New Features and Enhancements on EECO Online

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to Eco Ask why a podcast that dives into industrial manufacturing topics and spotlights the heroes that keep America running. I'm your host, chris Granger, and on this podcast we do not cover the latest features and benefits on products that come to market. Instead, we focus on advice and insight from the top minds of industry, because people and ideas will be how America remains number one in manufacturing in the world. Welcome to EECO Asks why. I'm your host, chris Granger. I'm excited to be here with you today, and we've been talking a lot on the show over the last few months about e-commerce, procurement, how things are changing in the industrial landscape, and today, for this episode, we want to just talk directly about some exciting new features that we are releasing at Electrical Equipment Company this year that we're pretty pumped up about. I mean, this is all on our Eco Online website and we're thrilled to have some of these new features ready to help you. So it's going to make your experience so much better and it's going to streamline a lot of your processes. So today I want to kind of break through and share what some of those are, because, as the landscape of this online shopping continues to evolve and we all know that it is just day to day. Just look at your phones, how you buy things. We see that there's such a need for constant, continual improvement and at ECO, we haven't been sitting still on this one. I can promise you that we've been rocking and rolling. So we have a new enterprise resource planning upgrade in place. That ERP system is there and now we have some functionality that is changing the game for how we're able to serve others, and this is what we're really most excited about. So we're going to go through some of these updates. We're going to talk about how they can benefit you, how they can streamline you, and, look, you can find all these at ecoonlinecom and I highly encourage you if you're listening to this and you're in the eco area where we can service and work with you, go ahead and get your online account set up today. It's very easy to get that process started. So go to ecoonlinecom. You'll see how you can register, get plugged in, and that means all the features that we're talking about today will be available to you at your fingertips.

Speaker 1: 2:22

Moving forward, okay, so now, first one we'll talk about is that we actually enhanced the quick order functionality. So we have this quick order functionality within our system where you can put a lot of things in and really expedite that process of ordering. But now we have the ability to export to a CSV with this, and this new function is a really powerful area for our quick order page. It allows you to really export product lists and that is going to include items such as your current pricing levels, and this would be your specific pricing levels for your account, right? So you don't have to worry about list price or things like that. No, what are your pricing levels? You're also going to get availability, so you'll see in the moment, real-time, live, what the availability for those parts and pieces are, and you can also get some basic product information.

Speaker 1: 3:14

So this is really the reason we wanted to put the emphasis back here is because we're trying to save you time and make your experience a whole lot smoother and more efficient. Because think about how many times you need pricing and availability on the fly, and I know back when I was in frontline sales. All the time customers go, hey, do you got it, how much is it? Do you got it, how much is it? I mean, we get that phone call all the time. Now, with this functionality, you'll be able to find that out with just a few clicks of the mouse. But you'll be able to find out not just availability, what your pricing is and when you export those lists directly. This is going to give you a great way to update your current system. So that's going to allow you to increase some accuracy within your team as well. So you can see how that export functionality within a CSV file is so flexible. And this is also the reason that we want to do it in a CSV file versus like a PDF or something like that. It's because we want you to be able to modify the data in such a way that's most prudent for you.

Speaker 1: 4:19

So we also, with the quick order, we have some new functions that you may really enjoy as well. One is direct input, so you can actually directly enter your items on the quick order form itself. Or you can do an upload file so you can take your building materials you know, whatever the items that you need, maybe got a bulk list or something like that, maybe you got a bulk list or something like that and what you can do. You can take this and you can use the CSV, an Excel spreadsheet or ODS file, and you can just basically copy and paste some of this stuff as well Right there, so you can upload up to 50,000 items at a time. Now I don't know about you if you have a list of 50,000 items. That's a pretty massive list. So we had the functionality ready to help you.

Speaker 1: 5:10

And then you get that export CSV function that we've already talked about, where you can export the items. Let's say, you get the list exactly the way you want it. You can export that direct from the quick order form. It's going to generate that CSV file. It's going to have the pricing, availability, the part number. It's going to have your custom part number, which is good to know. Let's say, you have custom part numbers that you have within your own system. We tie those together within the ERP and you have it right there at your fingertips and it's going to give you just more and more information to help you as you start updating the pricing records and so much more.

Speaker 1: 5:37

So what you need to do if you go to Eco Online, you'll see a little button there around around get directions and that's going to get you inside the quick order form. That will get you the templates that you need to make sure that you set up your data correctly. So if you fill in, you know, because if you just set up a spreadsheet with no rhyme or reason, it's not going to align from a data structure standpoint. So we gave you directly. Okay, here's how you take the data that you want. Here's how you arrange the data, rather, that you want to get in such a way that speaks to our system. And then there you go, so you can pick your template file type, update it with your items, save that bad boy, then upload it right there to that Quick Overform and boom, it's all right there. And we even did some short videos. I've been doing a lot of short videos lately, by the way, guys, so I made a few short videos on how to do this. So if you check out the show notes for this podcast and go to the ECO online website, you'll see a short video on how to do that directly. To answer any of your other questions.

Speaker 1: 6:42

Okay, now the next functionality I want to kind of share with you about has to do with estimated shipping and delivery dates, because this is just a really cool feature, because we know how often we need to know what those dates are within the orders that we have open and within the order history, right? So if you place your order online, what you're going to get right out the gate is an email update and that email is going to have the estimated shipping and delivery dates. Now these are based usually on the PO line, right on the date value and order to average supplier lead times. Okay, so this everything lines up into our ERP software which we use. It's called P21. And this is how you get some accurate data up front. Now we're going to be proactive in that communications because we're going to give you up to three email notifications will be sent for any changes that happen.

Speaker 1: 7:34

Okay, so you get changes that happen because sometimes suppliers you know dates change, right, you need to know that and we want to be on the front edge of that so you're not having to call us. We want to send stuff to you so you can plan that directly. That promise date that is ultimately entered that's not going to change. The estimated ship and delivery date is shown to you. We know your promise date is super important, but what we want to show to you is the date based off the vendor availability that you can expect it. Hopefully this is going to help have a lot of better visibility and planning for your deliveries, because we know that receiving material in is just as big a deal as ordering the material, since you can plan for your resources and your teams that are going to be implementing the items that you got. So this is a big one. So this is a step we've been really working hard on, so excited to have this one in place now, just to we know this is something that so many of our customers are asking for.

Speaker 1: 8:35

Now the next thing we really are pretty pumped up about is order confirmation emails. So this is going to help everyone, from your eco representative down to you as the end user, because we all know that the business is moving so fast these days and you want accurate information when you need it. Right, not necessarily what I want to give it to you. You want it when you need it. So these email confirmations are really are are in place to help you as you place those orders online, to give you that confirmation, to give you that assurance that things are done right, because this is going to put any concerns that you had did the order really go through or I'm not sure? Did I order that part number or not, did I put that on? That quote, all those thoughts you have, you know what. You can just set them to the side, because when you get a confirmation and your account manager and the people who have serviced your account get a confirmation, it gives so much more of a much-needed assurance that your materials are processed correctly and in a manner that you need so that you can get the parts there to your facility in a timely manner.

Speaker 1: 9:46

All right Now for you customers who use Punch-Out. And, by the way, if you have not have a PunchOut system in place and you want to do that or think that could be something that we could help you with, we'd love to talk about that, because we're experts at PunchOut and PunchOut just really changes the game Quite frankly. The whole idea of distribution in the future is really shifting so much more to this digital landscape where PunchOut is going to be such a big deal. So, again, let us know. We'd love to talk to you about that, because that solution to Punchout is a powerful solution, okay, and it helps to really amp up that communication even more. So, email notifications for those purchase orders from a Punchout standpoint are now configured to be sent to the assigned customer service representative. So, like I said, this is going to really get down to brass tacks of who gets these email notifications Again, use any orders, concerns and making sure everything nothing gets lost in the shuffle, because we know there's again so many things that happen so fast and when you get that confirmation it just helps put, let's just face it a lot of that angst to the side.

Speaker 1: 11:02

Now, another thing we recognized, based off of so many years of being in the distribution business we're coming up, we're getting close to 100 years in business guys, we're getting very close within the next couple of years of that. But we recognize that so many times you, as the end user, need to go back and get your access to your invoices or proof of delivery and things like that. So what we have now is we have the ability for you to download that proof of delivery or an original invoice directly from your invoice history. Now, this is huge. So when you log into your online account, you'll be able to generate a PDF directly when you click on Download the Proof of Delivery or Download the Original Invoice. So think about the days where you had to call in with your invoice numbers and you had to wait and we had to look it up, then we had to print it out, then we had to back in the day. We'd have to either mail it to you or fax it to you or upload to a PDF.

Speaker 1: 11:55

There's lots of steps Now. You just log into your system, you search for the PO that you have in question, or the order you have in question, rather, and it's right there. You just click it. You got a PDF that, at that point, you can send to wherever you want inside your company. That, at that point, you can send to wherever you want inside your company. Now I put a video together for this one as well, to help demonstrate exactly the steps that you need to take where you can access that. So again, check out the show notes, go to our YouTube channel, connect with us directly. It's even on our main website, ecoonlinecom.

Speaker 1: 12:28

Okay, now we'll also recognize, over the years and years of being in this business, that sometimes mistakes happen when we place orders. They just do Right, and usually it's just, it's a, it's an innocent mistake. Nothing is. I've never once known someone to buy something just to be malicious. Ok, so we recognize that mistakes happen and sometimes the parts aren't what we hope they would be, or they just don't line up, or whatever it may be, no problem, you don't have to worry about it anymore.

Speaker 1: 12:59

What we've done now is we've conveniently placed the return process directly on your online account. This is a big, big game changer here. So once you log in, you're able to initiate your return process literally within a few clicks. It's going to save you a ton of time, it's going to save you a lot of headaches, and we're going to put the information in front of you that you need today to begin that process of returning the items that are not a good fit. Now I know, again, this can be an area that wears people down. You never want to deal with returns. You never want to think about returns, even from an end-user standpoint, because there's so many things you need to be thinking about besides. You know returning product, so what we're trying to do here is make it extremely easy for you, extremely easy.

Speaker 1: 13:47

Again, I put a video together on this topic. So if you have any questions on how you actually do that streamlined return process, how does that work? Now, go, check out ecoonlinecom, go to our YouTube channel. We have all these different ways that we're trying to put the information at your fingertips. So in that moment when you need to do this process, you don't have to call anybody. You can actually just go see for yourself directly. Okay, here's how it works and you can just make that happen. Now again, if you still want to call us, we'd love to take your call. Okay, so we're not trying to say don't call us. We just we recognize that so much has changed from procurement. I've been able to interview a lot of people over the years at EcoSY and I can see the shifting landscape of procurement and how things digital buying, how it all has manifested itself down to the planned industrial floor, and I think it's great.

Speaker 1: 14:37

But at the same time, you've got to wait. Our goal, our job as distributors, is to make sure the data gets to the people that need the data and they know this functionality, because it would be no good for us to have all the bells, features and bells and whistles and all this stuff and no one inside your facility know about it. At that point we have failed you. So our attempt with Eco Ask why. Our attempt with our emails, all that stuff that we're trying to do to get the information in front of you, is to spread the word so that it makes your job easier, okay. So again, if you're not on our email list, ecoonlinecom, connect with us. If you're not on our email list, ecoonlinecom, connect with us. Let's get you in place so that you will start getting those notifications as we roll them out. So now, as you can see right here, we've had a lot of significant improvements.

Speaker 1: 15:34

Now some of these things sound, you know, maybe not earth shattering, but I can tell you for us, for an industrial distributor, there's a lot of moving pieces just to get these in place, and we're committed to improving the customer experience, particularly with our online digital platform, and that means we need to invest in the right solutions, because we need to invest in the right solutions so that your online experience is something that you, you feel good about. We don't want it to be where our website is something oh gosh, I got to go to those guys again. No, we want our website to be somewhere you can go with confidence and when you come to us in confidence, okay, here's what I have, here's what I need. Oh, yeah, this is exactly what I need. Oh, I need some drawings. Yep, they're drawings right here. Did I buy that in the past. Oh, yep, I can check right here and see if I bought it in the past. Hey, I wonder what their availability is on that right now. Oh, let's check that out. That's right here. Hey, I need a drawing for this. I wonder if I can get a drawing. Oh, here's a drawing. You see what we're doing?

Speaker 1: 16:35

We're bringing all the pieces together noise we want to put. We want to silence a lot of that and put in front of you what you need to make the best decisions, the most informed decisions, moving forward. That's our commitment. And, look, we want your feedback. We would love your feedback on how we can make your online experience even better. We don't want to just be another. Me too. We want to be the best in industry and that we recognize. To do that, we need to be listening, we need to be asking questions and sit and be still and listen, and we do that and can take that back and we can discern that and understand. Ok, how can we continue to improve the processes? How do we need to make this investment over here to make this a better experience for you? That's our commitment, because we know it's not just about parts and pieces, it's people and ideas, people and ideas over products is what has always been for electrical equipment company. That's what our commitment is moving forward. So I want to thank you Again, highly, highly, encourage you if you do not have an online account, go to Eco Online, get you an account set up and this is for anyone out there, from purchasing to management, down to E&I technicians to platform warehousing storeroom.

Speaker 1: 17:44

We want you to get your account set up because you'll have access within your account to data that matters to you and we'll have it again right there at your fingertips. Now, if you again, if you are those customers who you have punch out capabilities, you want to talk to us about our punch out capabilities and the way that we can help integrate into your system, we'd love to have the conversation. So, ecoonlinecom, connect with us. Right there you can find all sorts of ways. We're here, we're ready to serve, and that Punch Out solution it's pretty cool. I mean, it's something. Once we've made the investment, we're seeing the fruit of how this works now and how we can help others with this, and we just want to do it at a higher scale. So if you have an opportunity for Punch Out, we'd love to talk, okay, so look, thank you guys so much.

Speaker 1: 18:32

I really wanted to join the new format and I know we're not coming out quite as often, but we're trying to come out with information when we do, to give you some information that's going to help you grow, that's going to help you be successful and it's going to differentiate you between your competitors. And that's our goal at eco is just to to be there to help serve you to, to help you be that customer, that end user that's making that big impact. So we know you guys are trying so hard. So, yeah, connect with us, ecoonlinecom. If you'd like to podcast rate review, I'll share it out with, with, with others, with, with, with fellow people out there who enjoy this type of conversation, and we love to hear from you. So, again, you can check out our show notes.

Speaker 1: 19:11

We have all the different links that I talked about today for the different videos. Just to recap what those videos are, I want to make sure that everyone knows we have the quick order functionality to export video how you export that. We have the shipping and delivery dates. I put a video together on that the order email confirmation videos. That's part of the quick order videos. Then we have that how you get your invoices and proof of delivery. We have a video on that and that streamline the returning process. There's a video out there for that as well, and all that stuff again.

Speaker 1: 19:44

If you go to YouTube, search for ElectroCrimbing Company, subscribe to our channel, you have all the stuff right there at your fingertips too. Put a lot of stuff out on a consistent basis because we're just trying to serve at a high level, all right. So thank you guys, so much for listening. Hopefully you have a wonderful day. Thank you for all that you do.

Speaker 1: 20:00

I know for you guys out there in manufacturing and that are serving in the eco-service area, it just means so much to us, just that we can be a small part of your business and we just hope that you can continue to be blessed and we just thank you so much for working with us on a consistent basis. So have a great day and you know what's coming. Keep asking why. Thank you for listening to. Eeco Asks why this show is supported ad-free by Electrical Equipment Company. Eeco is redefining the expectations of an electrical distributor by placing people and ideas before products. Please subscribe and share with your colleagues and friends. Also leave comments, feedback and any new topics that you would like to hear, to learn more or to share your insights, visit EECOASYcom. That's E-E-C-O-A-S-K-S-W-H-Ycom.