Door and window distributor uses the award-winning solution to streamline processes, reduce inefficiencies, and integrate all aspects of its operation
BEAVERTON, OR — Sage North America today announced that J.F. Cook, one of Southeastern Wisconsin’s largest door and window distributors, uses award-winning Sage 100 Contractor to increase profitability and obtain a significant return on investment. Since implementing Sage 100 Contractor, J.F. Cook has streamlined its processes, enhanced customer service, and integrated all aspects of its business.
Sage 100 Contractor combines accounting, project management, estimating and service management into one complete construction business management system. J.F. Cook was using the solution to handle its accounting and project management tasks but inventory, service management, reporting and many other tasks were being done manually or in other disconnected systems. The company wanted to integrate its operations by consolidating all of its business data together in a single application. J.F. Cook began using the Sage 100 Contractor service management and inventory control capabilities and added companion products to integrate with the company’s outsourced payroll provider and streamline payroll tax filing tasks.
Sage 100 Contractor delivers the visibility the company needs to better satisfy its customers. “Before, our service operation was managed with paper, spreadsheets, and the knowledge in peoples’ heads,” says Stacey Teal, J.F. Cook’s operations manager. “Now we have full inventory control, warranty tracking, a graphical dispatch board, tight integration with job costing, and our technicians now have the ability to input data from the field using an iPad.”
The business management solution has also helped J.F. Cook improve its customer service. Questions and issues surrounding service billings have been greatly reduced. “We have many types of contracts with different billing arrangements. Before, we did not have an efficient way to track the contract details, so billing errors sometimes occurred,” explains Teal. “Using Sage 100 Contractor, we track all the contract information and billing is faster and more accurate.”
The return on investment of the company’s use of Sage 100 Contractor is significant. “We used to have an accounting staff of six full-time employees. With the efficiencies we gained, we were able to eliminate two full-time positions and reduce two others to part time. The labor savings significantly improves our bottom line,” said Teal. Sage 100 Contractor also has helped the company manage over 10,000 parts in inventory, keeping track of where each part is at any given time. The increased business visibility and efficiency have helped staff significantly reduce the number of steps required to complete a task, cutting what used to be a 12-hour work day down to a regular 8-hour work day.
Read more about J.F. Cook’s success with Sage 100 Contractor here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSQNbXzelBs. Learn how your company can benefit from construction industry-specific solutions by contacting Sage at 800-628-6583 or productinfo.cre@sage.com.
Sage construction and real estate products are part of a broad portfolio of Sage business management solutions that are designed to help make business life easier. They include Sage Construction Anywhere, Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate (formerly Sage Timberline Office), Sage 300 Trade Specialty (formerly Sage Timberline Enterprise), Sage Estimating (formerly Sage Timberline Estimating), Sage 100 Contractor (formerly Sage Master Builder), and Sage 50 Construction Accounting (formerly Sage Peachtree Premium Accounting for Construction), which are industry-tailored to help companies optimize financial and operational performance. With over 40 years in the industry and more than 40,000 construction and real estate customers, Sage product lines have been recognized as the most widely used applications for construction estimating, job costing, accounting, payroll, and project management in the mid-market, according to the Construction Financial Management Association’s (CFMA) 2010 Information Technology Survey for the Construction Industry.
About Sage
Sage is a leading global supplier of business management software and services for small and midsized businesses. The Sage Group plc, formed in 1981, was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989 and now employs more than 12,600 people and supports more than 6 million customers worldwide. For more information about Sage in North America, please visit the company website at NA.Sage.com . Follow Sage North America on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/SageNorthAmerica, and Twitter, http://twitter.com/sagenamerica.
