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ADD-on SOLUTIONS
For several years, Contact
Plus Consulting has been developing add-on applications, modules and functions
to add to the business management systems it sells or supports. These components
operate in close integration with the core ERP system and function just as if
they were proprietary modules of the core system.
Please find below a
description of the modules that have already proven in live operation at a
number of customers:
Electronic Customer
Service System (ECSS)
ECSS is a system shell developed as a functional add-on to SAP
Business One to support the sales activity of remote system users without the
need to install an SAP Business One client on the remote user’s workstation.
ECSS establishes a fully integrated connection with SAP
Business One’s central database. This way, users can at any time download the
latest stock and price information or post structured inquiries and orders from
and to the central database. The central computer responds automatically or in
semi-automatic mode to such requests and automatically files all quotations and
orders arriving from such remote workstations in SAP Business One’s central
database with the appropriate status. Additionally, the system shell has
internal messaging functions rendering user communications simpler and faster.
ECSS technology can be configured to transmit electronic
communication signals to the central computer via the simplest dial-in
connection, but the latest Internet transmission protocols, such as ADSL are
also supported.
This solution can be typically useful for companies with a large reseller
network using electronic means to support and provide swift services to their
partners.
Petty Cash module
This module was designed to handle, record and
label in-house multi-currency cash transactions of business entities
and can be used to generate the relevant receipts, pre-process cash
transactions based on payment titles and proceed to automatic cash processing.
The module has other useful features, such as the ability to define different
access profiles for cash desks and cashiers separately, handle cash desk opening
and closing, status reporting and other cash statements. The software keeps
analytic records of cash statements, which can be queried, reversed or printed
any time, should the need arise.
Default Interest
Reporting Module
This module was designed to manage and record the
default interest calculations and settlements of business entities, and
can be used to create the relevant statements and proceed to automatic
processing of.
Users of the module can benefit from easy-to-use, transparent and historically
retrievable calculations of contractual default interests.
A
user-friendly wizard-type interface supports the creation of default interest
notifications swiftly, which can be printed after verification and approval, or
can be sent via e-mail. Every default interest notification is registered and
stored with a unique record number and status, also indicating the number of
times the notice letter was sent to the debtor.
Default interest can be calculated individually for each debtor based on a
predefined general fixed rate or variable interest rates. To each printed
notification comments can be added and partial payments can be recorded. Changes
and added transactions are logged and can be retrieved any time later.
Other than using it for default interest calculations only, the add-on can be a
unique source of indirect information for debtor payment pattern analysis.
Quick Bench Module
A system shell
built on Crystal Reports, this add-on makes it possible to run custom reports
and statements in a structured format and at predetermined date and time on any
workstation without an ERP (e.g. SAP Business One) client installed. The module
also has three built-in reports that can be tailored to customer requirements.
This
application can be especially useful to users who regularly run specific reports
and statements using Crystal Reports. In addition to adding a transparent and
easy-to-view structure to the reports created this way, the biggest benefit of
using the module is the significant gain in speed of querying and running the
reports. For example, the time to run a report using Quick Bench could be
reduced to 1-2 (!) minutes from 20 minutes earlier thanks to its direct data
access in SQL.
The module
also gives direct access to core ERP (e.g. SAP Business One) data referred to in
the reports during the query, and these can be set as filter conditions for the
search.
Quick Info Module
The module was
developed to give a snapshot view to “every” logistical information from a
single screen, also from workstations with no ERP (e.g. SAP Business One) client
installed. Such information could include, for instance, the stock value in the
different warehouses of a given article (available, existing, expected, etc.),
or related to the movement of goods in stock (delivery and receipt), purchase,
delivery, customer and supplier orders, invoicing or future stock volumes.
Web Integration
Module
This module
was designed as an interface connecting the ERP (e.g. SAP Business One) system
to e-commerce applications. We have developed the Web Integration Module to
provide standard web services for easy integration by any e-commerce application
developer into its own system or service. Following are the key functions that
characterise the Web Integration Module interfacing SAP Business One with the
Internet:
Customer
and user interface
§
Makes sure that only existing customers/users can purchase in the web-shop
-
This means that the system is set up in a way that all customer
data are handled by SAP Business One, so that new customers can be added and
authorised only in the ERP before they can buy anything in the web-shop. No
customer data can be changed via the web interface.
§
Users are stored in the SAP Business One database
-
The same conditions apply to users as to customers, with the
exception that a user is allowed to change its passwords via the web interface.
The password is stored in an encrypted, coded form on the ERP application side,
directly connected to SAP Business One.
§
User access controlled by LiveData
-
This means that full access control and authorisation is performed based on the
most recent updates stored on the ERP application side.
§
One
customer may have more users associated with it
-
Needless to say, one customer may have more users associated with it, i.e. an
order in the name of a customer can be added by more than one purchase officers
in the system.
§
Full activity log including all user data
-
This makes controls and follow-ups on user activity possible,
granting an overview on all actions taken in the web-shop (who, when and what,
including logins, price queries, orders).
§
User rights and limitations
-
Login time limitations (business/customer/user policy)
§
No
limitations
-
Purchase value limitations (business/customer/user)
§
No
limitations
-
Functional limitations (user)
§
No
limitations
-
Blocking (customer/user)
§
Blocking on two levels possible: user and customer.
Features related to the order process
a)
Verification of orders
Stock
information
-
Stock availability
o
While processing an order, the system check available stocks and puts the
request in order or reserved status, depending on availability.
-
Reserved order expected reception date (from purchase orders)
o
The
expected reception time for reserved articles is defined as the next projected
reception delivery date plus one week.
-
No
purchase limits
-
No
dedicated warehouses
o
Everything is dispatched from one central warehouse location and all
reservations are effected for that central warehouse.
-
No
predefined packaging units, only recommended units
o
Orders are added one-by-one in units, and the recommended packaging unit is
indicated on the screen.
Price
-
SAP
Business One customer-specific preferential price
o
The
base price in the web application is the customer-specific price in SAP Business
One.
-
Discount on web orders
o
The
base price is adjusted with the applicable discount for web purchases, defined
on two levels: a general discount, or a customer-specific discount (not an
additive discount – this is the only discount applied if set for the customer).
-
Delivery cost handling
o
special article codes applied
o
can
be turned on and off for each customer
o
capped by invoice amount (not applied over specific order amount)
-
Full activity log for order verification (verified order object data)
o
All
order-related activities of the user are logged and retrievable.
b)
Processing of orders
-
New
delivery address can be added
o
User can select one of the predefined delivery addresses or add a new delivery
address
-
Adding orders and reservations
o
The
system stores orders on articles that are not available for immediate dispatch
as reserved orders
-
Special web order number range
o
Order numbers are generated from a predefined range of numbers.
-
E-mail notification
o
When an order is entered in the system, an electronic message can be generated
to
§
the
customer’s (user’s) e-mail address
§
the
customer’s e-mail address (if given)
§
the
in-house contact person’s specific address
§
the
corporate sales e-mail address or mail alias
-
Manual order authorisation
o
The
order is entered in SAP Business One as an item awaiting authorisation, to be
reviewed and authorised by a user
Catalogue system maintenance
The web-shop catalogue can be maintained by first creating the catalogue
structure in the product core database of SAP Business One (e.g. products,
product or catalogue groups), after which all data (e.g. article number,
quantity units, article names, etc.) to be displayed in the web catalogue are to
be defined and maintained there, also with the product images attached, if
possible. When done, the catalogue can be then simply uploaded to the web-shop
or its catalogue with the help of the Integration Module. This way, all web-shop
data can be maintained from a single location.
Consignment stock
management in SAP Business One
Consignment stores need special treatment as their stock should not appear in
the company’s accounts, while these stocks would still need logistical
maintenance. This means that consignment stocks need to be recorded in volume
but not in value.
Contact Plus Consulting has designed a special
process to handle the special recording tasks related to consignment stocks in
SAP Business One.
To know more, please
contact our experts! |
