We have received so many calls asking what are the differences between iConnect (formerly e.Advantage) and RemoteDesk that we decided to put this piece together to help you select the most appropriate solution for you or your client. Bravo Software Group supports both solutions, so in our opinion it is a matter of what best suits the client, within a range of their budget. The following are questions to ask yourself or your client to help in the selection of your solution. Select the criteria that is a critical issue, or simply go through each question and do an evaluation based on benefits and value for money. What is your budget? What is your primary motivation for wanting this technology? How many users will require immediate ordering capabilities? Is it critical that the remote source see actual inventory stock levels, or is 'start of day' levels sufficient? Do you want users that are surfing the net to order products, or do they want sales reps, branch offices and selected customers, or perhaps all? If you have sales reps, will those reps have access to a phone line at order time? Do you have an active web site already? Do you have technical staff devoted to this project, or funds to install, train and support your decision? After evaluating these questions if you are still not sure, please send us an e-mail describing your situation and we will get a technical rep to analyze your needs and offer you some advise and guidance. Send your description to; Sales@bravosw.com One point we would like to make is they are very different. The solutions are at the opposite ends of the spectrum. RemoteDesk is batch oriented, and appeals to a very different audience than e.Advantage, which is real time. The price differences also determine the target audience. RemoteDesk is best suited for companies that do not need real-time inventory levels. This product can update the stock levels quickly and efficiently, but most companies who use RemoteDesk update each morning. A product such as RemoteDesk e.Commerce may provide you with some of the on-line features you are looking for, but again, it is not real-time inventory. What is your budget? RemoteDesk has a starting price of $5195, while iConnect has a starting price of $5,250 plus hardware, firewall and connection issues ($8,000). If both of these figures are within your range, you can proceed to the analysis. For each iConnect applet the cost is $750, of which there are 4; Sales Order, Receivables, Purchase Order and Payroll If one is not in your budget, then you can either start with a product such as RemoteDesk, or if the best solution is iConnect because of the nature of your business, wait until you have the budget. For iConnect you should expect to spend, with training, consulting, hardware and installation approximately $14,000. For more details on the components of a web based solution, press here . Return to Top What is your primary motivation for wanting this technology? 1. Are you trying to simplify the order process for sales reps? 2. Are you trying to offer easy ordering for large customers? 3. Are you trying to simplify the updating process from branch offices? 4. Do you simply want to automate more, and the benefits of a solution that offered reduced entry seemed appealing? 5. Do you want to attract more customers for web based ordering? 6. Do you want their employees to have access to company based information such as payroll? 7. Do you have inventory problems and need everyone to be ordering from live inventory levels? 8. Do you want your sales reps to have the ability to produce quotes, process orders and easily update head office? If you are looking at options 1 thru 5, RemoteDesk and iConnect are both applicable. If your primary motivation is points 6 or 7, iConnect will have to be evaluated further, as RemoteDesk does not satisfy these 2 options. If you are looking at point #8, only RemoteDesk satisfies this option, and you can evaluate this product more thoroughly. Return to Top How many users will require immediate ordering capabilities? The iConnect solution solution starts at $4500 and the RemoteDesk e.Commerce solution is $2495. For incrementing both solutions, add $6500 for 5 users, or $11,500 for 10 users for iConnect, or add $1450 for 5 users, or $2500 for 10 users for RemoteDesk. What you need to do here is evaluate how many people you want to have on-line by the end of the year, then compare pricing once this figure is established. For complete RemoteDesk User pricing, press here. Return to Top Is it critical that the remote source see actual inventory stock levels, or is 'start of day' levels sufficient? If you must have actual inventory levels at the time of order, then iConnect requires further consideration. RemoteDesk can display current stock levels only as often as the system is updated. This can be as frequently as every 10 minutes, but transfer times and upload times have to be considered. For a company with 100 items, this would be easy, but for a company with 10,000 items, this wouldn't be an effective solution if frequent updating of stock levels were required. Return to Top Do you want users that are surfing the net to order products, or do you want sales reps, branch offices and selected customers, or perhaps all? Web Surfers: If your focus is to put your products on the web for web based ordering, there are 2 primary options available at this point. You can look at eTransact, issue passwords and allow live ordering, or you can simply put your products on your web page with a CGI order form or shopping cart system, and RemoteDesk Administrator will format the file for import into ACCPAC. It is a difference between "true live ordering" and "order fulfillment". Most companies dealing with web surfer ordering that are trying to increase exposure of their products, usually don't need mission critical 'live ordering', but this will be a decision for you. A reminder that a 'live ordering' system usually requires a password be issued prior to the ordering process, and this may frustrate companies who are looking to simply place an order. Sales Reps: RemoteDesk is an ideal product for sales reps, as it allows them to create quotes and easily convert those quotes to orders or invoices for direct processing at head office. It also integrates to ACT!, GoldMine or Maximizer contact management systems to complete the sales force automation cycle. It is ideal because it does not require that the sales rep be on-line to order, which sometimes isn't possible for reps on the road. When the transfer does take place, it is often less than 3 minutes, which is cost effective if using hotel or long distance calling rates. If the order process demands that reps have the exact stock levels at order time, then the logistics of iConnect must be further considered. Branch Offices: This will depend on a few variables. If the branch office must have accurate inventory levels at time of ordering, then iConnect is the best choice. This may require dedicated lines depending on the order frequency, and depending on the number of people ordering simultaneously, a detailed analysis should happen regarding transaction volume, speed and efficiency. e.Advantage is also the better choice if you want branch offices to be able to access inter-company information such as reports, payroll, policies, sales analysis and the like. It depends of course on how central the head office information is. If the branch office can use 'inventory levels as of this morning', then RemoteDesk offers a very inexpensive and more powerful alternative to on-line ordering. Not only does the branch site not require any accounting software, but RemoteDesk gives them the ability to order or invoice, send the details to head office and receive order confirmations and new stock levels, within a 1 minute e-mail transfer. Customers: When selecting a solution that involves your customers, the best thing to do is ask them what they would prefer. Do you want to order on-line using the internet, which will provide you with accurate stock levels. This process will involve you getting a password, and making sure you have reliable access to the internet. Do you want to be able to order from our product line, at your convenience, from your PC, and send it as an e-mail. This requires that you have an e-mail address, so that you can send us the orders, and we can send you back an e-mail which updates your stock levels and provides you with order confirmation. It will require a piece of software, which you will probably provide them with. RemoteDesk and iConnect/eTransact are equally effective in solidifying the relationship between you and your customer, it is simply a question of what they want. Pick your 10 best customers, and evaluate the results. Chances are the responses will be varied, but it will give you some solid information to base your decision on. In the longterm, if your goal is to get every customer that crosses your path to order from your data on the internet, then e.Advantage may be the best solution, despite the up front cost investment today. Return to Top RE: sales reps, will those reps have access to a phone line at order time? This ties into the prior answer also. If their order taking is the type where they visit a site, take an order and go to the next site, then RemoteDesk would be a good solution as the orders can be sent to head office, in under 3 minutes at a more convenient time. If they will always have access to a phone line, in situations such as a virtual rep who works from the home, then iConnect offers more options. Return to Top Do you have an active web site already? If you do not already have an active web site, in some situations a solution such as e.Advantage is a big leap into alot of technologies at once. Again you will have to look at budget, technical personnel available, and the nature of your ordering cycle. If you do already have a web site, and staff that are familiar in its operation, iConnect could be a nice addition to your offerings. RemoteDesk uses one of the most common methods available today to communicate and transfer files, e-mail . Most companies already have this operating, RemoteDesk simply uses it, so installation and setup is hours, not days. Return to Top Do you have technical staff devoted to this project? When deciding to do electronic commerce, on-line ordering and automating, this means a change will occur in the way you do business. It also means your staff and management need to put an effort into the selection, installation and maintenance, because you want a solution that will grow with you. Now is the time to decide whether in-house staff will support the product, or will you remain dependant on outside sourcing. RemoteDesk for example integrates to your accounting system, and uses your existing e-mail. The support required from staff will be the addition of new remotes, and the operation of the product. Most companies have an existing staff member that can handle these responsbilities. If you are looking at iConnect you will either require a technical staff member to maintain the internet server, firewall, ISDN lines, and ACCPAC server software for the addition of new logins, or contract a company to be on call. Either way, you must ensure there has been a budget set aside to take care of this both personnel wise or subcontract wise. Return to Top

 

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