Metrohm-Peak Chooses ACCPAC Web-based CRM and Accounting Running on Microsoft New COlllpany, Increased Challenges A recognized leader in ion chromatography instrumentation and advanced analytical chemistry services, Metrohm-Peak was founded in 1991 as Peak Analytical.

In that year, Jeff M. Brewer set up shop in a small rented office in Houston, Texas with two ion chromatography instruments and an ambitious vision for his business. After nine successful years, Peak Analytical joined forces in April 2000 with the Swiss-based Metrohm, Ltd. to form Metrohm-Peak, Inc.

Several formidable challenges arose from this merger between two leaders in a fast­growing market. The newly formed company was unprepared to manage requirements for multicurrency support and serialized inventory, and faced item-costing and invoicing issues resulting from the merger. In addition, existing systems were based on time­consuming and error-prone manual processes that were a barrier to corporate growth.

Metrohm-Peak entered 2001 with aggressive plans to increase sales 20 percent by 2002 and a goal to significantly increase their market share by 2003. Their most challenging obstacle to growth was the lack of a well-integrated and company-wide information source for their Sales, Marketing and Customer Service divisions. Metrohm-Peak knew they could not afford to continue with "business as usual."

Integrated CRM Prolllotes Proactive Service, Sales and Marketing
After considering several competing solutions, Metrohm-Peak selected ACCPAC Advantage Series and ACCPAC CRM running on Microsoft SQL Server to provide a centralized customer resource management and accounting system that could meet their various requirements. They turned to Houston-based Advanced Applications, Inc., for help to implement this integrated CRM solution. Certified consultants for both Microsoft and ACCPAC, Advanced Applications successfully guided Metrohm-Peak through the entire implementation process in less than a month.

Accessed via Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 on Microsoft Windows 2000 or Microsoft Windows XP, ACCPAC CRM and ACCPAC Advantage Series are both completely Web-deployed, enabling Metrohm¬Peak to manage all aspects of marketing, sales, service and back¬office financials using a single interface. While on the road, the sales force uses laptops synchronized to CRM via Solo Synch. The laptops are loaded with CRM Solo, Microsoft SQL Server Personal Edition, Microsoft Windows 2000 and Microsoft Office. These remote clients use the advanced replication features of Microsoft SQL Server to copy and synchronize data with the central server.

Metrohm-Peak selected their CRM¬based solution in part because of the high level of compatibility between ACCPAC CRM, ACCPAC Advantage Series and Microsoft products. "Metrohm-Peak was already a Microsoft shop, relying heavily on the full suite of Microsoft Office products, along with Microsoft Publisher and Microsoft Outlook," observes Scott McMillian, CEO for Advanced Applications, Inc. "ACCPAC products were just a natural fit."

Seamless integration between ACCPAC and Microsoft solutions has enabled Metrohm-Peak to centralize their disconnected information, address inventory issues and automate manual processes. The intuitive ACCPAC CRM system empowers all departments to take a proactive approach to service and sales through a single view of the customer ¬allowing them to create and maintain the relationships critical for customer retention.

Prior to installing ACCPAC Advantage Series, ACCPAC CRM and Microsoft SQL Server, the sales group could only gather extremely limited data on customers in the field. Attempts to synchronize data centrally so that others could benefit from customer information often failed, causing sales staff to maintain separate databases disconnected from the rest of the company. Forecasting, commissions and reporting were time-consuming and inaccurate manual processes. The inability of the existing system to address inventory issues, such as multicurrency, serialized inventory, warranty and RMA-tracking made manual adjustments a common and expensive reality.

"Each department from sales and marketing to receivables and customer service kept its own information," says Jeff Brewer, CEO of Metrohm¬Peak, Inc. "With separate databases of information throughout the organization, individuals were forced to perform tasks without working from a consistent view of our customers." As a result, customer service and sales were under-achieving, and analysis, reporting and fore¬casting were insufficient for the company's needs. Equally important, the company simply was unable to deliver the high level of service they wanted to provide their customers.

With their new ACCPAC CRM solution, Metrohm-Peak employees can now access company information from anywhere with a Web browser, facilitating real-time transactions such as order entry, AR invoicing, item lookup, commissions and quoting. With this improved information flow, the sales cycle at Metrohm-Peak is now significantly shorter - access to timely and reliable sales forecasts is easier than ever, and sales productivity has begun to increase. In addition, the multi-lingual and multicurrency capabilities of ACCPAC Advantage Series effectively addressed the company's need for globalization.

Warranty, RMA and serialized inventory problems also ceased to exist with the implementation of this completely integrated business management solution.

Driving Business Efficiencies
A streamlined and shorter sales
cycle can be expected to significantly increase revenue and decrease administrative costs. "Our goal is to increase sales 20 percent this year. We want to have as much as 25 percent of the overall market by 2003. The automated workflow will make us much more efficient and my expectation of our salespeople is to spend time selling, rather than filling out paperwork. Our new ACCPAC solutions will be key to achieving our goals," says Jeff Brewer. Thanks to CRM, the entire history of interactions with customers, partners - and even competitors - is available in real time from a central repository. Every interaction can be informed, proactive and consistent.

"The process of evaluating solutions and working with ACCPAC and Advanced Applications to determine our specific needs has forced us to analyze our business processes and opened our eyes to how this type of solution can help us provide the level of customer service any company would envy," Brewer points out. "Our entire company is excited about this 'new day' of automation for our business. "

The CRM solution makes it easy to analyze the organization at every level. A manager can easily identify trends and recognize what's working and what's not for every enterprise, from marketing campaigns to sales territory alignment to 'resolution of customer support incidents. "By automating and streamlining our business, we are able to provide a higher level of service while reducing our cost of doing business," says Kim Brewer, CFO of Metrohm-Peak. With ACCPAC CRM and Microsoft SQL Server, employees now have access to more accurate and complete sales and service histories, allowing them to create more effective relationships with customers and ensuring that service issues are resolved rapidly.

Fast, Efficient Implementation
Working closely with the consultants at Advanced Applications, Metrohm­Peak was able to implement their integrated ACCPAC Advantage Series, CRM and Microsoft SQL Server solution in only three weeks. "I am extremely pleased with the decision to choose ACCPAC and Advanced Applications. After considering several comparable systems, we felt confident that the ACCPAC solution running on Microsoft SQL Server was best for us. Now that the system is up and running, we're certain we chose wisely," concludes Jeff Brewer.

About MeIrohni-Peak Metrohm-Peak, Inc. is the North American distributor of analytical equipment and services for Metrohm, Ltd. Based in Houston, Texas, Metrohm-Peak, Inc. is well known for expertise in ion chromatography and overall contributions to the field of analytical chemistry. The Analytical Services department specializes in ion chromatography and over the last ten years, the laboratory has been performing expert analyses in the areas of IC, HPLC, ICP, and CEo

Visit Metrohm-Peak at www.metrohm-peak.com.

AboutACCPAC
ACCPAC is a global provider of end-to-end business management applications for mid-size businesses. Look to ACCPAC for fully integrated software that delivers high pedormance, advanced functionality, cross-product integration and unmatched freedom of choice. Integrating powerful front¬office Web and wireless capabilities with back-office accounting and operations, ACCPAC provides companies with the solutions they need to enhance competitive advantage and increase profitability.

For more information, visit www.accpac.com.

AboutAdvanced Applications, Inc.
Advanced Applications, Inc. has been in the PC accounting systems business since 1987, specializing exclusively
in ACCPAC accounting solutions including ACCPAC Advantage Series, ACCPAC CRM and related third-party products. The firm is currently a Premier-level ACCPAC Solution Provider and is Microsoft-certified, with clients in North and South America served by a bilingual staff (English and Spanish).

Visit Advanced Applications at www.advancedapplications.com. or contact them by telephone at 713-520-8022.

About Microsoft Corporation
Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software - any time, any place and on any device. Microsoft was founded as a partnership in 1975 by William H. Gates ill aa4J\ul G. Allen, and was incorporatlrlin 1981. Headquartered in Redmond, WashingtOn, the company operates subsidiary offices in more than 60 countries and employs nearly 44,000 people worldwide.

Visit Microsoft at www.microsoft.com.