Source Technologies Centralizes Sales and Customer Data With ACCPAC CRM Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Source Technologies Inc. is a longtime ACCPAC user and a leading provider of Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) solutions used by a wide variety of businesses and financial institutions to encode the checks they print.

Originally a hardware solutions provider, Source Technologies recently developed and began selling a Web-based software product that enables customers to print checks remotely while maintaining centralized control.

The new software sales strategy significantly increased the complexity of its sales process.

"When we added software to our product offerings, we realized that we could increase the efficiency and effectiveness of our sales efforts by centralizing
sales and customer data," recalls Tim Baker, Source Technologies' director of information systems. "Until that time, this type of information was not shared across our enterprise and we wanted to start duplicating complex software solutions to multiple customers. Data sharing also became essential."

Sales Force Automation and Much More

To initially resolve this issue, Source Technologies implemented a sales force automation solution. But it quickly came to realize a critical shortcoming typical of this type of system: beyond the sales process, these dedicated products do not support centralization of customer data that can be used to improve service throughout the entire customer relationship, from sales through support and even through collections.

"We wanted to give everyone in our company access to a consolidated customer record that contains up-to­date information about any given customer and all of his contacts with us," Baker says. "We knew that if we could centralize all of this information, we would be able to increase service levels, optimize sales force efficiency, improve forecasting accuracy and inventory control, and streamline just about every other business process."

Instant Return on Investment

Solutions Technologies considered several solutions and ultimately selected ACCPAC CRM. "We have relied on ACCPAa'> accounting solutions for over a decade and have always been satisfied with their products and services, so ACCPAC was a natural choice," states Baker. In fact, the company presently employs an in-house ACCPAC Certified Consultant originally employed and trained by Jennings & Associates, Source Technologies' longtime ACCPAC Solution Provider. "But the real clincher was the out-of-the-box integration between ACCPAC Advantage Series, our accounting solution, and ACCPAC CRM. With no integration expense, this solution actually paid for itself as soon as we opened the box."

"Source Technologies recognized the potential of ACCPAC CRM as a key element to integrate and optimize its
business systems," says Ray Jennings, president of Jennings & Associates.

Indeed, integrating its CRM and accounting solutions provided Source Technologies the capability for swift and comprehensive responses to virtually any customer inquiry - from order status to progress reports to accounts receivable data. Integration also facilitated accurate forecasting of inventory information.

Additionally, every Source Technologies employee now has access to a shared database containing customer contact information and employee calendars. "With CRM, we have real-time access to information about any aspect of our business," says Baker.

"The bottom line is that ACCPAC CRM has fulfilled our initial needs for the centralized creation of an all­inclusive customer database," concludes Baker, "and continues to meet our requirements by providing our entire enterprise access to the data needed to close sales, satisfy customers and build long-lasting relationships."

"Source Technologies is a prime example of a very productive company successfully implementing ACCPAC integrated applications," says Jennings.

About .Jennings & Associates
Jennings & Associates, Certified Public Accountants of Charlotte, North Carolina, is a highly knowledgeable ACCPAC Premier Solution Provider with almost twenty years of experience. The company specializes in the sale, installation and post-installatio.n support of several ACCPAC products. Jennings & Associates counts among its satisfied customers Bank of America, Branch Banking & Trust, Source Technologies and more, and several client and strategic business partner relationships extend the scope of Jennings' business nationwide. For more information about Jennings & Associates, visit www.jrjcpas.com.

About ACCPAC

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 performance, advanced functionality, cross-product integration and unmatched freedom of choice. Integrating powerful front­office 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.