Local snack firm uses smart-sales solution to boost business

Their entire work processes, from promotions to sales, stock management and customer relations, have been transferred to personal digital assistants (PDAs).

Their work responsibilities are now conducted from their palms, said the firm's managing director of retail business services, Shuchart Suphawimol.

To adapt its business conduct to the digital era, the company has developed what it calls Smart Van Sale Automation Systems, or Smart Van. It is a real-time smart-sales solution that allows sales personnel to conduct business transactions via PDAs or pocket PCs, wirelessly and remotely.

 "We want our business and our salesman to become familiar with new information technology, to help them to increase productivity, to manage their transactions and to distribute their products to clients in real time - while they're in the field," Shuchart said.

The Smart Van system allows salespeople to input information about customers and promotional campaigns into their electronic devices from a main database before they go out to meet customers or retailers. Moreover, they carry a vanload of products or snacks with them.

As the salespeople meet customers, their PDAs allow them to enter orders, check on the stocks they hold in the van and deliver products directly to customers without the need to either involve head office or return later to fill orders. The system also alerts salespeople when their stocks in the van are about to run out.

"The system uses information technology to increase efficiency, productivity and flexibility and reduces operational costs, creates transparency and removes human error from our business" Shuchart said.

The Smart Van system reminds salespeople about promotional campaigns so that they can present them to customers on the spot and respond to additional orders from their vans. It also allows salespeople to check on customers' status, and will print out receipts from a printer installed in the van, when payments are made.

The system also allows salespeople to help conduct marketing surveys, by providing them with questions for customers, whose responses are then entered into their electronic devices. Later, the information is transferred into a head office database, either by direct download or transmitted in real time via General Pocket Radio Service (GPRS).