Many companies using Apparel 21 have reps, agents or other staff working outside of the office.  With the increasing availability of wirelessly connected PDA devices it is now possible for these people to get access to live data without requiring any intervention from the head office.

What Does it Do ?
The module provides three sets of data about the customer and their history.  The first set is account information, including an aged summary (current, 30, 60, 90 days) and a list of open items.

The second set is recent transaction history, including the last 10 invoices and credits processed, the most recent 10 orders placed and the new 10 orders due to be shipped.  Each transaction can be drilled into to see details by colour and size.

The final set is a basic sales history reporting tool.  Users can enter a date range and grouping selection and the system will return the units and dollars ordered and invoiced, by category, within that period.  It will also display the same information for the same period the year before.

Who Would Use It ?
Reps and agents on the road can use this prior to meeting with the customer to get up-to-date information on the customer.  They can also use it to see what the customer bought last season as a guide to what they should be buying this season.

What Do You Need ?
You will need a PDA with a network connection capable of accessing the internet.  For reps and agents this will almost certainly mean GPRS (a mobile phone networking technology) but in a retail environment this could also be achieved via WiFi.  We do all our testing on a device running Windows Mobile 2003 but it may also work on Palm OS devices.

What Else Can the PDA Do ?
We have also developed a stock enquiry function for the PDA and are in the process of developing a basic sales order entry system and exploring the possibilities of using the device for stock-taking.  Mobile connected PDA’s can also be used to access email and calendars remotely.