Getting Started

Getting started with AwardPro is easy. As most supplier products are pre-installed there are only a few things to set up in relation to your own business. Many settings can be made as you work with AwardPro. But what about the big transition from manual to computer automation? Even implementing the program in the busy season you'll save heaps of time staright away. This may sound complicated but really it's easy.

Writing sales orders and quotes

You may now be using a hand written pad or a computer order form that does not have direct supplier order link. AwardPro will be just as easy, probably easier, to write your orders, and stock management becomes instantly automatic.

All Trophy supplier products will be already set up. You can set the prices through the fast mark up editing system, or just reset them as you write orders.
Once you have an order written you will automatically have a completely accurate list of components required for the job. Even if you hold stock and don’t do a stock take it’s just the same as now. Take the stock list and check the holding bays and then adjust it easily in job stock management to refine your supplier orders to exactly the right requirement. Not much different to what you are doing now--just so much faster!

Stock Management becomes automatic and dramatically quicker.

Now that you have written your sales order, printed the order confirmation showing deposit paid and printed the Job sheet showing everything required to make the job and checked the stock requirement all you have to do is send the supplier orders off on the day you normally do this.
Supplier Orders accumulate waiting for you to directly email or print or fax them. On these orders you can see exactly who the stock is for, see the actual price to pay based on the accumulated quantity break and any discount offered, add other components to the order, add special notes to the order and then send it off to the supplier.
When the goods come in from the supplier you will have a print out list that tells you exactly who the goods are for.

Production management so much easier to control

As soon as you start writing a sales order the Outstanding Work Schedule lists the job in date order and allows you to:

See all outstanding work updated every 20 seconds
See where the work is up to by showing each department involved as "to do" or "done."
Filter the Schedule by department so your team has a clear to do list showing dates etc.
Check part of the work completed so any office person can quickly see where the job is up to.
Make notes on the job entry in the schedule about Job Status (“John will approve on Monday when he’s back from hols” or “waiting for final winners’ names – should get Wednesday”)

There’s lots more to the Production management such as adding in job timing, creating an individual job plan, monitoring overdue jobs and tracking which staff member is doing what.

The whole program is really user friendly and, as everything you need is on the screen, it is very quick to take up.

Initial Installation.

Ok, so you have installed AwardPro on your computer system, set all computers up to point to it and you have added in your logo and company details so that all forms instantly have your logo and details on them.

What Next?

Add in all of your staff. Give them a User name which becomes the initial password. Let them go to “My Account” and secure a private password at some stage.
Have a look at the Supplier list in the system and determine if there are any other suppliers you would like in the system. Enter them or import them directly into AwardPro.
Have a look at which Departments come pre installed. Remove those that are not relevant and add in any that are not in the system to tailor the departments to your business. Have a look at the product mark up and edit to implement your own mark up strategy
Have a look at the Process types and process prices (engraving etc) and determine your own price strategy with quantity break.
Import your customer list into the system or just add them is as they order.
Check Delivery Methods to make sure your couriers are in the system.
Write in your own Terms and Conditions form.
Write in your own artwork Sign Off email form.

That’s practically all you have to do to get started. In fact, you really only have to do 1 through to 3 of this list before you can start writing orders and using AwardPro.

Everything else should be done, but you can change these things on the fly as you are using the program. It really is that easy. Even if you have a lot of product unique to your business, trophies and plaques etc that you designed yourself. It can all still be either built from the sales screen as an order comes along, or you can use the ‘custom’ product code to add the product and then sort it out at stock order time. The “custom” product has an inbuilt component that will let you know at stock order time that something needs to be sorted out for that order.

Getting Ready for AwardPro.

You should think about your mark up system and make decisions as to how much you are going to mark up products, either as a whole or grouped in Glass Trophies, Sports Trophies etc.
Consider what price you sell the Supplier sports catalogues for. AwardPro comes with all catalogues pre-installed with the supplier's recommended retail price. You can change this to suit your business strategy in seconds.
Start thinking about your process price list. Trophy Engraving, Laser Engraving etc. Scribble out some price strategy with quantity breaks so you can enter them in for automatic sales pricing.
Check out the list of suppliers, on our website, that come with the program and make a list of suppliers that you want to add to that. You could even download the Import template from our blog site.
Check your computers. You should have at least 2 gig of ram on each computer that will operate AwardPro. You can get away with less but I strongly recommend you get rocket ship work stations to keep up with this very powerful sequel server driven software program.
Read the AwardPro Blog and watch the videos on the web to get to know the program before installation day.