Dimensional Business Solutions
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We work with many great companies. Click on the name to read what they have to say about us:

Foster Shoes   -   Spruce Meadows   -   Peter Roberts   -   Sole Comfort

Sole City Shoes   -   Professional Skate   -  Strellson Menswear Wholesale

Arnold Churgin Shoes   -   Focus Clothing   -   Fairplay Stores   -   Freed Of London

Tom Bass Sports Corporate   -   Wickerland   -   Inhabit Interiors   -   Braun's Is Bicycles

Equi-Products   -   The Mill Store   -   The Horse Store   -   The Shoe Factory

Pro Skate Colorado   -   Wee Wai Kum   -   James & Dickson Men's Wear

Breslauer & Warren   -   Gord's Running Room   -   La Chic Ladies Wear

 
Arnold Churgans Shoes
What made you invest in a new system?

Our primary need was for control of accurate collection of sales information. We needed this information to be collected in a consistent way to process customer data accurately and reliably. In addition we needed our sales information to be correlated to our customer history and inventory data.

Why did you choose Dimensional Business Solutions?

We needed an organization to provide stable, consistent and local service. We needed a very flexible organization that would be willing to investigate and adapt to any circumstance; they needed to be focused on providing systems solutions. A lot hinged on the technical expertise of the individuals involved.

What was important about this system for you?

The system focuses very well on the needs of the cashier/salesperson at point of sale. It has good quick customer look-ups, and is very fast and efficient to process a sale. The four dimensional grid was a must for us. I can't believe that a package fit a shoe store so well. The system lets us sort by color. We put in a significant amount of transactions and have a 98% reliability on data gathering, which is great for our needs.

How has the system affected your company?

It has significantly enhanced executive decision making capabilities. Point of sale efficiency in collecting customer and sales information with speed has also increased. It has also streamlined and focused administrative functions.

What are the most useful functions of the system for your company?

The four dimensional grid display is key to our sales strategy. The sales staff use employee sales information to determine their individual standing against their targets.

How do you see the analytical potential of the system for your business?

The capacity for our executives to make sound strategic decisions is key to our business. There is plenty of untapped potential to create meaningful reports on captured data.

Where do you want to take the system next?

We want to have a multimedia database for inventory to be used for multimedia marketing on web sites. It would allow our clients to view our selections in their sizes prior to coming into the store. This expands our selling area to beyond the walls of our stores.

In hindsight, was the investment in the system justified?

Absolutely. Unquestionable. The cost has been very justified. The real time solution with inventory, sales and customer information being updated across all our stores instantaneously has been great. Without this real-time solution we could not expect to get our inventories accurate enough to deal with the larger "fuzzy" executive questions of inventory efficiency.

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Focus Clothing
Why did you invest in a computer system?

Well, we went from a manual system to a fully computerized one. We found that our inventory and our planned sales were getting large enough to warrant one. We also enlisted the services of a consulting agency that provided us with monthly business analyses. They required a lot of specific information.

Why did you choose Dimensional Business Solutions?

We felt the backup was there; they had a long history in retail and had good references available who had been using their systems for several years

Why did you choose this system?

Firstly, a retailer we knew highly recommended it to us. Secondly, we listed our needs and the program met all of our needs. Our business consultants also had a list of needs that this system met very well.

What is the most useful function of your POS system?

Wow. The inventory control, the inventory tracking. Physical counts are fast and accurate. We use the Purchase Order on Order reports and the Flash/Summary reports that look at received unit/cost/retail. We use the customer phone lists by purchases, employee, comments, and call dates a lot. We like the ability to track customer sales and the sales staff likes the complete customer purchase history at the point of sale.

Overall, how was the computerization process?

Very smooth. We had a lot of support from Dimensional Business Solutions. We've been on the system since September of 97. We were on the system from the first day we opened and we've never had a day when the system wasn't working.

How are your clients responding to the new system?

At this point our clients expect us to be on a good system; they would be surprised if we weren't. It creates a sense of professionalism when we have everything we need to interact with our clients.

Where do you want to take the system next?

We want to implement a points program that rewards our most profitable customers. We would also like to be able to export information to other programs such as Excel or Access. This would allow us to connect information that most retailers wouldn't think to do, giving us a competitive edge.

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Spruce Meadows Tack Shop
What made you invest in a new system?

Our system was simply not adequate to handle the amount of inventory we were carrying. Not just that, but we wanted to optimize inventory levels so we wouldn't be carrying inventory that wasn't turning. We wanted effective budget controls over our inventory.

Why Retail Management Systems?

One of our major criteria for a new system was that there had to be excellent local support. When we talked to the retailers that had systems installed and supported by Retail Management Systems we liked what we heard - excellent service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - that's the kind of support we had to have!

What has been the staff's reaction to working with the system?

Ease of use by staff was a major concern when we were looking for a new system. Our staff were able to learn how to use the system at the point of sale very quickly, and they like it. From management's point of view productivity is better, and the staff have the information they need to give the first rate service our customers expect.

What is the most useful function of the system for you?

For us it's the inventory reports. I can tell at any time what I have on hand, without going out onto the floor and searching for it. Not only that I can see how an item is performing, which items are slow movers, and what items I need to reorder. It makes my life a lot easier! I also like the way the system handles promotions and sales. We find it to be pretty foolproof.

What do you like about using computers in your business?

Answers! That's what I like! When I have a question I can get the answer! No more eyeballing inventory or guessing at inventory levels. When I need information it's there for me at the push of a button.

In hindsight, was the investment in the system justified? If you had it to do all over again, would you?

Without a doubt we would. It's a lot of work to install a new system, but without a system like this it's like driving at night without any headlights. You know you're moving, but you can't see where you're headed. Now we have the information to see where we're going and to run our business more profitably.

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Professional Skate
What made you invest in a new system?

We were completely manual before. When we added a third store we had to go to a computer system (... now we wonder why we didn't computerize much earlier). We felt we needed more inventory control and with an absentee owner in the other locations a good POS system would give the control we needed.

Why did you choose Dimensional Business Solutions?

DBS gave the best demonstration. They talked more about retail and business than about computers. They came across knowing our business. I had a hard time following some of the other demonstrations. It didn't hurt that DBS came really well recommended.

Why did you choose this system?

We were impressed with what the system could do. It was simple to follow, was very flexible, and looked great! I loved how well it gave information for accounting purposes.

How have you found support services from DBS?

Very good. Excellent. They've always been there when we've needed them.

How has the system affected your company?

Our inventory control is much, much better now and we can accurately track our Accounts Receivable. The best part is that the information needed to run our business is now available at our fingertips.

What are the most useful functions of the system for your company?

The entire inventory control, from receiving to UPC tickets to point of sale ... it all works great. The Accounts Receivable control is a big bonus in collecting from our customers. The other big feature for us is the consistency of our retail prices at all the stores. The way the system handles sales is terrific.

Where do you want to take the system next?

I want to start implementing purchase orders on the system. I want more control on the purchasing side; I want to know exactly what comes into the store and at the prices I thought I ordered it at. Receiving inventory into the stores should also become much more efficient.

In hindsight, was the investment in the system justified?

Yes, absolutely. If for no other reason than the fact that counting inventory took us 3 days for 3 stores ... it use to take us months !!! And we still did not know if it was accurate. The dollar value is definitely there.

If you had to do it all over again, would you?

Yes, I would do it all over again, but this time I would do it sooner. We were overwhelmed with all the work we thought it was going to be, but once you got over that it wasn't so bad. You've got to be ready though - you've got to have clear expectations I think.

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Strellson Clothing Wholesale
Why did you choose Dimensional Business Solutions?

We've had an ongoing relationship with DBS. Their honesty and commitment to the product was important to us. In addition their understanding of our business needs and requirements ensured that we would have a good fit of the software to our company.

Why did you choose this system?

There are several reasons. The system is easy to use for everyone in the office ... from heavy to light users. Secondly, the package works within a Windows 95 environment. This was important because as a company we wanted to look at other uses of our system, such as the internet. Another important factor was its ability to integrate Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable and inventory control. Overall the program's flexibility impressed us.

What do you think about the use of computers in your business?

They are the key to our company's future. These days we can do more work with the same staff levels. Computers are definitely here to stay, and learning to use them effectively will help anyone improve business efficiency.

How has the system affected Strellson?

As the primary user I can comfortably say I can get more done easier and faster. The ability to control inventory as precisely as we can in this system is vital to our business. I can keep tabs on specific items in stock very easily.

Where do you want to take the system next?

The potential is so great that it's beyond anything we have ever had before. We will be able to fine tune the specifics of our business in a variety of areas over the next year ... and beyond. Once all the basics have been looked at and adapted to our way of doing things, we would like to take advantage of a fully UPC scanning system for all of our inventory movement. In addition we would like to explore the use of the internet for our business.

In hindsight, was the investment in the system justified?

Very much so. But it is important to understand that the investment is an on-going one, like regular maintenance on a nice car.

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