October 3, 2024 • 22 mins
Ever wondered how you can minimize downtime and keep your industrial manufacturing projects on schedule?
Get ready to unlock the secrets of efficient online procurement with actionable strategies for optimizing your purchasing process. In this episode we share transformative insights into creating personalized product lists, setting up custom part numbers, and streamlining team access to keep your projects running smoothly. Don't miss out on how these powerful tools can help you control budgets and stay competitive in a fast-paced market.
Discover how centralized inventory management through unique part numbers can drastically reduce search times and errors. We explore the role of the open order page as a crucial hub for tracking and managing pending orders, providing essential oversight and control for administrators.
Learn the value of maintaining comprehensive order and invoice histories for improved planning and budgeting, and understand the streamlined processes for order changes, cancellations, and returns.
Tune in to see how leveraging these online tools, combined with strong personal connections, can significantly optimize your procurement process.
Register for an online account with Electrical Equipment Company to take full advantage of these resources and elevate your procurement game.
Remember to keep asking why...
Knowledge Base Resources:
Latest Article
Video Explanation of Registering for an Account
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Other Resources to help with your journey:
Installed Asset Analysis Support
EECO Smart Manufacturing Guide
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Submit your questions and feedback to: podcast@eecoaskwhy.com
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Host: Chris Grainger
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Eco Ask why, a podcast that dives into
industrial manufacturing topicsand spotlights the heroes that
keep America running.
I'm your host, chris Granger,and on this podcast we do not
cover the latest features andbenefits on products that come
to market.
Instead, we focus on advice andinsight from the top minds of
industry, because people andideas will be how America
(00:24):
remains number one inmanufacturing in the world.
Welcome to EECO Asks why.
I'm your host, chris Granger.
I'm looking forward to hangingout with you today.
We're going to continue ourseries here on EECO Asks why,
unpacking some areas aroundaccount management, particularly
online procurement, and how wego about serving those customers
(00:47):
out there in this area.
Again, this week it's kind ofthis month, rather is a follow
along to the series we've beenworking on for the last few
months and we're going to talkspecifically today around how
you can unlock even moreefficiency when you're online
procurement system with itemslike product lists, custom part
(01:08):
numbers and so much more.
Because we recognize that howquickly things are changing
rather there we go and howimportant it is to stay
organized and efficient andthat's so critical for you to
meet your business needs, and atECO we really see the
(01:29):
importance of seamlesspurchasing, that experience that
you're looking for, and that'swhy we're excited about several
of these features that we talkedabout today, because this is
going to help you optimize thatprocess of procurement, and we
know that's such a big dealbecause you have so many
competitors out there.
The landscape is very difficult.
Manufacturers out there arefighting tooth and nail with
each other to stay, you know, onthe front line of technology
(01:53):
and emerging solutions andthings like that anyway.
So what we can do where adistributor can come in handy
and come in and really behelpful is to help that process
so far as a up efficiencies andhelping to ensure that you have
the product that you need onhand.
Okay, so again, we're going tobe looking at items today like
product lists, customer partnumbers, open orders, invoice
(02:13):
history and even a few morethings, because really, at the
end of the day, what we'retrying to do is put you in full
control of your onlinepurchasing.
Okay, because if you're in fullcontrol of your online
purchasing, okay once, becauseif you're in full control of
your online purchasing, then youcan navigate and you can, you
can move, uh, maneuver in a waythat makes the most sense to you
.
So let's get going into it,okay.
So we're going to start off byjust sharing some things around
(02:35):
product list, because this issuch a big deal, particularly
when you're when you're workingwith uh, you know the types of
material on a regular basis.
Product lists are a reallymomentous change if you're
regularly buying the same itemsover and over and over, so you
can almost think of this as likeyour personalized catalog, and
(02:57):
it's going to really help yousave time and reduce those
errors by grouping thesefrequently purchased items of
products together.
Okay, and if you're jugglingmultiple projects or managing a
very large inventory, forinstance, these lists will make
it easier for you to reorderwithout having to go through the
(03:19):
process of the search over andover again, and you can do this
with default lists.
You can set up your favorites.
Okay, when you have an onlineaccount, all this is accessible
to you, and then you can createadditional lists that are
custom-tailored to specificprojects or maybe a department,
or just something that's justfrequently used.
You want to make sure that youhave this in this certain area.
(03:41):
So if you're an administratorin our system, you can even
assign some of these lists toother team members, and so what
you're doing here is you'reensuring that your organization
has access to what they need.
Say that again You're ensuringthat your organization has
access to what they need andthat's so important.
And this product list page is areally easily accessible area,
(04:05):
right from the quick navigationdashboard on the account to
streamline this process.
So if you've ever oversawprocurement for a project, maybe
for a construction company, youknow what it looks like to have
to reorder the same set ofelectrical components for
different job sites over andover and over.
I know I used to do this a lotwhen I managed one of our eco
(04:29):
locations.
We had certain definedtemplates based off okay, if
this was a 200 amp service goingin for this home, this is the
typical product that you wouldneed to get it going out the
door right.
That way, the contractor,contractor, come in, then we
could just rinse and repeat thatright, almost like a kit, like
here you go, here's what youneed to get that service up and
(04:51):
running.
The same thing for yourprojects as you go on out there
and by creating these, theseproduct, these product lists for
each site or project, you canquickly locate and order the
exact items that you need, andthis is going to really minimize
your downtime and, mostimportantly, it's going to keep
the job on schedule, because weknow that is so crucial these
(05:14):
days is staying on schedule,because once you get behind,
then you have to throw inovertime in, and when you throw
in overtime, you're what?
You're just ruining your budget, right?
You just it's all taking a, alltaking an impact to the bottom
line.
So easiest way to get started,if you're in the system itself,
just start by locating theproduct on the search bar that
(05:35):
you're looking for.
And once you find that productthat you're looking for, that
you use consistently, you candirectly at that point make it a
default product list or createa new one with just a few clicks
.
It's super easy to let you dothis and you'll find that this
particular tool is very usefulfor just everyday work as well
as big projects.
And you know, take advantage ofthis.
(05:57):
Add multiple lists, make sureyou keep these lists on hand,
share those lists out, becausethat's going to really help you
stay organized.
And again from the productdetail page is where you get
started here.
All right Now.
So once you have your list, yougot to figure out a way how to
take that list and actually moveit to your shopping cart, right
(06:17):
?
So let's say that you haveitems in your cart but you
realize that you need to savethem for a future reference,
okay, and if you navigate toyour shopping cart and you
select the items that you wantto move, hey, you can say, hey,
I want to move these itemsspecifically here to this
product list.
Boom, there you go.
You can't create a new listfrom the cart, but you can
(06:40):
definitely quickly organize yourproducts into existing lists
from there.
And again, this is all aboutflexibility and adaptability and
we're trying to do all thethings these little levers,
these little mechanisms put infront of you to help you make
better decisions.
Ok, so now, if you've, ifyou've ever found yourself
preparing orders in advance, youknow or waiting on project
(07:00):
approvals you know this is a bigdeal because you're not ready
to order this particular productyet, but you're going to be in
the future hey, we're going tohelp you keep track of that
potential purchases withoutcontinuing immediately, right
now.
There's going to make it supereasy for you to do this against
a straightforward way to managethese complex procurement needs
without losing sight of theimportant things and important
(07:22):
items moving forward, ok, soagain, that's a big area of the
product list that we just know.
There's a lot of value thereand it's going to help
accelerate things moving forward.
Now.
The next area we want to talkabout for a minute is how you
can enhance your identificationof these products that you use
with your own customer partnumbers.
How awesome is that?
(07:42):
Because if you have that, thisis going to create even better
traceability for you.
So let's say that you're tryingto streamline your future
searches and you want to helpyour local team be able to find
the products that youconsistently use.
Well, you can add your owncustomer part numbers right in
the system, right in thedatabase.
(08:03):
Okay, you do this on theproduct detail page.
So let's say, you find theproduct that you want.
Maybe it's this nice PLC orthis nice drive, whatever it is.
You click on Add Customer PartNumber and then you put your
unique identifier right there.
So in the future you don't haveto worry about whatever the
manufacturer's part number is.
(08:23):
You can just search for yourpart number very quickly.
It's going to align directly tothe right product.
You don't take all theguesswork out of it.
And then you talk about rinseand repeating man.
It becomes so much easier onceyou have this in place and you
start ensuring consistency andaccuracy, probably most
importantly inside this, insidethe system doing it this way.
(08:47):
So now, if, if you manage justtake this scenario a diverse
inventory with, with multiplesuppliers out there.
So if you had your own partnumber for the frequently
ordered products, you can reducethat search time, because it
can be hard.
It can just as someone whoworked in inside sales for a
period of time back in my co-opdays.
(09:07):
It's hard to find productssometimes.
There are so many options outthere.
So if there's a way to reducethat search time and make sure
that we're not going to createerrors across all the different
departments of people that aregoing to be interacting with the
system, we want to do that, andthis feature helps you do that,
helps you always stay on theright page, helps you always get
(09:29):
the source to the right items,reduce that risk of mistakes and
, ultimately, your efficiency isjust going to go up, up, up,
all right.
So now, once you've had theorders, it's important with the
online system to be able tomanage those orders and with a
really high level of control.
So the first thing you need tobe able to do is to view and to
(09:49):
manage those open orders.
Okay, so the open order pagewithin our system provides that
central hub for tracking andmanaging all those pending
orders.
Okay so you can go heredirectly.
I want to see it all.
And if you're an administratoroverseeing multiple teams or
different departments, this issuch a big deal because you can
quickly see which orders arewaiting on approval and who is
(10:14):
it like, who are the orders tiedto, and it gives you an
opportunity to keep a close eyeon any expenses.
That to ensure all that yourorders and things like that are
aligning to your budgetconstraints, so you don't want
someone coming in orderingthings outside of your purview.
This gives you the ability tosee that.
And if you have a situationwhere you have multiple
departments submitting orderssimultaneously, as an
(10:36):
administrator you need to beable to verify those orders that
they align with the companyprotocols and as well as where
you're setting your budget.
This open order page gives youthat ability to review and
approve or decline those ordersefficiently.
Ultimately, it's giving youthat oversight and control.
We know that's such a big dealbecause you want to have good
(10:57):
mechanisms in place to ensurethat you're controlling what
comes in and what goes out.
All right, now to approve apending order.
It's basically, you just go tothat checkout function and
you're finalizing that purchaseright there.
And the same thing with thedeclines.
You know what?
I don't think we actually needthis.
After all, you go talk to theperson who potentially put that
(11:18):
order in place and you figureout you know we don't need this.
You can delete it right there.
And this is a very easyfunction that we put in place to
really ensure that onlyauthorized purchases are made,
cause we know sometimes, how,how easy can it be just to be
looking for something?
Next thing, you know you're on aorder page Like, oh, I'm not
ready to order anything.
Well, if they don't know what,if you know they're not familiar
(11:40):
with the system, maybe theyhave ordered something and you
want to put a good measure inplace to make sure that doesn't
fall.
You know that doesn't happen.
Our system allows you to dothat.
Okay, and again, we knowmistakes are going to happen,
but if you have, if you have asystem designed the way we have,
we can swiftly, swiftly come in, cancel orders.
Try to make sure thoseresources that you're looking
(12:03):
for are allocated in the rightplace.
Okay, so get big areas for sure.
Now, if you want to look at yourorder history or your invoice
history, this will help you withplanning, believe it or not.
So if we have an order historyarea of our site, then you can
review, you know what you'vepurchased in the past.
(12:25):
You can start looking at yourshipping dates.
You can even reorder itemsdirectly there.
So say, this project wentreally well and you know you
want to rinse and repeat it.
Don't completely start fromscratch.
Just use that right.
Use, use right there what wehave in place with our system to
pick up some efficiency.
Ok.
And if you have that, bymaintaining that really
(12:46):
comprehensive log of all thetransactions, you can plan for
these future purchases evenbetter and you can start
anticipating some of your needsand managing your budgets better
.
So if you're starting to noticea trend where certain items are
reordered over and over andover, hey, maybe you want to
start looking at your overallpurchasing strategy and up your
(13:07):
level of on-hand inventory here.
That's a good, easy way toavoid delays and ensure that you
have that steady supply foryour projects that you have
coming up.
And again, order history is agreat way to spend a little bit
of time.
It's always a good practice tolook back to understand what's
what's happened here, so thatyou can make better decisions in
(13:28):
the future.
Ok, now the invoice history page, a little bit different.
This, this, this area of thesite allows you to view, print
and request proof of deliveries,and this is going to help you
maintain accurate financialrecords, because we won't put
all the data right there infront of you.
And now maybe you're goingthrough an audit and you need to
get all those records up prettyquickly.
(13:49):
Boom, right here, electricalEquipment Company.
We have everything ready tosupport you there, and maybe
your finance team has toreconcile payments or validate
something about delivery, youknow.
Or by giving them access tothese invoice histories, they
can quickly, quickly retrievethis necessary documentation
that they need.
You know how that big, a bigdeal that is because they're
(14:12):
reducing that administrativeworkload and you're ultimately
expediting that whole process.
Ok, so now, important stuff,for sure.
So let's let's talk about for aminute what about handling
changes or cancellations?
You know we've got to make surethat we have a high level of
flexibility with any system thatwe build.
This is what we've done, youknow, because, once the order is
(14:34):
submitted and processed,modifications and cancellations
can be difficult.
You know, because why wouldthat be?
Because we're moving stuffextremely fast, because we know
that you need the product.
But so if you have that rapidprocessing speed, okay, if you
have that in place, well, thingshappen.
If there's an order that needsto be changed or canceled, it
(15:03):
may be in your best interestjust to reach out directly to
account representatives, becausethey'll be able to guide this
process and start making someadjustments.
Because, quite frankly, we'retrying to move this stuff fast
to get the stuff to you in asmooth and efficient way as
possible.
As way as possible.
And they've replaced a largeorder for a project.
But a moment later, you're likeoh, I need to add some more
stuff, I need to modify it.
Instead of worrying about it,you know, just a quick call or
email to your accountrepresentative, and this is why
(15:26):
distributors exist.
We're here to serve you inthese areas.
Okay, now let's say thingsyou've ordered stuff, you're
going through it and then, atthe end of the day, it's not
what you needed.
So we're going to talk about howyou can ultimately navigate
those returns online, ok, andreduce that process.
(15:46):
So that returns process withour online system is very
straightforward.
You know, I know sometimes withreturns it can be very
emotional.
It can just get you frustrated.
We want to take all that stingout of it and simply all we have
within your my account page isthat you can enter.
There's a area right therewhere you can just start a
return.
That's simple, and this allowsyou to initiate that return
(16:08):
online, and it gives you aconvenient way to manage returns
without having to make anyphone call, without having to
get worked up on anything orstressed out.
You just go right there.
But now you know you have to beable to log into the system to
do this.
Okay, or maybe you still have.
(16:28):
You're logged into the system,but you still like that personal
connection.
We love that at Eco.
Okay, we still love thatpersonal connection.
Well, still, you can contactyour account representative and
they can get that going for youas well, because you need to
recognize the system's there.
But you may not always want toutilize every feature and
benefit we have there, and weunderstand that.
(16:49):
That's why we have team membersready to serve.
So you need to remember, though, when you're doing restocking
and returns, sometimes there'sfees associated with that, or
maybe there's different uhreturn policies depending, you
know, depending on the producttype or condition.
So all that stuff will factorinto play.
And maybe your, your team,ordered a bunch of electrical
components for a project, uh,but you realize, you know what,
(17:12):
when they arrived, that there'sjust something all.
Maybe you want an Ethernet andthey showed up a profaned or or
different types of settings likethat.
It's OK, instead of navigatingthat lethal return process, hey,
all that first step log intoyour online account, start that
return process and then getthose clear instructions of the
next steps moving forward,because this is again going to
(17:34):
maximize that downtime.
It's going to help you bestaying on track with your
project timelines okay, so weunderstand that, uh, you know
the account, the ability tomanage your changes and request
those returns directly throughyour online account.
This is going to make sure thatyour procurement process is
flexible, it's efficient andit's adaptive.
(17:57):
Okay, because we know yourneeds are changing and if you
understand how all these optionsallow you to respond quickly to
changes, this is going toreally minimize your delays that
you have and, ultimately, it'sgoing to ensure that you have
the right product that you needin the future.
So if you have a sudden changethat comes up and you kind of
find out, you know some of thestuff you've ordered no longer
(18:18):
need it.
That's what Eco's here for.
We're here to help and we canhelp you with that request to
change process and returns andget you gives you that peace of
mind that you're looking for,because you know we we know this
it can be stressful enoughmanaging procurement on these
big projects.
We don't want to be a stumblingblock, we want to come
alongside and help you there.
So you know, if you have lookat these tools that we have in
(18:40):
place from product lists,customer part numbers, order
management system andeffectively handling those
changes and returns you can seethe investment we're making.
We're really trying tostreamline your procurement
process, reduce those errors andultimately optimize your
overall purchasing strategy, andwe're giving you those
resources that helps keep thatjourney that you're on smooth,
(19:04):
efficient and under control.
So I'd encourage you to go checkit out.
We've got a ton of resourceshere with our online account
system and if you haven't gotyour online account set up yet
at ECO, what are you waiting on?
Come on, seriously, go checkout the show notes.
We'll have a link right therewhere you can go register for
your online account.
Maybe you're not anadministrator, maybe you're a
user.
That's okay.
We want to get you plugged intoour system because there is a
(19:27):
ton of data available at yourfingertips, particularly if
you're an engineer.
Out there you're working onprojects, you're trying to
source material, you want to getlogged in with your own account
, so get that set up.
We have our complete, updatedaccount management page.
It gives you lots of insightson how you take advantage.
A lot of these things we'vebeen talking about on the
podcast.
So far as you know how toregister for your account, how
(19:49):
to get the ship to address thesetup, the different roles, what
does that look like?
Then you know.
Last, for our last episode, wetalked a lot about pricing and
product availability and and howdo you go through that process
of an order.
All that is right there in thatonline account, okay.
So if you're looking for ways togrow, to enhance, to empower
your procurement process todayand be and be as flexible,
(20:11):
efficient and accurate aspossible in every transaction,
and be as flexible, efficientand accurate as possible in
every transaction, electricalEquipment Company is here to
serve, so hopefully you'reenjoying this new format of Eco
Asks why.
Definitely just an honor to beable to come and share this with
you.
I'd encourage you to check usout on LinkedIn our Electrical
Equipment Company profile there.
We have lots of things we putthere on LinkedIn as well as.
(20:36):
Just go to eco onlinecom sothat's eco onlinecom and get
started today.
Log to get registered with yourfirst account.
Again, you have to have anaccount with us to get logged in
there, but if you don't have anaccount, don't worry, you can
request an account right thereon eco online.
Okay, so lots of easy ways toget started with this for sure.
So if you know someone whoenjoys content like this, you
(20:58):
like to share it with them.
Maybe they're in themanufacturing space.
They haven't.
They're not utilizing onlineplatforms to work with their
distributors.
I encourage you to share thisstuff out.
That helps.
That could be something thatreally helps them moving forward
.
Again, if you want to give us arating and review, that would
be wonderful on the show.
If you like EcoSquad the waythat we're serving Again, our
(21:18):
YouTube channel.
We have lots of things going onYouTube as well, so just hop
over to YouTube search forElectric Equipment Company.
Subscribe, be one of ourfollowers there.
We'd love to connect with youand, again, you can always reach
out to us, ecoonline.
Get connected with us directly.
Find a location that's best foryou, whether we're in the
Southeast United States, that'swhere we're typically located.
We're here, we're ready toserve, we're ready to help you.
(21:40):
Just make the most out of yourprojects moving forward.
So thank you again.
Have a great day and rememberto keep asking why.
Thank you for listening to.
Eeco Asks why this show issupported ad-free by Electrical
Equipment Company.
Eco is redefining theexpectations of an electrical
distributor by placing peopleand ideas before products.
(22:03):
Please subscribe and share withyour colleagues and friends.
Also leave comments, feedbackand any new topics that you
would like to hear.
To learn more or to share yourinsights, visit EECOASYcom.
That's E-E-C-O-A-S-K-S-W-H-Ycom.
Welcome to Eco Ask why, a podcast that dives into
industrial manufacturing topicsand spotlights the heroes that
keep America running.
I'm your host, chris Granger,and on this podcast we do not
cover the latest features andbenefits on products that come
to market.
Instead, we focus on advice andinsight from the top minds of
industry, because people andideas will be how America
(00:24):
remains number one inmanufacturing in the world.
Welcome to EECO Asks why.
I'm your host, chris Granger.
I'm looking forward to hangingout with you today.
We're going to continue ourseries here on EECO Asks why,
unpacking some areas aroundaccount management, particularly
online procurement, and how wego about serving those customers
(00:47):
out there in this area.
Again, this week it's kind ofthis month, rather is a follow
along to the series we've beenworking on for the last few
months and we're going to talkspecifically today around how
you can unlock even moreefficiency when you're online
procurement system with itemslike product lists, custom part
(01:08):
numbers and so much more.
Because we recognize that howquickly things are changing
rather there we go and howimportant it is to stay
organized and efficient andthat's so critical for you to
meet your business needs, and atECO we really see the
(01:29):
importance of seamlesspurchasing, that experience that
you're looking for, and that'swhy we're excited about several
of these features that we talkedabout today, because this is
going to help you optimize thatprocess of procurement, and we
know that's such a big dealbecause you have so many
competitors out there.
The landscape is very difficult.
Manufacturers out there arefighting tooth and nail with
each other to stay, you know, onthe front line of technology
(01:53):
and emerging solutions andthings like that anyway.
So what we can do where adistributor can come in handy
and come in and really behelpful is to help that process
so far as a up efficiencies andhelping to ensure that you have
the product that you need onhand.
Okay, so again, we're going tobe looking at items today like
product lists, customer partnumbers, open orders, invoice
(02:13):
history and even a few morethings, because really, at the
end of the day, what we'retrying to do is put you in full
control of your onlinepurchasing.
Okay, because if you're in fullcontrol of your online
purchasing, okay once, becauseif you're in full control of
your online purchasing, then youcan navigate and you can, you
can move, uh, maneuver in a waythat makes the most sense to you
.
So let's get going into it,okay.
So we're going to start off byjust sharing some things around
(02:35):
product list, because this issuch a big deal, particularly
when you're when you're workingwith uh, you know the types of
material on a regular basis.
Product lists are a reallymomentous change if you're
regularly buying the same itemsover and over and over, so you
can almost think of this as likeyour personalized catalog, and
(02:57):
it's going to really help yousave time and reduce those
errors by grouping thesefrequently purchased items of
products together.
Okay, and if you're jugglingmultiple projects or managing a
very large inventory, forinstance, these lists will make
it easier for you to reorderwithout having to go through the
(03:19):
process of the search over andover again, and you can do this
with default lists.
You can set up your favorites.
Okay, when you have an onlineaccount, all this is accessible
to you, and then you can createadditional lists that are
custom-tailored to specificprojects or maybe a department,
or just something that's justfrequently used.
You want to make sure that youhave this in this certain area.
(03:41):
So if you're an administratorin our system, you can even
assign some of these lists toother team members, and so what
you're doing here is you'reensuring that your organization
has access to what they need.
Say that again You're ensuringthat your organization has
access to what they need andthat's so important.
And this product list page is areally easily accessible area,
(04:05):
right from the quick navigationdashboard on the account to
streamline this process.
So if you've ever oversawprocurement for a project, maybe
for a construction company, youknow what it looks like to have
to reorder the same set ofelectrical components for
different job sites over andover and over.
I know I used to do this a lotwhen I managed one of our eco
(04:29):
locations.
We had certain definedtemplates based off okay, if
this was a 200 amp service goingin for this home, this is the
typical product that you wouldneed to get it going out the
door right.
That way, the contractor,contractor, come in, then we
could just rinse and repeat thatright, almost like a kit, like
here you go, here's what youneed to get that service up and
(04:51):
running.
The same thing for yourprojects as you go on out there
and by creating these, theseproduct, these product lists for
each site or project, you canquickly locate and order the
exact items that you need, andthis is going to really minimize
your downtime and, mostimportantly, it's going to keep
the job on schedule, because weknow that is so crucial these
(05:14):
days is staying on schedule,because once you get behind,
then you have to throw inovertime in, and when you throw
in overtime, you're what?
You're just ruining your budget, right?
You just it's all taking a, alltaking an impact to the bottom
line.
So easiest way to get started,if you're in the system itself,
just start by locating theproduct on the search bar that
(05:35):
you're looking for.
And once you find that productthat you're looking for, that
you use consistently, you candirectly at that point make it a
default product list or createa new one with just a few clicks
.
It's super easy to let you dothis and you'll find that this
particular tool is very usefulfor just everyday work as well
as big projects.
And you know, take advantage ofthis.
(05:57):
Add multiple lists, make sureyou keep these lists on hand,
share those lists out, becausethat's going to really help you
stay organized.
And again from the productdetail page is where you get
started here.
All right Now.
So once you have your list, yougot to figure out a way how to
take that list and actually moveit to your shopping cart, right
(06:17):
?
So let's say that you haveitems in your cart but you
realize that you need to savethem for a future reference,
okay, and if you navigate toyour shopping cart and you
select the items that you wantto move, hey, you can say, hey,
I want to move these itemsspecifically here to this
product list.
Boom, there you go.
You can't create a new listfrom the cart, but you can
(06:40):
definitely quickly organize yourproducts into existing lists
from there.
And again, this is all aboutflexibility and adaptability and
we're trying to do all thethings these little levers,
these little mechanisms put infront of you to help you make
better decisions.
Ok, so now, if you've, ifyou've ever found yourself
preparing orders in advance, youknow or waiting on project
(07:00):
approvals you know this is a bigdeal because you're not ready
to order this particular productyet, but you're going to be in
the future hey, we're going tohelp you keep track of that
potential purchases withoutcontinuing immediately, right
now.
There's going to make it supereasy for you to do this against
a straightforward way to managethese complex procurement needs
without losing sight of theimportant things and important
(07:22):
items moving forward, ok, soagain, that's a big area of the
product list that we just know.
There's a lot of value thereand it's going to help
accelerate things moving forward.
Now.
The next area we want to talkabout for a minute is how you
can enhance your identificationof these products that you use
with your own customer partnumbers.
How awesome is that?
(07:42):
Because if you have that, thisis going to create even better
traceability for you.
So let's say that you're tryingto streamline your future
searches and you want to helpyour local team be able to find
the products that youconsistently use.
Well, you can add your owncustomer part numbers right in
the system, right in thedatabase.
(08:03):
Okay, you do this on theproduct detail page.
So let's say, you find theproduct that you want.
Maybe it's this nice PLC orthis nice drive, whatever it is.
You click on Add Customer PartNumber and then you put your
unique identifier right there.
So in the future you don't haveto worry about whatever the
manufacturer's part number is.
(08:23):
You can just search for yourpart number very quickly.
It's going to align directly tothe right product.
You don't take all theguesswork out of it.
And then you talk about rinseand repeating man.
It becomes so much easier onceyou have this in place and you
start ensuring consistency andaccuracy, probably most
importantly inside this, insidethe system doing it this way.
(08:47):
So now, if, if you manage justtake this scenario a diverse
inventory with, with multiplesuppliers out there.
So if you had your own partnumber for the frequently
ordered products, you can reducethat search time, because it
can be hard.
It can just as someone whoworked in inside sales for a
period of time back in my co-opdays.
(09:07):
It's hard to find productssometimes.
There are so many options outthere.
So if there's a way to reducethat search time and make sure
that we're not going to createerrors across all the different
departments of people that aregoing to be interacting with the
system, we want to do that, andthis feature helps you do that,
helps you always stay on theright page, helps you always get
(09:29):
the source to the right items,reduce that risk of mistakes and
, ultimately, your efficiency isjust going to go up, up, up,
all right.
So now, once you've had theorders, it's important with the
online system to be able tomanage those orders and with a
really high level of control.
So the first thing you need tobe able to do is to view and to
(09:49):
manage those open orders.
Okay, so the open order pagewithin our system provides that
central hub for tracking andmanaging all those pending
orders.
Okay so you can go heredirectly.
I want to see it all.
And if you're an administratoroverseeing multiple teams or
different departments, this issuch a big deal because you can
quickly see which orders arewaiting on approval and who is
(10:14):
it like, who are the orders tiedto, and it gives you an
opportunity to keep a close eyeon any expenses.
That to ensure all that yourorders and things like that are
aligning to your budgetconstraints, so you don't want
someone coming in orderingthings outside of your purview.
This gives you the ability tosee that.
And if you have a situationwhere you have multiple
departments submitting orderssimultaneously, as an
(10:36):
administrator you need to beable to verify those orders that
they align with the companyprotocols and as well as where
you're setting your budget.
This open order page gives youthat ability to review and
approve or decline those ordersefficiently.
Ultimately, it's giving youthat oversight and control.
We know that's such a big dealbecause you want to have good
(10:57):
mechanisms in place to ensurethat you're controlling what
comes in and what goes out.
All right, now to approve apending order.
It's basically, you just go tothat checkout function and
you're finalizing that purchaseright there.
And the same thing with thedeclines.
You know what?
I don't think we actually needthis.
After all, you go talk to theperson who potentially put that
(11:18):
order in place and you figureout you know we don't need this.
You can delete it right there.
And this is a very easyfunction that we put in place to
really ensure that onlyauthorized purchases are made,
cause we know sometimes, how,how easy can it be just to be
looking for something?
Next thing, you know you're on aorder page Like, oh, I'm not
ready to order anything.
Well, if they don't know what,if you know they're not familiar
(11:40):
with the system, maybe theyhave ordered something and you
want to put a good measure inplace to make sure that doesn't
fall.
You know that doesn't happen.
Our system allows you to dothat.
Okay, and again, we knowmistakes are going to happen,
but if you have, if you have asystem designed the way we have,
we can swiftly, swiftly come in, cancel orders.
Try to make sure thoseresources that you're looking
(12:03):
for are allocated in the rightplace.
Okay, so get big areas for sure.
Now, if you want to look at yourorder history or your invoice
history, this will help you withplanning, believe it or not.
So if we have an order historyarea of our site, then you can
review, you know what you'vepurchased in the past.
(12:25):
You can start looking at yourshipping dates.
You can even reorder itemsdirectly there.
So say, this project wentreally well and you know you
want to rinse and repeat it.
Don't completely start fromscratch.
Just use that right.
Use, use right there what wehave in place with our system to
pick up some efficiency.
Ok.
And if you have that, bymaintaining that really
(12:46):
comprehensive log of all thetransactions, you can plan for
these future purchases evenbetter and you can start
anticipating some of your needsand managing your budgets better
.
So if you're starting to noticea trend where certain items are
reordered over and over andover, hey, maybe you want to
start looking at your overallpurchasing strategy and up your
(13:07):
level of on-hand inventory here.
That's a good, easy way toavoid delays and ensure that you
have that steady supply foryour projects that you have
coming up.
And again, order history is agreat way to spend a little bit
of time.
It's always a good practice tolook back to understand what's
what's happened here, so thatyou can make better decisions in
(13:28):
the future.
Ok, now the invoice history page, a little bit different.
This, this, this area of thesite allows you to view, print
and request proof of deliveries,and this is going to help you
maintain accurate financialrecords, because we won't put
all the data right there infront of you.
And now maybe you're goingthrough an audit and you need to
get all those records up prettyquickly.
(13:49):
Boom, right here, electricalEquipment Company.
We have everything ready tosupport you there, and maybe
your finance team has toreconcile payments or validate
something about delivery, youknow.
Or by giving them access tothese invoice histories, they
can quickly, quickly retrievethis necessary documentation
that they need.
You know how that big, a bigdeal that is because they're
(14:12):
reducing that administrativeworkload and you're ultimately
expediting that whole process.
Ok, so now, important stuff,for sure.
So let's let's talk about for aminute what about handling
changes or cancellations?
You know we've got to make surethat we have a high level of
flexibility with any system thatwe build.
This is what we've done, youknow, because, once the order is
(14:34):
submitted and processed,modifications and cancellations
can be difficult.
You know, because why wouldthat be?
Because we're moving stuffextremely fast, because we know
that you need the product.
But so if you have that rapidprocessing speed, okay, if you
have that in place, well, thingshappen.
If there's an order that needsto be changed or canceled, it
(15:03):
may be in your best interestjust to reach out directly to
account representatives, becausethey'll be able to guide this
process and start making someadjustments.
Because, quite frankly, we'retrying to move this stuff fast
to get the stuff to you in asmooth and efficient way as
possible.
As way as possible.
And they've replaced a largeorder for a project.
But a moment later, you're likeoh, I need to add some more
stuff, I need to modify it.
Instead of worrying about it,you know, just a quick call or
email to your accountrepresentative, and this is why
(15:26):
distributors exist.
We're here to serve you inthese areas.
Okay, now let's say thingsyou've ordered stuff, you're
going through it and then, atthe end of the day, it's not
what you needed.
So we're going to talk about howyou can ultimately navigate
those returns online, ok, andreduce that process.
(15:46):
So that returns process withour online system is very
straightforward.
You know, I know sometimes withreturns it can be very
emotional.
It can just get you frustrated.
We want to take all that stingout of it and simply all we have
within your my account page isthat you can enter.
There's a area right therewhere you can just start a
return.
That's simple, and this allowsyou to initiate that return
(16:08):
online, and it gives you aconvenient way to manage returns
without having to make anyphone call, without having to
get worked up on anything orstressed out.
You just go right there.
But now you know you have to beable to log into the system to
do this.
Okay, or maybe you still have.
(16:28):
You're logged into the system,but you still like that personal
connection.
We love that at Eco.
Okay, we still love thatpersonal connection.
Well, still, you can contactyour account representative and
they can get that going for youas well, because you need to
recognize the system's there.
But you may not always want toutilize every feature and
benefit we have there, and weunderstand that.
(16:49):
That's why we have team membersready to serve.
So you need to remember, though, when you're doing restocking
and returns, sometimes there'sfees associated with that, or
maybe there's different uhreturn policies depending, you
know, depending on the producttype or condition.
So all that stuff will factorinto play.
And maybe your, your team,ordered a bunch of electrical
components for a project, uh,but you realize, you know what,
(17:12):
when they arrived, that there'sjust something all.
Maybe you want an Ethernet andthey showed up a profaned or or
different types of settings likethat.
It's OK, instead of navigatingthat lethal return process, hey,
all that first step log intoyour online account, start that
return process and then getthose clear instructions of the
next steps moving forward,because this is again going to
(17:34):
maximize that downtime.
It's going to help you bestaying on track with your
project timelines okay, so weunderstand that, uh, you know
the account, the ability tomanage your changes and request
those returns directly throughyour online account.
This is going to make sure thatyour procurement process is
flexible, it's efficient andit's adaptive.
(17:57):
Okay, because we know yourneeds are changing and if you
understand how all these optionsallow you to respond quickly to
changes, this is going toreally minimize your delays that
you have and, ultimately, it'sgoing to ensure that you have
the right product that you needin the future.
So if you have a sudden changethat comes up and you kind of
find out, you know some of thestuff you've ordered no longer
(18:18):
need it.
That's what Eco's here for.
We're here to help and we canhelp you with that request to
change process and returns andget you gives you that peace of
mind that you're looking for,because you know we we know this
it can be stressful enoughmanaging procurement on these
big projects.
We don't want to be a stumblingblock, we want to come
alongside and help you there.
So you know, if you have lookat these tools that we have in
(18:40):
place from product lists,customer part numbers, order
management system andeffectively handling those
changes and returns you can seethe investment we're making.
We're really trying tostreamline your procurement
process, reduce those errors andultimately optimize your
overall purchasing strategy, andwe're giving you those
resources that helps keep thatjourney that you're on smooth,
(19:04):
efficient and under control.
So I'd encourage you to go checkit out.
We've got a ton of resourceshere with our online account
system and if you haven't gotyour online account set up yet
at ECO, what are you waiting on?
Come on, seriously, go checkout the show notes.
We'll have a link right therewhere you can go register for
your online account.
Maybe you're not anadministrator, maybe you're a
user.
That's okay.
We want to get you plugged intoour system because there is a
(19:27):
ton of data available at yourfingertips, particularly if
you're an engineer.
Out there you're working onprojects, you're trying to
source material, you want to getlogged in with your own account
, so get that set up.
We have our complete, updatedaccount management page.
It gives you lots of insightson how you take advantage.
A lot of these things we'vebeen talking about on the
podcast.
So far as you know how toregister for your account, how
(19:49):
to get the ship to address thesetup, the different roles, what
does that look like?
Then you know.
Last, for our last episode, wetalked a lot about pricing and
product availability and and howdo you go through that process
of an order.
All that is right there in thatonline account, okay.
So if you're looking for ways togrow, to enhance, to empower
your procurement process todayand be and be as flexible,
(20:11):
efficient and accurate aspossible in every transaction,
and be as flexible, efficientand accurate as possible in
every transaction, electricalEquipment Company is here to
serve, so hopefully you'reenjoying this new format of Eco
Asks why.
Definitely just an honor to beable to come and share this with
you.
I'd encourage you to check usout on LinkedIn our Electrical
Equipment Company profile there.
We have lots of things we putthere on LinkedIn as well as.
(20:36):
Just go to eco onlinecom sothat's eco onlinecom and get
started today.
Log to get registered with yourfirst account.
Again, you have to have anaccount with us to get logged in
there, but if you don't have anaccount, don't worry, you can
request an account right thereon eco online.
Okay, so lots of easy ways toget started with this for sure.
So if you know someone whoenjoys content like this, you
(20:58):
like to share it with them.
Maybe they're in themanufacturing space.
They haven't.
They're not utilizing onlineplatforms to work with their
distributors.
I encourage you to share thisstuff out.
That helps.
That could be something thatreally helps them moving forward
.
Again, if you want to give us arating and review, that would
be wonderful on the show.
If you like EcoSquad the waythat we're serving Again, our
(21:18):
YouTube channel.
We have lots of things going onYouTube as well, so just hop
over to YouTube search forElectric Equipment Company.
Subscribe, be one of ourfollowers there.
We'd love to connect with youand, again, you can always reach
out to us, ecoonline.
Get connected with us directly.
Find a location that's best foryou, whether we're in the
Southeast United States, that'swhere we're typically located.
We're here, we're ready toserve, we're ready to help you.
(21:40):
Just make the most out of yourprojects moving forward.
So thank you again.
Have a great day and rememberto keep asking why.
Thank you for listening to.
Eeco Asks why this show issupported ad-free by Electrical
Equipment Company.
Eco is redefining theexpectations of an electrical
distributor by placing peopleand ideas before products.
(22:03):
Please subscribe and share withyour colleagues and friends.
Also leave comments, feedbackand any new topics that you
would like to hear.
To learn more or to share yourinsights, visit EECOASYcom.
That's E-E-C-O-A-S-K-S-W-H-Ycom.
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