects Activant to Advance Its Business to the Next Level Sonepar USA, Hagemeyer North America Form New Organization for Mid-Atlantic Locations Oracle vs. SAP: Like Mac vs. PC, Without the Funny Ads Grainger acquires Imperial Supplies Want more news? Visit us at: www.zeriongroup.com/newsroom/industrynews.html Back to Top Operational Audits Now 1/2 the Price ... Do you know if you're being as efficient as possible? Are your employees as productive as they should be? Are you using Eclipse to its fullest potential? Zerion is offering an operational review for 1/2 off so that you can recognize issues and identify solutions. Contact Tony King (321.229.1089) by Nov. 30 to learn more or book your audit. Back to Top	Alt Key Reminder In our February 2008 issue, we offered a tip on using the Alt Key. We've been asked about it a few times recently, so we thought we would share it again. In E-term, you can hit Alt (lower left of your keyboard) at the same time as the “~” key (upper left of your keyboard) to quickly see your GL postings when you’re in the body of a sales order, purchase order, transfer order, or adjustment. In Solar Eclipse, you can use the Alt key coupled with the Tab key to navigate all open windows. When you hit both keys at the same time, you can see all of the windows that are available. Phocas Wins BI Vendor of the Year Award One of Zerion's partners just received a huge honor: Business Intelligence Vendor of the Year at the 2009 Software Satisfaction Awards. The award, which was based on customer votes, focused on the system's functionality, reliability, ease of use, and the value for the money. Congratulations Phocas! Read the full news release ... Calling All Canadians! The Eclipse Users Group will be hosting three days of regional training sessions in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Classes will be held on Nov. 17-19 and include RF Warehousing, Paper Warehousing and Purchasing. Interested in joining us? Register today at eclipseuser.com. Keep In Touch With Us Become a fan of Zerion on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. We'll keep you posted on where our team is and what we're doing, as well as provide industry news and Zerion updates and specials.

October 2009

From the Desk of | Tip | Announcements |

Industry News | Special Offer

From the desk of Tony King When we graduate from school, we think we’re done being graded. No more report cards or GPAs. No more teachers breathing down our necks or parents checking up on us. No more tests, term papers or all-nighters. Then we enter the “real world” and quickly learn that life is littered with evaluations. From the water cooler to the boardroom, we must perform. We are judged in official annual reviews and unofficial daily reviews. Do we arrive early enough? Stay late enough? Do we work fast enough? Hard enough? Are we good enough?

We assess our personal lives, too. Who has a better car, bigger house, and designer clothes? Or who has the best-looking spouse or the best-behaved kids? Whose favorite sports team is faster or stronger? We even seek reviews voluntarily, such as by a favorite for this time of year: Halloween costume contests.

If evaluation is inevitable, but we’re so caught up in reviewing ourselves and others, who’s grading our business? Sure, there are owners, shareholders and board members; but, usually they’re focused on high-level decisions. And, if the company is making money, all is well. Then there are customers; but, most times they are silent unless something goes wrong. There also are awards programs, like the one our partner Phocas just won; but, those are more for bragging rights than for internal evaluation. So, who is reviewing the intricate details of the business operation?

Operational reviews may be the responsibility of an operations manager; but, it can be nearly impossible to evaluate from the inside out. In addition, my experience with ERP systems such as Eclipse and SAP has taught me that, when it comes to software, you only know what you know, and you don’t know what you don’t know. For some people, that’s like living in darkness as if you never knew daylight exists: you think the dark is just fine! And then, someone turns on the lights ...

In the past four years, Zerion has had great opportunities to show distributors new ways of doing things, to uncover options they aren’t taking advantage of, and to demonstrate little changes that make big differences. Often, this happens during a UFO training session or when we’re consulting on a problem or conversion. However, the most likely opportunity for uncovering these “hidden gems” is during an operational audit.

During my time at Hughes (now HD Supply), we learned the value of grading ourselves. After a location converted to Eclipse, we’d go back 90 days later and perform a comprehensive audit to be sure the employees were properly trained and were using the system to its fullest potential. Now, we do the same kinds of audits for our customers, and we do them at many different stages during their time on Eclipse.

During an operational audit, we spend 3 days in the warehouse, the office and the system to bring shortcomings of the operation and system set-up to the forefront. For instance, many customers have never questioned why the control files and ship via print statuses' are set the way they are. Why are some ship vias set to Qs and others to Ms? Is there an easier way? Typically, the answer is "yes." Others have never thought about using Picking Confirmation to manage pick tickets in the warehouse. Do you find yourself printing multiple pick ticket copies, too? You can set up a Work Ticket, Routing Copy, or Yard Ticket. Or, something as simple as buying a label printer and printing shipping labels from Eclipse can take little time to set up; but, can cut down on minutes per day, per person.

There are many other helpful options that are only a few clicks away; but, you have to first know they exist and then understand how to use them. It’s kind of like when you needed a little extra guidance and advice from a neutral party back in those school days. Your teacher had a specific, but limited, role in your development, just as your software vendor does. Your parents (and now your boss) were focused on the bigger picture and didn’t necessarily “get” the specifics of what was going on at school. Sometimes it was the guidance counselor who gently showed you what you were missing and pointed you in the right direction; be it for your career, for higher education, or for your life. He or she may have been evaluating your situation, but always had your best interests at heart and had suggestions to help take you to the next level. It is that outside perspective from an expert resource that can really make the difference.

My resolve today is that you find a guidance counselor who can help you “turn on the lights.” If you happen to decide that’s us, we’d be honored. Check out our special of the month for a great deal.

Tony King, Vice President
321.229.1089

What’s happening with distribution, software and business?
Zerion is committed to being a resource for our clients and friends. In the newsroom on our Web site, we have an RSS feed supplying new articles all the time. We also have some links to industry news. Here are some of the recent articles we found most interesting:

Kriz-Davis Selects Activant to Advance Its Business to the Next Level

Sonepar USA, Hagemeyer North America Form New Organization for Mid-Atlantic Locations

Oracle vs. SAP: Like Mac vs. PC, Without the Funny Ads

Grainger acquires Imperial Supplies

Want more news? Visit us at: www.zeriongroup.com/newsroom/industrynews.html

Operational Audits Now 1/2 the Price ...
Do you know if you're being as efficient as possible? Are your employees as productive as they should be? Are you using Eclipse to its fullest potential? Zerion is offering an operational review for 1/2 off so that you can recognize issues and identify solutions.

Contact Tony King (321.229.1089) by Nov. 30 to learn more or book your audit.

Alt Key Reminder
In our February 2008 issue, we offered a tip on using the Alt Key. We've been asked about it a few times recently, so we thought we would share it again.

In E-term, you can hit Alt (lower left of your keyboard) at the same time as the “~” key (upper left of your keyboard) to quickly see your GL postings when you’re in the body of a sales order, purchase order, transfer order, or adjustment.

In Solar Eclipse, you can use the Alt key coupled with the Tab key to navigate all open windows. When you hit both keys at the same time, you can see all of the windows that are available.

Phocas Wins BI Vendor of the Year Award
One of Zerion's partners just received a huge honor: Business Intelligence Vendor of the Year at the 2009 Software Satisfaction Awards. The award, which was based on customer votes, focused on the system's functionality, reliability, ease of use, and the value for the money. Congratulations Phocas! Read the full news release ...

Calling All Canadians!
The Eclipse Users Group will be hosting three days of regional training sessions in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. canadian flag Classes will be held on Nov. 17-19 and include RF Warehousing, Paper Warehousing and Purchasing. Interested in joining us? Register today at eclipseuser.com.

Keep In Touch With Us
Become a fan of Zerion on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. We'll keep you posted on where our team is and what we're doing, as well as provide industry news and Zerion updates and specials.