Being Thankful for Eclipse

As soon as the sun sets on Trick or Treating, and the dawn of November appears, it seems like our culture shifts to an overall focus on “thankfulness”. A whole month centered around being thankful may be a bit cliché; but, we kind of like it!

In wholesale distribution, the majority of your days are probably spent hitting the pavement or phones, putting miles on the forklift, or staring at Eclipse’s hypnotizing screen. It’s so easy to get caught up in these tasks and find things to nit-pick about here, or complain about there. Yet, if we step back for a moment, we’ll notice there is much to appreciate … even within the frustrations of an enterprise software program like Eclipse.

The philosopher Marcus Aurelius once said, “Do not indulge in dreams of having what you have not, but reckon up the chief of the blessings you do possess, and then thankfully remember how you would crave for them if they were not yours.” Let’s do that, and take a minute to reflect on some of the helpful and wonderful things about Eclipse:

1. Pricing Engine – It sure is robust compared to others.
2. The Phantom – Our automated ticket printer, report runner, and all-around maintenance guru.
3. Solar – Solar finally gave Eclipse a familiar and easy-to-navigate “Windows” look and feel. Rejoice for no more green screen!
4. Authorization Keys – Aren’t you glad to have so many options? It seems like there are keys that reference each other and each other and while the end result gets you what you need, it can be a maze to get to the right combination. Ok, maybe this one can be somewhat frustrating.
5. Warehouse in Process Status Queue – For those RF folks out there, this queue is a lifesaver. It allows for a real-time look at every order on the inbound and outbound and a complete view of what’s going on in the warehouse.
6. Real-time Data and Business Summary – Gone are the days of a batch-based system, which made each day somewhat of a mystery until it was complete.
7. Close Counter Order – This program was desperately needed to help close out orders at the counter, especially when taking cash, check, or credit cards. Now, you can take the signature and payment at one time and speed up the customer experience.
8. Mass Load –This has saved many users – you know who you are – from having to fix or even enter data into Eclipse manually. But … buyer beware. A mass load into the wrong field can cripple your operation.
9. Third-party integrations – Eclipse does have some shortcomings. While some folks think it doesn’t play nicely with third-party solutions, there are in fact some great applications out there that work very well with Eclipse, and can extend your functionality (Phocas, Profit2, EzyRecon, Descartes, Innovo).
10. Functionality and navigation – We’ve seen quite a few systems over the years, and for the price per user, Eclipse is the best bang for the buck in Electrical and Plumbing distribution. From sales and purchasing, to paper warehousing and RF, to the customization capabilities, Eclipse has impressive capabilities within one package.

As for us at Zerion, we’re beyond thankful to have surpassed the ten-year milestone. It wouldn’t have been possible without you, our loyal customers, friends and partners. Gobble, gobble!