Ollie/8 Tip: Not Lost In Translation!
We've talked about Ollie's ability to support multiple languages. Well, with just a little effort you can use this ability to further customize Ollie for each of your customers.

Since every screen prompt in Ollie is stored in the Translation file, it's a simple matter to tweak these to your taste.

For example, here is a section of the default Quick Release screen:

Now, we can open the translation file and locate two strings:

QUICK_RELEASE_SEARCH_HEADER = Search Your Current QUICK RELEASE

QUICK_RELEASE_HEADER_TEXT = <img="paper.gif" align="left"> This is a list of items you are authorized to release...

A little editing, a quick save and when we reload the page it looks like this:

Since translations can be customized for individual customers (Ed. Note: try saying that five times fast), you can offer each client their own corporate nomenclature. (Question: When is a Cost Center a Buying Unit? A Department? A Group? Answer: It's all of the above if you use this feature.)

Easy And Flexible!
Sure, this seems like a little thing. But we know that many of your customers have come to depend on this level of personalization. From their point of view this makes perfect sense: they have a corporate-speak and whatever you can do to make your applications fit into that language makes their lives more consistent and more convenient.

Ollie/8 allows you to easily re-text to fit each customer's way of speaking and that gives you an edge over other ordering systems which require the end-users to conform to their way of doing things.

Til Next Time!
 

SAFE Tip #1: Cutting Order Processing Costs With Estimate Imports
In the latest DMIA PrintReport, there was an article on the enormous costs of processing any printing job (Ed. Note: See Ciaran's rant---er... 'article' below). While the specifics may be argued, the broad points made in the article are undeniable: it does cost a lot of money to process an order and a lot of it is duplication of effort.

One area that was cited as being particularly costly was the duplication of effort between the job estimation and then the final order entry. We couldn't agree more. Even if you use a Job Estimation Software Package (JESP) the fact is that someone in your company likely ends up re-keying a lot of the same data into SAFE and that's work.

Over the years, there has been a small but steady series of requests that we provide a 'link' between various JESPs and SAFE. Unfortunately, there hasn't been enough interest (or market share) from one particular vendor to make this viable (translation: not enough of you are using the same package to make it profitable for us to offer this as standard equipment).

XML To The Rescue!
Fortunately, we debuted our XML interface in SAFE/7 which allows us to easily translate any XML document into something that SAFE can understand using it's XML Script Reader function. More good news: more and more JESP vendors are offering an XML export for their estimates.

So, check in your JESP software. If it offers an 'Export Estimate' function, the chances are good that we can create an XML script that will automagically import this info into SAFE and save the re-keying.

Importing is SIMPLE. Just click on the UTILITIES|Import from XML function and select the estimate file and presto! You just saved your company $100 (well, according to the DMIA article anyway .)

Depending on the JESP, scripts typically cost 1-2 hours of labour---a small price to pay to never have to re-type an estimate again (or worry about errors getting into SAFE during that re-typing!)

Til Next Time!

SAFE Tip #2: Check Notes And Other Form Details!
Q: I've seen check writing systems where you could put a little one or two line memo at the lower left of each check. This is very handy when sending payments to companies that we deal with infrequently. Maybe we could put the invoice number we're paying for example. Is this possible in SAFE?

A: It sure is. However, the feature is turned off by default since it requires your checks to be specifically able to print this information---in other words, the dreaded form re-design charge! (It's not that painful---$55 is all it takes.)

OK, so assuming that your checks have been tweaked to allow for this, how do you turn this feature 'on'? SIMPLE.
1. Go to Files|Settings|Company and click on the Global Options Browse.

2. Locate on the Parameter column for DisplayNotes. The Module should be "WindowAP:GetAmountToPay'.

3. Change the value to 1 and save.

4. Now go to the Bills Browse and tag any Vendor Bill for payment. Et Voila! Below the amount to pay field will be a Notetaker for adding your notes specific to that check. (If you tag multiple invoices for a given vendor, they will all share the same notes---remember, the notes are attached to the check not to the Vendor Bill.)

5. To view your notes after the check run, open the Check Register, locate the check, right click and select View Notes. You'll now see two sets of NoteTakers: a) The usual Internal Notes, which no one outside your company sees, and the Memo Notes, which are what printed on the check. One final note: once you print the check and confirm the check run you may not change the Memo Notes.

Ciaran's Corner: Lies, Damned Lies And Printing Costs!
With sincere apologies to Mark Twain.

Last week, we received one of those DMIA e-mail PrintReport articles, this one, dated October 2006 and titled, How Much $$ to Process an Order? More Than You Think! In summarizing the article, I am of necessity over-simplifying, of course, but after breaking down the process into it's various components, calculating those costs as 'a la carte' items, then totalling up these costs, the article concluded that the 'truly alarming' true cost of a 2 color, 3 part unit set is over $500.

Oh really?

I love you all in the printing business, but this article smacks of a particularly specious trend of analysis which has become pervasive in our culture and is in itself actually leading to increased costs for everything from health care to auto-repair. The key phrase is 'a la carte'.

Here is what I mean: I go into my auto dealer with a knocking sound. He tells me I need a new head gasket. D'oh! The estimate? $1,100. Why? Here's how he calculates it: The new head gasket parts and labour is considered a 4 hour job with labour at $75 per hour. And the part is $300. So I expect the work to cost $600.

However, when he does the work, he has to empty to the coolant and the oil. So he charges for a coolant flush and an oil change. Oh, and while he's under the hood he notices that one of the fuel injectors need cleaning. So he adds in that service. Now, he finishes the work in the 4 hour time so I expect the 'costs' to break down like this:

$300 labour
$300 head gasket
$75 hi-tech synthetic oil
$25 hi-tech fuel-injector cleaner

Total: $700.

But here's how he calculates it 'a la carte'.
$300 labour
$300 head gasket
$260 oil change service
$240 clean fuel-injector service

Total: $1,100

Even though he only spent 4 hours on the project, by breaking everything down 'a la carte' as separate 'services', he just made an extra $400.

That's not how garages used to work. But that's how they work now. And that's how job estimating is done now. OK, I don't like it much, but that's how it is.

Now don't get me wrong. I like making money as much as the next guy. And I don't mind if you want to charge your customers that way. My point is that you shouldn't deceive yourself about your own costs in the same way. In the above fleeci.. (..er.. example) the mechanic has no illusions about his own costs---I mean that's the whole point really. He's taking advantage of the fact that he can multi-task in order to make more money. So long as the customers go along, that's fine. On the other hand, he isn't kidding himself about his real costs either. For example, if a customer squawks, he has the headroom to 'discount' the price and still come out ahead.  So why should you kid yourself about your own company's ability to multi-task?

My point is that, while the author makes some valid arguments on the costs of processing an order, using 'statistics' in this way is a lot like those attack ads for politicians that we all hate so much. We know they use words and pictures out of context to make a point and we'd like to consider ourselves too sophisticated to take them at face value. However, by virtue of the fact that we know they're misleading they tend to obscure what we should be after---which is the truth! In fact, after seeing a few articles like this we may become numb to the very issues being targeted and thus end up doing nothing. In short: It is not costing you $500 to process an order.

But it may well be costing too much and I think that's the author's point. Printing costs are greater than most people would like to think and they do need to be watched. But using misleading 'statistics' to grab people's attention not only turns people off but also obscures the real issues which makes it harder to know what to do. What the industry needs are realistic studies of printing costs that take into account the world as it is: The estimator, the press person, the pre-flight tech, the artist, the shipping guy and the CSR are all working on many orders each day (we hope!). What we need are stats that reflect actual costs so that we can all make better decisions on how to reduce costs and improve service levels.

For example, we have been trying for years to get a standard electronic transaction format that all vendors could agree upon for estimating and production. There have been numerous attempts by DMIA to achieve a paperless workflow between accounting systems---which other industries from automotive to zinc plating have had for years. After 15 years of trying, we're still not there. I guess everyone thinks it's someone else's job.

It's time to get a paperless workflow happening in this industry. But I question whether hyperbole is the way to energize distributors to action. I welcome your thoughts on this subject, since it is so important to us and definitely should be on your mind as well.

Til Next Time!

Ciarān Marron
Technical Support Manager
cm@suntowersystems.com

THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. The information contained in this document represents the current view of Suntower Systems on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because Suntower Systems must respond to change in market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Suntower Systems and Suntower Systems cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication. INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED 'AS IS' WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND FREEDOM FROM INFRINGEMENT. The user assumes the entire risk as to the accuracy and the use of this document. This document may be copied and distributed subject to the following conditions:
1. All text must be copied without modification and all pages must be included.
2. All copies must contain Suntower Systems' copyright notice and any other notices
    provided therein
3. This document may not be distributed for profit.

End of E-News From The Suntower, Volume VIII #20