inHARMONY FEBRUARY 2013 In this edition: New WinPOS Feature Wholesale Ordering Web Watch Bonza Brats New Website Process Spotlight Disaster Recovery Are you taking every precaution to safeguard your business? 1 inHARMONY FEBRUARY 2013 Managing Director's Note More than a facelift As a parent with adolescent children, I’m constantly reminded of the marketing juggernauts that drive the fashion, sports and entertainment industries. On a recent trip to America I was dragged into an Abercrombie & Fitch retail store. Abercrombie & Fitch is synonymous with casualwear and differentiates its brand through a unique in-store experience which taps into all five senses and aims to transport the consumer into an atmosphere that is authentic to each sub-brand: with dim lighting and spotlights reminiscent of a nightclub, model-like sales assistants, loud energetic music and the brand’s signature scent pervading the air, Abercrombie & Fitch creates a lively, charged store atmosphere. The experience left me pondering the shift from rational to experiential retailing that is tapping into a retail consumer’s hedonic motivations. The good news is that I survived the cacophony of sound and my eyesight returned to normal a few hours later. The bad news is that my wallet was considerably lighter in US currency. “Our focus is to help you maintain your competitive position.” I’m pleased to announce that we will be introducing a number of new hardware and software services that will be invaluable to all our customers. The focus will be on mitigating business risk and saving time. One important area covered in this newsletter is the lifecycle of a Harmony server. We urge all our customers to be vigilant and purchase a new Harmony server if your existing server is long in the tooth. Our account managers have been contacting those customers most at risk. We recognise that business complexity is growing and competition is intense so our focus is to help you maintain your competitive position. We are only a phone call away. Enjoy the Summer 2013 edition of the inHARMONY newsletter. Mark Silver Managing Director 2 inHARMONY FEBRUARY 2013 Focus on Hardware Recently we have seen a sharp increase in the number of stores that have turned to a wireless network environment. Whilst we still strongly advise that Point of Sale terminals be connected to the network by cable, the turn towards wireless has been largely due to a new range of interactions by customers with devices like iPads and other tablets or PDAs. Regional sales managers want to be able to walk into a store and become part of the organisation’s Wide Area Network. The Billion BiPac 7404 has the ability to handle FBS’s preferred method for connecting stores back to their Head Office, the IPSec VPN tunnel. It has an ADLS2+ modem, 4-Port Gigabit Switch and an 802.11n Wireless Access Point. The device is very well priced and has thus become extremely popular over the last few months. One thing that must be noted is that for best wireless range, the device should be placed in an open location. Please contact your Account Manager if you would like further information. (Specs courtesy of www.warcom.com.au) FBS has been on the hunt for an economically priced wireless router, suited to of the Point of Sale environment. The Billion BiPac 7404 satisfies the requirements, including strong network stability between head office and store, the option to add a wireless network within the store, and the added benefit of having an internal modem. End of Product Life Cycle – How old is your Harmony Server? Products reach the end of their Product Life Cycle for a number of reasons. Some of these reasons may be due to market demands; technology innovation and development driving changes in the product, or the products simply become obsolete over time and are replaced by functionally richer technology. FBS recognises that IT infrastructure plays a critical role in the operation of your business and failure of such vital equipment may dramatically impact your end-to-end operation. With that in mind, FBS will be performing a review of all our customers to identify Harmony servers that are approaching their “end of life”, and assist in the process of updating the relevant hardware. Typically a Harmony Application Server will have a life cycle of 3-5 years depending on the length of the manufacturer warranty. Once the warranty period expires, the manufacturer often ceases to support the product or provide replacement parts. Where FBS identifies that a Server has reached end of life you will receive a letter notifying you of our Server Replacement policy and the potential business impact of running Harmony on out of Warranty Servers. 3 inHARMONY FEBRUARY 2013 4 inHARMONY FEBRUARY 2013 Focus on Customer Demand What would you do if disaster struck? D Disasters happen more often than we can predict. Hence, every business must have a disaster recovery plan. Whether it’s a natural disaster that destroys property and assets, or an IT related disaster that strikes a business and brings it to a halt – one must have a plan, – a course of action that will bring the business back on track and running as quickly as possible. 5 inHARMONY FEBRUARY 2013 An essential component of any disaster recovery plan is the DATA BACKUP. Traditionally, Harmony backups are performed daily on tape cartridges and are taken off site. Typically, there would be 5 tapes, one for each day of the week, that get rotated, and weekly tapes as well as monthly tapes for the end of months. There might even be a tape set aside for end of year backups. In addition to Harmony data, there can be many other data resources that need to be backed up. For example, emails, important documents, spread sheets, images, and other files that could be vital for a business. These would typically be backed up along with Harmony data on the same tape cartridge. While tape backups are highly reliable and have been around for years, they are not the easiest medium to use when you just want to restore a file or two. For the last 18 months, FBS have been exploring alternative solutions to tape backups that are not only as efficient as tape backups, but also provide much more flexibility for the user in terms of restoring efforts. The use of hard disks in a Network Attached Storage (NAS) box provides just that. These units consist of multiple hard discs that can be mirrored using RAID technology in order to provide greater fault tolerance. The storage capacity can be scalable depending on the volume of data that needs to be backed up. Using specialised backup software, one can also backup specific user files from various workstations within the organisation without the need for any regular user intervention. The software can be configured to perform incremental backups, whereby only the new data gets added to the backup each day, as opposed to copying everything every day. This makes the backup process much more efficient in terms of the time it takes each night. In order to facilitate offsite backups, we can use external portable USB drives that can be plugged in to the NAS device, and then taken offsite each day. Alternatively, a second NAS box stored in a remote location, connected via the internet, with remote synchronisation, can be used to mirror the onsite NAS box. This method would require a reasonably fast and stable internet connection at both ends and an appropriately matched internet data plan. Once set up, the user does not need to remember to change any tapes or check if the backup worked because the system can be configured to email the user a detailed backup report. For more information contact your account manager. BACKUP PROCESS FLOW 6 inHARMONY FEBRUARY 2013 Harmony Shortcuts Consider yourself a Harmony power user? Or are you just a beginner looking for quicker ways to navigate through the Harmony Desktop menu? Regardless of your Harmony experience these handy shortcut keys may just make your life a little easier. SHORTCUT Ctrl Y Ctrl B Ctrl W Ctrl K Ctrl J Ctrl M Ctrl T Ctrl F# (F1, F2 etc) Ctrl V Ctlr Esc Ctrl Page Down Alt # (1,2,3,4) Ctrl + Ctrl Ctrl Delete Ctrl Insert Tab Enter Ctrl Tab ACTION Abort without saving Save and accept Will take you to the menu bar Will take you to the line above without saving Will take you to the line below without saving Will save and take you to the next line Will bring up the More-info Will allow you to toggle between the sessions that are open Will take you to the menu bar Will take you to the Windows start menu Will bring up the More-info Will change the screen size Will make the screen bigger Will make the screen smaller Will copy selected text Will paste copied text Will delete text from a field Will save text in a field Will allow you to toggle between the sessions that are open High staff turnover? Day to day operations not running as smoothly as you like? Sometimes you need to just bite the bullet and call in the experts… You can now save BIG on Harmony training with our bulk buy promotion. Simply choose from any of the training packages below and get up to 20% off the normal prices. That’s a session entirely for FREE when you buy 5! You will have one year from the date of purchase to use the sessions, giving you plenty of time to allow for new staff, revamping old processes or even conducting that long overdue financial review. 3 Sessions are normally 15% off bulk buy promotion, you pay only Saving 5 Sessions are normally 20% off bulk buy promotion, you pay only Saving Half day at FBS $2,085 $1,772 $313 $3,475 $2,780 $695 Half day on site $2,985 $2,537 $448 $4,975 $3,980 $995 Full day at FBS $3,585 $3,047 $538 $5,975 $4,780 $1,195 Full day on site $4,485 $3,812 $673 $7,475 $5,980 $1,495 All prices shown are exclusive of tax. Training is subject to availability and needs to be scheduled in advance with the Training and Implementation Department. Prices displayed above are valid for Melbourne metro only. Interstate training will incur additional charges for flights and expenses. 7 inHARMONY FEBRUARY 2013 Focus on Customer Demand Wholesale Ordering now available in WinPOS! WinPOS has been a key element of Harmony since its inception in 2002. It is currently deployed at approximately 2000 terminals across Australia and New Zealand. WinPOS allows users to enter transactions, customer orders and laybys, update customer details, and have all of this information feed seamlessly back into the back end Harmony system. This makes for a real time experience where orders can be fulfilled and reports run minutes after the transaction is entered, no matter where the user is. towards our Wholesale customers, in particular, those who take orders from customers in a show room or a remote location. WinPOS allows for the easy entry of a Sales Order by merely selecting the debtor, scanning in the items, and clicking Order. The order will then be automatically sent through to Harmony. Order forms can be configured to automatically print once the order is received into Harmony or a receipt can be printed. Other new features of the Wholesale Ordering System are: FBS have just released a new WinPOS feature geared the ability to check previous sale prices for a particular customer, ensuring your customers is charged the correct price Users (with a certain permission level) are able to view cost prices of a selected item 8 inHARMONY FEBRUARY 2013 Sales prices can be modified with discounts Stock availability levels can be searched Customer details can be modified. uploaded to Harmony. WinPOS is currently being modified to run on the Windows 8 Operating System and is compatible with all Another important feature is the ability of WinPOS to run previous versions of Windows. This means that it can be offline, meaning that a sales agent can be mobile, without run on a Tablet PC or a Notebook for maximum portability. the need to be permanently online. As soon as the Please contact your account manager if you would like to program is brought back online, the transactions will be discuss this further. Over the next few weeks we will be making changes to the way we send all Invoices and Debtor Statements to our customers. In an effort to be more efficient and environmentally friendly we will now be emailing these documents. To ensure minimal disruption and that someone is always there to receive them, 2 people in your office will be copied on the email. We are in the process of compiling a list of the correct recipients for both invoices and statements for each company. If there are ever any changes to the email recipient, please contact us. Please make sure that you add eadvice@fbsaust.com.au to your safe sender list. Go Green Team! 9 inHARMONY FEBRUARY 2013 New Harmony Application Java Bank Reconciliation Take the pain out of reconciling your bank accounts! Breeze through your daily bank reconciliations with the new Java Bank Reconciliation program. You can easily import your Bank Statements and automatically match the records against the records in Harmony based on corresponding references, dates and amounts. This dramatically simplifies the reconciliation process and reduces errors that commonly occur in the daily procedure. Bank Statements can be easily sorted by Date, Amount or Reference at each level and there are two available screen layouts to cater for standard and widescreen displays. 10 inHARMONY FEBRUARY 2013 New Harmony Application The Bank Reconciliation Life Cycle incorporates five primary stages: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Data import Matching Exception management, Reconciliation Reporting Consider the benefits of having all of your financial data and reconciliation-related activities across all stages of the lifecycle in one integrated solution. Harmony Java Bank Reconciliation is the answer. Merging transactions is simple on both the bank statement and Harmony side. You are also easily able to hide matched transactions to simplify the process. Talk to your account manager for more details on how you can start using the Java Bank Reconciliation program. Transaction display screens Our information is presented in one single screen with easy links to your cash information: • Side-by-side comparison of statement and reconciliation information • Sortable columns Key benefits Reduce processing time Reduce operating costs Resolve anomalies quickly Increase accuracy of reconciled transactions Eliminate re-keying Easy to use, secure system Fully auditable 11 inHARMONY FEBRUARY 2013 WEB WATCH Bonza Brats - New Website Launch experience for its customers. The store experience is further enhanced Since its inception in 1986, Bonza by the Bonza Brats staff. With their Brats’ aim was to provide customers genuine love of children, their staff are with an outstanding choice of toys, trained to advise you on size, trends gifts, and designer fashion and and suitability with many having years accessories from all over the world. 26 of experience and knowledge to help years later, they are a leading you make the right decision. children’s wear retailer in Sydney, Australia. Company Overview Owned and operated by Stan and Glynis Kuros, Bonza Brats prides itself on going to great lengths to keep its range of products fresh, new and exciting, and enhancing the store Website Requirements look more up to date and increase usability and functionality at the same time. Another major requirement was to integrate the Club Bonza loyalty program into their website, giving customers access to discounts online, entry into exclusive competitions, and invitations to VIP shopping nights. Future Business Systems first developed a website for Bonza Brats back in 2007. Recently they decided to All customers who sign up are entitled to an automatic 5% discount on all full spruce up their website to make it 12 inHARMONY FEBRUARY 2013 WEB WATCH Bonza Brats - New Website Launch priced merchandise. The discount increases as their cumulative spend does. There is no minimum spend required to join the program and no time limit on your cumulative spend, meaning customers can start reaping rewards from day one and the rewards will keep growing as they keep shopping. Stand out Features One of the website’s standout features is the “Key Looks” section which allows customers to take the guess work out of finding complete outfits. With a click of the mouse you can purchase everything from head to toe, including accessories to make up the perfect outfit. Visit the new Bonza Brats website to see for yourself! www.bonzabrats.com.au 13 inHARMONY FEBRUARY 2013 Focus on Support Mid last year, we included an article in our Winter Edition Newsletter about the importance of regular archiving of saved Harmony documents. FBS’ Help Desk, however, is still receiving a large number of support calls with regards to Harmony systems slowing down. As a result of these calls, it is clear that archiving is still not being done by a lot of FBS customers. Every time a Harmony form or report is generated, you have the option of saving it. Many customers save everything and never go back to clean up their files. The number of saved files continues to grow, eventually resulting in an overall slowing down of the Harmony system. This is because every time a Harmony file is saved, the system has to go through the entire OUTPUT directory to find the next available space to store the file. The more files in the directory, the longer this process takes. We have seen directories with as many as 100,000+ documents, when the maximum recommended size is approximately 10,000 files. To solve this problem, FBS recommends that you review your OUTPUT directory and archive files that you don`t need to access regularly. You can still access your archived files, however they are no longer stored in the OUTPUT directory and therefore do not affect system performance. Instructions for archiving files can be found in the Harmony System Administrator Manual which can be downloaded from the manuals area on the FBS website. Alternatively, a member of the FBS Help Desk will be able to guide you through the process. a broad array of departments including: • Ladies casual knits • Ladies Active wear • Ladies Sleepwear • Children’s Sleepwear FROM THE VAULT Swiss Models have been using Harmony’s suite of Accounting, Warehousing, EDI and Importing modules since December 1993, and we are delighted that 19 years on, they continue to be a loyal and happy customer. Based in West Footscray, Victoria, Swiss Models Sportswear is the longest standing company of the Baker Group. Founded in 1958, it has evolved from a local supplier of Future Business Systems would formally like men’s coats to one of the largest suppliers of to acknowledge and thank all staff at Swiss Ladies wear apparel in Australia. Models for their business and continued support over the past 19 years. At present, Swiss specializes in the supply of 14 inHARMONY FEBRUARY 2013 Did you know? - WinPOS At FBS we understand that each of our customers have unique business requirements. Did you know that the WinPOS End of Day Procedure is one area that can be configured to suit individual customer’s requirements? that can be used on the WinPOS End of Day Procedures Screen: Complete the screen as per the example below: To customise your configuration, use the Harmony Message Maintenance program, which can be located on the Main Menu under: 7) G/A Administration, 4) Advanced Administration, 2) Message Maintenance Please note the following rules: 1. The first line of the message will be used as the End of Day Procedure title. 2. The entire message will be used as the full description of that procedure on the right hand side of the WinPOS screen. The following is a list of reserved Message Namekeys WPEOD1 End of Day Procedures 1) Cash drawer WPEOD2 End of Day Procedures 2) Petty Cash WPEOD3 End of Day Procedures 3) Balancing the Cash WPEOD4 End of Day Procedures 4) Deposit Slip WPEOD5 End of Day Procedures 5) Days Trading Report WPEOD6 End of Day Procedures 6) EFTPOS Settlement 3. If you do not enter your own message for a particular procedure line, WinPOS will use it’s own default procedure. For example, if you wish to leave procedure line 2 blank, create the Message Namekey WPEOD2 and leave the message blank. 4. Each of the EOD procedure lines are fixed to the respective WinPOS function. If additional functions are required please discuss with your Account Manager. 15 inHARMONY FEBRUARY 2013