E-commerce or death

Sabine, tell, than, in addition to the provocative name, your company differs from other market participants on implementation of ERP?

Easily! (Smiles). Our main thing and the main difference is a specialization: e-commerce, e-commerce — somehow call, the speech always about one — as modern technologies to make big money. And it is far wider, than conditional implementation of ERP, agree.

In the concept "e-commerce" and furthermore "e-commerce" people can put different meanings what you speak about?

It is right, let's decide on terms for a start. We understand the technologies allowing to earn more money due to minimization of participation of the person in the business processes which were so stuck on lips as e-commerce. To spend less – to earn more. Simple logic. And still the correct strategy, it has extremely mediated relation to technologies, but without the correct marketing strategy resolutely all efforts will be vain.

Beautifully you speak. And what to technical tools? In other words, as well as by what you do the clients richer?

The most important instrument of mutual enrichment – a brain. Happens so that the client needs neither new ERP, nor online store on the most modern engine, and it is necessary to resolve elementary an issue with positioning, i.e. marketing strategy here goes is formulated incorrectly or is already banal became outdated. I ask to understand me correctly — all of us are people, with all that it implies, therefore the sound new view from outside often allows to see a situation significantly more widely, than being in the besieged fortress. For this purpose we in an implementation project have such important stage as the preanalysis where we extremely critically estimate perspectives of a client invention, becoming closely acquainted how the current business of the client works, than a competitive environment and what vectors of development are felt in general on the industry smells. Already at this stage which, by the way, for our clients free, it is possible to conclude that yes, everything is excellent — the idea operable, we will start or success of an invention is minimum for the following reasons, here spisochek, and another is more reasonable to direct resources to something. Depends on further actions of the client whether there will be we it is mutually advantageous to cooperate, or opinions, as well as ways, will disperse.

And often happened what at this stage your opinions differed?

ASK! And it is remarkable! (Laughs) the earlier it will become clear that not on the way, the better for all. Life is far richer.

Can you give an example?

I can, but, naturally, without personnel especially as an example, in some way, mass. Business people address and speak, we supposedly have already a business, this business most often wholesale, and we, these business people say, long ago we lick lips on retail, observing as on our goods our partners make money. "We here too want", these people say. Further, usually, a request is stated in creation of retail online store. Type, we will make and case from the end – here and we will have a retail.

And in what a problem? Clients are ready to pay.

Money is, of course, necessary, but not only sufficient condition for a project success. Create stillborn projects – not our subject, for this purpose there is a mass of "specialists" for mastering of budgets of any degree, so to say so, absorbencies. Find such contractors does not make, usually, any work. And we see the task in increase in profit of the customers who addressed us that from cooperation all parties became richer. In every sense.

Wait and why, surely, stillborn projects?

Because, it is very often possible to observe lack of a political will of the management instead of what in magnificent color micromanagement blossoms, corporate corruption, clannishness, conservatism also in general is observed severe confused stagnation at all levels — real unavailability to changes. Here any even if the most "Aryan" ERP does not change a situation, rather an end will bring closer. Therefore it is inexcusable to consider that external dear consultants can replace an iron hand of the management in implementation of changes. It is necessary to leave that is called a comfort zone, to think and work, but not to hang up an implementation project on the conditional Chief information officer. What, of course, would be very convenient, but extremely not productively.

Explain in more detail what you mean?

With pleasure. What do real owners автоматизируемого/оздоравливаемого/расширяемого want business? Fast and clear commercial results. Implementation of ERP for them – an inevitable obstacle, no more than the equipment, on the way to profit/increase in a share and to other correct business objectives. Owners of business are not interested in long and heavy implementation, so at all? By the simple logical conclusions it becomes obvious of what subjects of the staff list long and expensive implementation project plays into the hands, at least being a guarantor of preserving of a workplace with more than decent salary. And bonuses in a quarter.

What depressive picture you before us painted, I think, not all will agree with you.

I say about what I observe in practice. But it is necessary to make a reservation that such picture though is widespread, but, fortunately, it is not universal. And successful businesses to that confirmation. By the way, pronouncing the word "business", I do not mean any quasi-state structures existing beyond market laws. I mean the full-fledged commercial organizations battling against an open face in competitive market where, by the way, under laws of survival the maximum prize is taken away by the consumer.

Difficultly not to agree with you, but give from thin matters we will return to the equipment?

Give.

What solutions for e-commerce do you implement?

I will dare to separate the answer to two parts. If based on the preanalysis which is already mentioned by us it became clear that the client's task more than is reasonable, achievable and will lead it to long-term and steady growth, but to support business changes the current information system, or as in some circles tell "a landscape of information systems", is not able, then we propose to the client the stratezhny solution — implementation of modern ERP. Specifically, we implement solutions of Ultima as the constructions of serious e-commerce of solutions answering to tasks. By the way, the company "Ultima" is close to us on spirit as the bright player against the background of a gloomy and hopeless gray corporate environment. Also we implement those solutions of Ultima the back office of Ulmart still works at one of which, by the way, kind of in public relations the return loudly was not declared.

Wait, in our directory of ERP projects there is information on implementation in Ulmart of the Ultima system in 2008, but later in 2012 the company announced start of transition to SAP...

The start of implementation and the system working in all company — not one and too, agree? And in general to comment on it is expanded I have no moral right, and all sympathizers and the interested the matter, I will direct to the website of Ulmart where in the lower right corner everything is written more than more exhaustively.

But what about Ulmart? Not bread uniform, as stated. Ulmart is, perhaps, the most known of operators of solutions of Ultima, and there are not only retail solutions. On the Ultima Businessware platform with the configurations existing today, it is possible to collect business solution under any specific objectives. We are especially strong in the loaded high-transaction businesses — where it is required to process millions of transactions without failures. And retail online stores are only the iceberg top, undoubtedly important, but without accurately, and with the minimum number of people, the working back office all this does not matter.

Well, and what is the time occupies standard implementation?

Implementation of ERP occupies an amount of time, record for the industry: 3-4 months at employees to, say, 200. I ask to notice, the conversation goes not about one some module, not-e-et, for this term all business is automated. Completely. Because there are no "modules" in the solutions implemented by us — the system of a monolitn — is put in order all business at once, without distortions.

If business is larger, then implementation term, of course, can grow up, but I assure, not on orders. Good planning and the careful choice of clients, quite so and — yield amazing results. If we understand that with this client we will not be able to make everything quickly and well, then to what all this? In the course of acceptance and implementation of the decision on implementation participate not only our specialists, it has to be executed much "from that party". I already spoke about a political will and on this matter I will not repeat, but as a good illustration — filling of the directory to contents: photos, characteristics, etc. is a complete responsibility of the client if there are no automated means. From adjacent projects where we created the b2b-portal for ERP which is already working for the client, I remember experience where the client everything could not build process of filling of the directory on a flow in any way, and start of the full-fledged b2b-tool was postponed and postponed, and again postponed. So, apparently, something passed about one and a half years. And how many it would be during this time possible to earn U.S. dollars?

It is clear, you, by the way, wanted to separate the answer to two parts?

Yes! Let's return to the equipment. I want to accent that the solutions implemented by us are extremely hardy. In practice of the solution Ultima a little more than 4000 users, and not just employees according to the staff list, namely the competitive working users in a system were exploited at the same time. And without brakes. And it was still the pra-progenitress of those solutions that are offered now. That to the current records of performance, not so long ago together with official representatives of Oracle the most current release of solutions of Ultima was strictly tested. Result — 18,000 at the same time working users. Real work of the big company with trade inventories was emulated: reservation, movement of goods, purchases, shipments. Too without brakes.

About the engine of Ultima eStore online store we will not eat with the result recorded in practice too — 100,000 unique visitors a day. And again without brakes.

Well, your solutions are focused on medium and large business. And How much is it?

Well you, to small business — too welcome if it, of course, is not going to remain like that long. And as for money, unlike the practice accepted in the industry, our position and commercial policy are absolutely transparent — you can estimate the cost of all project directly on our website: implementation of ERP, creation of the online store / b2b-portal, marketing maintenance and even advertizing budgets, making a start from the industry, geography and appetites of the customer. All at once and under the articles. Any market schemes like "contact us, and we to you will count depending on your opportunities there" — we for all will have identical digits. And what is especially pleasant to our dear customers, these digits will be in national currency of the Russian Federation, i.e. in rubles.

Well, majors say too that they pass to rubles.

This miracle not universal. Besides from practice. And here you want a real miracle?

Show!

Yes with pleasure! (Smiles). The term money back is familiar to you?

Of course, and to our readers, most likely too...

Here we have MoneyBack on implementation. I.e. we take from our client the minimum prepayment, no more than a guarantee of serious intentions and all implementation project we do at own expense. After official start the client has the whole month to accept or to accept result. If the result of the client did not arrange, is not important for what reasons at all, then he in the right to pay nothing. We return everything as was, and, are even ready to return that cheap prepayment received at the beginning of the project. There is such moneyback. In other words, we are really ready to reach the end. And this end — the client satisfied with the new business with pleasure leaving money. Understanding what it, I will tell softly, did not mislead, having used his trustfulness, having done a bit of traveling on brains mantras about best-practice, fighting NLP, hypnosis or what there still happens? And the union was voluntary, conscious, managed and desired. Now you understand why we so carefully select clients?

And whether it was necessary to give money?

No, never. Motivation, discipline and planning in the help!

What finally do you want to tell our reader, Sabine?

You want changes — you come to us.

Capaciously! All good, thanks for an interesting conversation.

Good-bye!

The interview is prepared with assistance of eBusinessDrive company