Transforms Distributors’ Sales and Marketing Teams Into a 24×7 Supercharged Growth Engine, Reallocating up to 75 Percent of a Distributor Sales Rep’s Time From Administration to Selling
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Encompass Technologies, a comprehensive cloud-based ERP software technology provider for the food and beverage industry, announced today that it has launched a set of solutions that allow distributors and retailers to modernize the way they work together and share data to compete and survive in today’s highly dynamic market. The solutions include Retail Insights, a refreshed and newly updated DSDLink ordering solution, and more comprehensive payment options with PayLink. Retail Insights provides distributors with live retail inventory and sales data. DSDLink offers an eCommerce solution that enables product browsing and discovery, online ordering, as well as comprehensive cashless payment options using PayLink.
As part of Encompass’ Connect family of solutions that digitally connect the three tiers of the supply chain, Retail Insights, DSDLlink, and PayLink are the industry’s first set of solutions that transform distributors’ sales and marketing teams into a supercharged growth engine through connections, shared data and insights, and automated processes with retailers. The solutions are compatible with any Route Accounting System (RAS) and can be purchased individually or in combination.
Key Distributor Benefits:
- Reallocate up to 75 percent of sales reps’ time from inventory tracking and admin to selling
- 18 percent increase in retailer average order volume, per DSDLink
- 24×7 supercharged marketing and selling machine
- Collect and reconcile payments faster while offering sustainable payment options
- Attract and retain top distributor sales talent in a challenging labor market
“Retailers have long relied on their distributor sales reps’ knowledge of various products and local market trends to help them make purchasing decisions,” said Jonathan O’Neil, CEO of Encompass. “However, the sales reps typically have limited insight into product movement between retailers and consumers at each retailer. On top of that, sales reps spend most of their time counting inventory and sometimes even collecting payments. Retail Insights turn sales reps into more valued partners who are able to spend more time selling, equipped with timely and relevant knowledge about retail inventory, stagnant products, fast-moving SKUs, and product performance comparisons.”
O’Neil added, “With DSDLink, distributors give retailers the ability to do their own research with access to a wide variety of products, pricing, and promotions online, as well as place orders themselves. PayLink allows distributors to offer credit card, debit card, and ACH payment options, plus digitize check payments with remote check capture. DSDLink and PayLink combined with Retail Insights is like having a 24×7 marketing and selling machine where a virtual sales rep augments the human sales rep to help speed up and grow sales.”
Encompass’ Connect family of solutions for distributors brings together a comprehensive and integrated set of capabilities uniquely built to provide a 24×7 growth engine and conduct business with retailers more effectively:
- Empower distributor sales teams to improve market execution and increase sales with a powerful, integrated eCommerce platform
- Gain access to powerful insights to generate accurate forecasts and make better business decisions
- Equip sales teams with integrated tools that minimize the impact of non-selling functions, and allow for reallocation of time to value adding activities
- Get paid faster and improve delivery efficiency while automating outdated payment collection methods
- Access a team of industry experts with over a decade of experience successfully implementing eCommerce, modern payment, and business intelligence tools
- Have the flexibility to deploy Retail Insights, DSDLink, and PayLink ala carte or in combination, regardless of the Route Accounting System
- Take Retail Insights to the next level. Users of Encompass Cloud RAS can leverage an intelligent algorithm that systematically generates ‘smart orders’ based on days of inventory and product sales velocity.
“Every day, we have the opportunity to have a purpose-driven appointment and talk about something that really matters to our retailers. We believe we can use Connect for Distributors to refocus up to 75 percent of our reps’ time selling instead of that time being taken by manual processes,” said Thomas Johnstone, VP of Sales Technology & Strategy at Eagle Rock Distributing Company, a Colorado- and Georgia-based distributor challenging employees to use industry leading innovation and a world-class portfolio in delivery of excellent customer service.
“On top of that, contactless payments have saved the company even more time and money, and given us a chance to reallocate previously occupied resources to building better business for us and for our accounts. It’s about proactive account management, not reactive account management. It’s time to let people do what people do and let the machines handle everything else,” he added.
All three solutions are available for individual or combined purchase today. To learn more, please visit https://encompasstech.com/connect-distributors
Launching Retail Insights, DSDLink, and PayLink as part of the Connect solutions family, is Encompass’ latest move in digitally connecting the supply chain. Its vision of minimizing empty shelves and product waste is powered by an open, cloud-based platform and integrations with its fast-growing ecosystem of partners. The network connecting suppliers, distributors, retailers, and consumers is changing how people and businesses operate and helping the supply chain meet rapidly changing consumer demands.
About Encompass:
Encompass Technologies provides a comprehensive cloud-based platform connecting manufacturers, distributors, and retailers in the beverage and food industry. Encompass solutions span full ERP, route accounting, warehouse management, logistics, data warehousing, financials, sales execution, and more. With 20 years of industry experience in distribution software, expertise in beverage production ERP through the merger with Orchestra Software, and experience in offering retail insights and solutions through the acquisition of Handoff Technologies, Encompass has a reputation for innovation, collaboration, and for focusing on moving the industry forward. Visit https://encompasstech.com for more information.