LBM Point-of-Sale (POS) software is an important tool for small and medium-sized LBMs competing with Big Box stores. Using this software, LBM retailers can not only keep a real-time eye on their sales and inventory, but speed up the process of writing up job quotations, finding specific inventory items by their exact locations and serving their customers better. They can also deploy their POS systems to portable devices like smartphones and tablets – extending the full range of LBM POS functions into the garden centre, drive-through warehouse and lumber yard.

This year marks a time of upgrades and improvements in LBM POS software. Here is what’s new and different in the software suites offered by ACCEO, Epicor and Spruce Computer.

ACCEO: An Ongoing Evolution

ACCEO (www.acceo.com) offers a range of management solutions to LBM operator: specifically, ProfitMaster, Omni and OGC-Plus. All three products are integrated management systems that have been purpose-built for hardware and building supply centres.

‘‘When it comes to new products, we take an ‘ongoing evolutionary’ approach,’’ says Don Kroeker, ACCEO’s Western Canadian Sales Manager. ‘‘What this means is that as we redevelop our entire product, our client’s existing solution will evolve – through the normal software upgrade process – to the latest technologies and business-driven functionalities…This is a completely different approach than our competitors, who require a high level of financial reinvestment and resource effort.’’

One area in which ACCEO has been focusing its enhancements is on what Kroeker calls their ‘‘business intelligence tools.’’ These are features that compile information such as gross profit margin percentages and per-product sales analyses, and displays it in easy-to-grasp graphics.

‘‘It is much easier to see what’s happening by looking at graphics, rather than printing and then ploughing through text-based reports,’’ says Kroeker. ‘‘Our customers need this business intelligence information fast. Our LBM management software systems provide it to them quickly, in forms that are easy to understand and allow them to be proactive instead of looking at a report of things that have already happened.’’

ACCEO has also been enhancing its LBM management system to create detailed customer histories, so that retailers can see at a glance what kinds of products these customers prefer, how much and how often they buy them. ‘‘We make this information available through mobile technologies, so that LBMs can access it out of the office on their mobile devices,’’ Kroeker says. ‘‘Better customer information leads to better customer service, higher sales, and happier customers.’’

Accounts receivable is another important concern for LBMs; especially when it comes to getting paid and dealing with delinquent accounts. ‘‘We have enhanced the AR element of our management systems, such that retailers can keep a closer eye on their accounts receivable, get their invoices out more quickly, be more accurate in what they charge, and get paid faster,’’ says Kroeker. ‘‘All told, ACCEO is always looking for ways to make our management solutions do more, and earn more, for our LBM customers.’’

James Careless – Yarstick