P&P: Many software packages promise to save your business time and money. How does PromoServe do this in practice?

AT: PromoServe has been 10 years in the making - we have worked with companies in the promotional products industry since 2002 and have developed the software based on their feedback and the latest advances in technology. We encourage close relationships with our customers and this has provided us with an in-depth understanding of how your business works. So we know, for example, how time consuming it can be to chase customers for artwork and proof approval, and have created auto-processes that do this for you. We also know that distributors can spend hours chasing supplier delivery dates, and again have automated this procedure. There are hundreds of examples and case studies which illustrate this point - our website is a good place to start.

P&P: In the examples given it does seem that while your software could work wonders in a large business, it wouldn't have such an impact in a smaller company.

AT: We do deal with many of the biggest names in the industry, but I would estimate that around 60% of our customers have fewer than five staff. In the case of smaller companies, the features that benefit them the most are things like the Download on Demand feature from www.tradeonlysearch.com and www.promo-news.co.uk, allowing distributors to download product data into their back office software and auto-generate a customisable picture quote. Also back to back orders, and the advanced marketing tools which allow you to generate mailing lists based on items previously quoted for, or industry, or even general interests such as ‘enjoys golf'. All of these features allow for more efficient procedures and a more professional output, as well as being designed to encourage distributors to proactively market their services.

P&P: In this uncertain financial climate, what would your advice be to smaller distribution companies struggling to win business?

AT: Sell online. Just about everyone has a website of some description, but the real money is in eCommerce. We deal with a company in the States called Zorch - actually the eighth fastest growing company in the US - and the vast majority of their business is through online sales of promotional products.

They don't even touch the orders - the suppliers provide the product data, Zorch create the online trading portal and market their services, and orders received are auto-processed through their back office software so that the suppliers can process and despatch the goods. Zorch just keep an eye on proceedings - their overheads are absolutely minimal.

There's nothing to stop UK companies from doing something similar - our QuickOrder Portal technology is being used to run more eCommerce websites than any other provider in the UK, again because it's tailored to the requirements of the industry.

I would also urge distributors to stay positive and sell the benefits of promotional merchandise and corporate clothing against other forms of advertising media. I came across some research from ASI recently and it noted that 84% of people remember the advertiser on a product they receive. That's fantastic. Educate your customers with this sort of statistic and your job will be much easier.

P&P: Promotional merchandise is one thing - how does your system cope with the complexities of corporate clothing?

AT: Corporate clothing is indeed a hugely complex area - particularly when it comes to online sales. You need to be able to show one item and the colours and sizes it's available in, and the areas it's available for decoration, and the types of decoration available - but behind the scenes each variable needs its own product code. Getting our software and online technology services to handle this level of detail has been one of our biggest challenges, but we're confident that we've cracked it, and happy customers like Phil Millar at Creative Apparel will attest to this!

Corporate clothing has so many applications and we really feel that it's a growth area within the industry as a whole, so we continue to work with our clothing suppliers and distributors to further develop and refine our products and services.

P&P: Do you believe that distributors and suppliers need your software in order to succeed?

AT:  Yes and no - if you can afford it, you could get software built for you which works around your business processes and arguably this would be even more intuitive and suitable for your needs than PromoServe. Equally, as I touched on previously, you can ‘get by' with other off the shelf software packages not designed for the industry. And PromoServe probably isn't right for every business. There are companies out there who have and will continue to run quite smoothly without our assistance.

However, I do believe that most companies would benefit from PromoServe, and this is borne out by the number and variety of businesses who currently use the software.

As we don't charge a capital fee for PromoServe we are reliant on a long term partnership with our customers in order to be profitable.

As a result, the success of our business absolutely relies on the success of our customers - and this is great motivation to keep on upping our game and creating an ever more relevant and useful software package.

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