If you can't find it here…call us.
Company
Who is WinRep?
What makes us different?
Product Overview
Which product is right for me?
What do I need to use WinRep?
How does a hosted system benefit my company?
Is my data secure?
How many users can have access to the service?
How quickly can my business be up and running with WinRep?
What kind of reports be created?
EDI Overview
What is EDI?
Customers submit orders directly to my suppliers. Why should I get EDI?
What if my customer or supplier isn't EDI compliant?
Which EDI platforms do you currently work with?
Which retailers do you currently support?
What if we already use EDI?
Services & Support
How do you help me get started?
What training do you offer?
What if I have questions or problems?
In what ways can the software be customized?
What is the WinRep commitment to keep up on current technologies?
Company
Who is WinRep?
WinRep has been developing business management software solutions exclusively for manufacturer's rep firms since 1993. Hundreds of manufacturer's rep firms across the country utilize WinRep software to save money and time while increasing their profits.
WinRep has consistently provided leading technologies to manufacturer's reps. We were the first to provide a Windows-based solution, five years ahead of any other solution provider. We were the first to provide a fully integrated web-based system to manage every aspect of a manufacturer's rep's business. And we were the first to provide a fully integrated EDI capability that reduces the hassles of reconciliation increases your customer satisfaction.
What makes us different?
When you evaluate software for your business, consider what you expect it to do for you. We built our company around the conviction that you would rather spend your time selling than worrying about how to get something fixed in your software. We understand that because we've been providing software solutions for manufacturer's rep firms for over 20 years. It's the only thing we do and we take our commitment to you very seriously. Ask our sales staff to tell you about our feature-rich products and ask our customers about our hassle-free service. You'll quickly discover a combination that's truly different.
Product
Which product is right for me?
Every manufacturers' rep firm in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) market can improve their business management systems and bottom-line profitability with WinRep. Whether you have only a few reps or more than two dozen, you'll be able to realize gains from the software quickly. Sales teams with over five users, operating multiple offices, and tracking EDI documents, have found WinRep to be especially beneficial.
WinRep is a Web-based enterprise PIM (personal information management), CRM (customer relationship management), SFA (sales force automation), MRM (manufacturer's rep management) and EDI (electronic data interchange) system, enabling manufacturer's rep firms to organize and manage all of their customer information. This includes leads, opportunities, contacts, accounts, forecasts, orders, shipment, sales history and EDI transaction data - all of which can be appropriately shared internally and externally. Because WinRep is an online application, the data is available anywhere there is Internet access.
What do I need to use WinRep?
WinRep removes the hassle of setting up new software that you are accustomed too. If you have a computer and a high speed Internet connection, you can get setup to use WinRep.
How does a hosted system benefit my company?
Web-based software provides a variety of benefits to manufacturer's rep firms over traditional software:
o Security - data is safely stored at a multi-million dollar hosting facility, where your data is backed up hourly.
o Efficiency - your company information can be accessed anywhere a connection to the Internet is available.
o Cost savings - no need for internal IT staff, consultants, or software to purchase and upgrade.
o It's the future - your customers, factories, along with the entire economy, are moving toward Web-based solutions.
Is my data secure?
WinRep provides secure, confidential data storage with a secure firewall system. The integrity of a company's information is only available to their authorized users. Data backup is performed daily, with a weekly full-system backup stored in a separate, fire-safe facility. WinRep is equipped with high-speed processors, extensive memory capabilities, and redundant power supplies to provide the highest levels of availability, performance, and disaster recovery.
Because our focus is solely on serving the business management software needs of manufacturer's reps, we outsource data storage to the experts in that industry. To help users achieve the best results, WinRep facilitates customer access to leading Internet service providers including: UUNet, AT&T, Qwest, Genuity, and Onvoy. These carriers offer a total Internet bandwidth capacity of 241 Mbps, terminating at three physically distinct facilities that are networked via private DS3 lines. In the event an upstream connection is lost at one site, traffic will automatically be rerouted via the DS3s to another access point to ensure service continuity. WinRep's BGP4 ensures that Internet traffic is routed via the most efficient path, maximizing performance for end users.
How many users can have access to the service?
The number of users in your firm is limited to the number of pre-paid subscriptions. There is no limit to the number of users that can have access to WinRep. Any number of simultaneous users may access WinRep from any location, at any time.
How quickly can my business be up and running with WinRep?
If data conversion and import are not required, WinRep can be operational within a day. Data conversion, training and implementation are usually completed in just three to six weeks.
What kind of reports can be created?
WinRep has designed all reports with the ability to be customized. By selecting specific criteria on a report, endless options are available. Reports can be viewed, printed, or emailed right from WinRep. Most can also be sent directly to Excel, PDF, HTML, DDOC or XML.
EDI Overview
What is EDI?
(Electronic Data Interchange) This is a set of computer interchange standards for business documents such as invoices, bills, and purchase orders. Its efficiency has made it a condition of doing business in dozens of industries, including retail, grocery, warehousing, transportation (rail, ship, and trucking), health care, education, real estate, and government. Any standard business document that one company would exchange with another (such as a purchase order, invoice, shipping schedule, advanced ship notification, and claim submission) can be exchanged via EDI between two parties, or trading partners, as long as both have made the preparations.
My customers submit orders directly to my suppliers, why should I get EDI?
Many clients have asked us this very question, and we tell them that their peers get copies of these orders and invoices to stay in the loop. Requirements from your customers and suppliers are constantly changing and rep agencies must provide additional value in order to survive. By receiving and viewing EDI orders and invoices, WinRep gives hundreds of rep agencies the ability to answer questions on orders and shipments with real-time information and avoid problems before they happen.
What if my customer or supplier isn't EDI compliant?
No problem. If your supplier isn't compliant, we give you the ability to receive original EDI documents from your customers, which you can then pass onto your suppliers in a PDF or Excel document by email directly from WinRep.
If your customer isn't EDI compliant but your supplier is, orders can be entered into WinRep and outbound EDI orders can be created and sent directly to your suppliers. This saves your suppliers time by automatically entering orders into their system and helps you avoid entering orders once into your supplier's software and again into your internal software.
Which EDI platforms do you currently work with?
We are able to solve your EDI issues no matter how you are receiving information today. There are 2 main avenues for receiving this EDI information, through a VAN or from a direct connection with your customer or supplier.
VAN (Value Added Network) - Often referred to as the "electronic post office", a VAN is a third party service that transmits and stores data in the "electronic mailbox" until it is picked up by the appropriate party. Since the EDI message contains addressing information, the van routes the message to the mailbox of the recipient. WinRep works with all major VANs to process your EDI documents quickly and efficiently.
Direct Connection - Unlike the VAN, a direct connection allows you to pass the data straight to the receiving party. Types of direct connection include VPN (Virtual Private Network), FTP (File Transfer Protocol), and EDIINT (EDI over the Internet). Usually EDIINT is done in conjunction with AS2 software, which encrypts the data before sending it over the Internet.
Which retailers do you currently support?
We are able to exchange EDI documents with every major supplier or retailer around the globe. A short list of retailers we currently exchange EDI documents with:
Mass Discount Retailers
o Wal-Mart
o Target
o Sears/Kmart
Consumer Electronics
o Best Buy
o Circuit City
o MicroCenter
Drug
o Walgreens
o CVS
o Rite Aid
o Eckerd
Hardware
o Ace Hardware
o TrueValue
o Do it Best
Grocery
o SuperValu
o Kroger
o Albertsons
o Meijer
What if we currently use EDI?
Then most of the work is already done. You have already identified and exchanged information with your trading partners. We take over the tasks of retrieving the raw EDI, translating the documents and automatically importing these orders and invoices to the WinRep program.
Service & Support
On those rare occasions that you might need some functionality that's not already under the hood, our professional services group can tailor WinRep to meet your specific needs. Talk to our sales staff today about how our professional services team can help.
How do you help me get started?
From the moment you become a client, you work with one of our on staff consultants to help us understand your business and how we can best setup WinRep to meet your needs. We ensure your WinRep implementation is productive and moves as quickly as possible by providing everything you will needs to go live, to include:
o Online training
o Complete documentation and online help
o Full telephone and e-mail support
o Data conversion assistance
What training do you offer?
Because WinRep "thinks" like manufacturer's sales reps do, built with intuitive logic that comes from understanding the inner workings of the manufacturer's rep business, most users find the system very easy to operate. Thorough online training sessions with WinRep experts are included in the setup and implementation fee and ongoing telephone support is available.
What if I have questions or problems?
Simply email tech support at techsupport@winrep.com or call 952-897-0322. WinRep phone support lines are staffed 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. CDT, Monday through Friday.
In what ways can the software be customized?
Your on-site administrators have the ability to configure settings in WinRep to suit the specific requirements of individual rep firms, including the creation of customized forms. An administrator also has complete control over editing "pick lists" (drop down menus) that appear throughout the software. Each individual can also set up "quick" shortcuts (new customer, new contact, new order, etc.).
What is the WinRep commitment to keep up on current technologies?
Our programming staff is committed to offering solutions for your agency based on best practices within the software industry. We use the latest versions of Microsoft® technologies to ensure the software you rely on is built with the best tools available. WinRep currently participates in Microsoft TechNet and MSDN programs, and our programming staff routinely attend continuing education classes and seminars to keep up with current industry trends. Unlike many software companies that pick a programming language and stay with it for years beyond it useful life, we are able to adapt and change as technologies change.
Our speed to market with new technologies is what has separated WinRep from other software companies. Being web-based means that our servers are monitored in real time and these updates and patches can be deployed up to the minute across all client databases.
