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Posted May 19, 2017

Epner and Beveridge focus on change at DDI System event

Industry thought leaders Steve Epner and Dirk Beveridge helped facilitate discussions on facing change in a disruptive marketplace at the DDI System biennial user conference.


DDI System, an ERP software provider for wholesale distributors, hosted 250 attendees during Inform Connects 2017 in Nashville during its sixth biennial user conference.

The event brought together Inform ERP system users for two days of intensive training on system capabilities, new features and strategies facing the modern distributor.

Dirk Beveridge

Dirk Beveridge engaged the audience at the DDI System Inform Connects 2107 user conference in Nashville.

Beveridge brought energy to the crowd as he discussed innovation and building a new, relevant customer experience.

“What customers crave—and what few companies provide—are well designed experiences and complete solutions to their problems,” Beveridge said.

“In this changing economy, software providers are continually challenged to increase automation and improve the user experience. At DDI System, we bring together your customer’s information to provide greater insight and touch points that drive customer engagement and meaningful client conversations,” said Barbara Jagoe, DDI System COO. “Readily available contact screens serve as powerful, analytic tools to improve customer relationships and increase sales. The ability to see a customer’s purchase patterns, history, and personal notes — like where they like to vacation or their hobbies—allows our distributors to engage and connect on a much more personal level better than any online shopping experience.”

DDI launched its new customer engagement workflow tools in Version 17 of Inform ERP earlier this year. “Starting a sales order from the customer contact screen gives our sales and counter staff the critical information they need to easily look at price history, substitute items and see items that are frequently bought together. Sales staff are now customer service experts, adding great value to every sale,” said Dan Banks, DDI’s director of sales.

Steve Epner, a distribution expert and lecturer at the University of Innovative Distribution, discussed innovation in face of digital disruption.

Steve Epner
Steve Epner tells distributors that they must continuously look for innovative ways to communicate their point of difference.

“Distributors must face the new competition and continuously look for innovative ways to communicate their point of difference. Greater customer engagement and the availability of online shopping tools all add to enhancing your clients buying experience,” Epner explained.

For DDI System users, this means capitalizing on the strengths of the independent distributor. Industrial product expertise, strong customer relationships and an easily adoptable digital presence will be the deciding factors to achieve solid customer retention.

“eCommerce needs to be part of the equation. Digital giants such as Amazon and eBay have educated customers how to search for information, shop and even purchase many items online. Distributors can no longer ignore the impact of this new education. They all need to maintain a digital presence with strong product content, and an easily adoptable customer portal with save shopping carts, customer-specific pricing and 24/7 ordering capabilities,” said DDI founder and president Adam Waller. Waller, who grew up in the distribution business, added, “The Internet of Things wasn’t a fear for distributors years ago. The only thing you worried about was your customer taking their business to the guy down the street.”

DDI System uses the information already maintained in a client’s Inform ERP software to fuel Inform eCommerce, a real-time, mobile optimized storefront and customer portal. “Inform eCommerce harnesses your products, inventory, pricing and customer information into an easy-to-use, mobile responsive storefront. Inform ERP users can almost instantly have their own branded website that serves as a direct connection to the clients they serve every day. And, it’s available to them 24/7, from any device, serving the buyers’ new expectations,” said Waller.

The Inform eCommerce session, Creating a Symphonic Customer Experience with eCommerce, generated the most attendance and excitement. “DDI eCommerce is unbelievable. The end result of what (DDI) did for me was incredible. Twenty percent of orders are coming in online from customers, and growing,” said Howard Steirn, Riverside Paper Company Inc. in Hialeah, Florida. 

“Inform Connects was an opportunity for our users to see the full breadth of their ERP system, including elements they are not currently using and companion products that can further drive growth. With the message ‘Your ERP Should Do More,’ we truly believe that a robust system is the way to compete in today’s digital disruption. Inform goes beyond the basic necessities of delivering operational excellence to serve the new breed of extraordinarily empowered customers in an ever-changing competitive environment,” said DDI director of marketing, Jennifer Rosvally. “Inform Connects is a reflection of the desire to simply know more about the full potential in an ERP system. And DDI delivers that.”

Adam Waller, DDI System
DDI System founder and president Adam Waller interacts with participants at the Inform Connects 2017 event in Nashville.

Adam Waller’s “Roadmap to Competitive Advantages” presentation provided insight into the next 18 months of development projects. One of those projects, Distribution Center, will focus on the next level of warehouse management. “Distribution Center will have all the functionalities of our current WMS, but deliver more of what we’re hearing from customers including license plate tracking, tasks by user job, bin capacity management, split level receiving and picking and deep warehouse analytics reporting,” said Waller. “These capabilities only further accentuate the demands of today’s distributors for full control of their warehouses in the most highly efficient and accurate ways.”

Inform Connects will reconvene in 2018 in a location to be determined. 

To learn more about DDI System, visit DDISystem.com.

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