 Your awards are in the mail! Send us a picture. Here is the subject for the next TopForm TopGun Challenge. Which office products supplier does the TOPS module integrate with? Send your answers to Anthony Mullins. Also remember that all correct answers are being entered into the grand prize drawing at our Spring 2003 Users Conference. To the distributor, freight is an "f" word. Freight charges are not always available at the time of billing. The freight cost can sometimes be more than the actual product cost. The billings from freight companies are tedious to allocate to the individual shipments. Sometimes the taxing jurisdictions impose different rules on inbound versus outbound freight, as well as freight for out-of-state shipments as opposed to in-state shipments. Also, how does the distributor handle the not-so-obvious delivery costs incurred when using their own vehicles? This will be the first in a multi-part series on how to manage freight with your TopForm system. Part I - Inbound Freight When a shipment is made to a customer via any of the common shippers, the distributor will usually invoice their customer for the actual freight. However, what about the freight incurred to bring the goods into your warehouse? How can you account for this inbound freight? One option is to prorate the inbound freight across each of the subsequent shipments. There are two parameter options of which you should be aware regarding inbound freight. The first is on screen III (three) of the Order Processing Parameters. This parameter asks "Display Total Freight on Lots after selection?" The other is on screen V (five). It asks "Automatically add freight from lots to order header freight field?" The first parameter is an older parameter. It simply provides the operator, in the form of a prompt, the portion of the inbound freight that is applicable to the shipment. It is then up to the operator to add a line for the billing charge for this freight or include the information on the order notepad, subsequently it can handled by the person responsible for billing. The second, more recent parameter, takes operator intervention out of the billing process. It automatically prorates the inbound freight and includes it at the time of billing. This inbound freight, along with any outbound freight can be included in the base freight amounts to include when calculating freight markups. Freight markups allow you to set rules by customer for charging freight which includes whether or not to charge freight at all and if so whether to mark it up by a percentage with or without a minimum dollar amount. (See the TopForm March Newsletter for a discussion of automatic freight markups - I guess this wasn't the first in a series after all.) Please note that these parameters for inbound freight will apply to both customer-owned and distributor-owned goods. TopForm thanks Rick Hesse of Superior Business Solutions for this newsletter topic. One of their customers wanted to allocate the inbound freight to each of their cost centers based upon the cost center's specific usage. Rick called to inquire as to how they could respond to this customer's request just as I was racking my brain for an additional newsletter topic. Next month, the newsletter will discuss the commission and sales tax implications of freight. In a recent conversation with Tony Lombardo of the Bajan Group, Tony remarked that the new development coming from TopForm has been "phenomenal." He said the changes are coming at the "speed of light." We certainly appreciate his enthusiasm, even if it is a bit exaggerated, but we too are very pleased with the new technology that we have been able to make available to our customers. The newest development project has led to the TopForm Data Replication Module. What is a Data Replication Module? This is a module that provides for the simultaneous posting of your data real time to one or more additional databases. This database could be SQL, Oracle, MYSQL or any other ODBC compliant database. Why Would A Distributor Want to Maintain an Alternate Database? One motivation might stem from your own internal development. By posting to another type of database, your development team will have easier access to your TopForm data as it would then reside in a database with which they might have more direct experience. Since this data resides outside of your day-to-day accounting files, you eliminate the possibility of corruption of your data files by untested development activity. If you are using another software application in your business, this tool could be used to automatically update those files. For instance, let's assume that you are running a manufacturing business as well a print distributorship, you could keep the manufacturing files up to date with any changes that are made to the TopForm data set. If you are using a third party contact management or customer relationship management software application, those tables could be simultaneously updated with current order history. Also, there are tools already written to work with certain relational databases that can maximize your ability to perform "data mining" activities. This capability would also make it easier to continuously "send" your data to a remote server for disaster recovery purposes. Don't I have access to the data using the ODBC features? Yes, of course you do. ODBC can be a very useful tool for reporting, inquiry and for exporting certain data, however, experience has taught us that ODBC access to extremely large files can be very slow particularly when you have multiple operators also accessing those same files during their daily activities. The Data Replication Module could be used to simultaneously post to a shadow set of ProvideX files so that you could use ODBC more efficiently. You could also use this shadow set of files for training new employees and/or testing new procedures with your own data. What do I need to support Data Replication? Firstly, you need to be running under TopForm 5.1 as the tools we used to develop this new module were part of the ProvideX development environment. Second, you will need to decide on the database most suited to your needs and your budget. SQL is very popular and affordable, however, it is only available in a Windows NT or Server2000 environment. This might be an unattractive tradeoff for those accustomed to the stability of a UNIX operating system. MYSQL is a UNIX alternative that you might consider. Of course, Oracle offers a very powerful database for both UNIX and Microsoft operating systems, but it does require a considerable investment that might not be warranted, depending upon your needs and goals. Is this available now? Webb-Mason is currently beta testing this application and it should be available for general release within thirty days. As you can see there are many applications for this new and powerful TopForm solution. For more information on this new option, please contact TopForm Sales and Marketing at 770-448-1484. Reporting sales tax across multiple state jurisdictions is a mixed blessing. Of course, it is good that you are fortunate to have so much business that this has become a requirement. However, this can be a major burden and a potential liability for your company to accurately invoice and report sales tax to each of the governing bodies. VeraTax is a sales tax update service provided by TaxWare. It provides for monthly updates of the more than 7500 different tax jurisdictions across the United States. These sales tax codes are primarily keyed by zip code but, as those of us in Georgia know, can even vary within a zip code. TopForm has written programs to provide the following functionality: First, a series of Accounts Receivable System Parameters is used to revamp in TopForm to comply with the slightly different format required by VeraTax. A new program has been developed to load all of the current sales tax codes and the associated rates that are provided by VeraTax on their monthly updates.
Lookup by zip code is provided to assist the operator in assigning an accurate sales tax code to new customers and/or ship-to's. This new module is currently in beta testing and should be available for general release within the next sixty days. For more information on VeraTax and the TopForm interface, please contact TopForm Sales and Marketing at 770-448-1484. As you may already be aware, the TopForm Variable Print Option provides the manufacturer with a composite CMYK PDF. This means vendors can go right to press on any four color process printing jobs. However, CMYK was not the best solution for most business card orders as, in most instances, the manufacturer would just be printing the variable text in one color on a pre-printed shell. If this were the case, the manufacturer would have to separate the logo from the Variable Print data. However, given that business cards are such a low-cost product, this time translates into reduced profits for the manufacturer. We at TopForm understand your needs and those of your manufacturing partners and have added a Text Only PDF option. This is a separate business card that uses the same format as the composite PDF without any logo information - removing the necessity for "in-positioning" and PDF modification. For more information on the free Variable Print Option enhancement, please contact Kevin Carver at kevin.carver@topform.com. "We saw a need and began to fill it," says Linda Levy, co-Founder of Five Thousand Forms in Fogelsville, PA. Herb Levy, President of FTF, along with Linda saw a glaring weakness with the direct sellers at the time. "Customer service was lacking and Herb believed that we could be successful by treating customers with respect and with timely service." This focus on customer service misrepresents all that FTF believes in. Just check their mission statement, which states in part, "Our company is dedicated to providing unmatched service to our customers. We are driven by their ever-changing needs, and are committed to providing complete satisfaction." 
In the 29 years since the company's inception, FTF has grown in size and stature. The distributor has grown through a unique collaborative business-to-business approach. "We align ourselves with associations and organizations that are visibly positioned with vertical markets…through this B2B networking we have established revenue streams for today and beyond," Levy stated. FTF has also met the challenge of a changing marketplace by diversifying its product line. Besides the traditional business forms, FTF sells commercial printing, promotional products, and provides a growing direct mail service. When asked how FTF has continued to strive in a soft economy, Levy said, "We sell our creativity with first quality products and service, and great customer service will provide a means to be successful." Another factor in their continued strength as a company is their team selling approach to technology. Levy stated, "We have an internal e-commerce champion that joins with our sales people to create a dynamic and knowledgable team when selling our technology to prospects and customers alike." It has proven to be a very successful approach. TopForm has been and continues to play an important role in supporting FTF's operation. "TopForm has always been proactive in the marketplace and is a leader in technology development for print distributors…TopForm has enabled us to grow," Levy commented. You can find more information about Five Thousand Forms by visiting www.givemefive.com Have questions about the latest module releases? Want to see first-hand how the modules look and operate? Why not schedule an informational demonstration to get a bird's eye view of the new Office Products Solution, Variable Print, or just brush up on the latest developments with Web.ec. Contact Anthony Mullins at 770.239.5452 to schedule a 15- minute session. Not only is the holiday shopping season a time to find great deals on gifts for family and friends, it's also the best time ever to purchase a TopForm module for your company. December is the last month to qualify for a chance to win a trip for two to New Orleans! Purchase any one or all of the qualified modules and you will be automatically registered, one, two, three or four times! Qualified modules include:
*Also, the TopForm Office Products Solution is eligible for your 25% early release discount. As you know, one of the benefits of your TopForm Annual Support Agreement is that you are afforded a 25% discount on any new module during the early release period (sixty days). New Orleans is the destination to please all your senses. Taste the best French and Cajun cuisine. Listen to the world-renown Jazz music. View the Architecture and Old World Charm. It's been said, "If you can't have fun here, there's something wrong with you." Contact Anthony Mullins at 770.239.5452 for more details. The contest winner will be announced in the next edition of TopForm Times. |