J.D. Edwards & Co. announced on Wednesday a new addition to its customer relationship management (CRM) product line with the release of its Advanced Order Configurator (AOC) software.
The offering, part of the J.D. Edwards 5 solution set, improves the made-to-order product purchase process by giving the sales representatives and their customers a visual of a specific product and all its possible variations, according to the company.
The AOC application can be operated on its own or can be integrated with J.D. Edwards’ ERP 8.0 or OneWorld Xe.
The software features a point-and-click rules manager which will allow product mangers to add, delete or edit the valid combination rules with a straightforward table rather than a complex code-based configuration that would require an IT professional.
“AOC’s simplified rules manager used to set up product representations exemplifies the company’s conviction that users of its software should not have to be technical experts,” said Joel Reed, director of CRM product marketing at J.D. Edwards.
Steelcase Inc., a Markham, Ont.-based furnishings provider, decided to implement the AOC solution because of its AutoCAD compatibility, which allows file-size compression, multi-document support and double-click editing.
“We chose AOC because the integration into AutoCAD provides designers in the contract furnishings industry the ability to correctly configure and place sophisticated architecture, furniture and technology products into large and small office environment project plans,” said Greg Broene, a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based eTools project leader with Steelcase. “The resulting time savings and accuracy provides a valuable assist to our sales and order fulfilment process.”
Steelcase can lay out desks, chairs and other configured office furniture directly within a blueprint of a building’s floor plan to give customers an idea of how Steelcase products will look in the space, Broene said.
Users can also access AOC remotely via the Web, or in a connected mode when they are within their companies’ firewalls, the company said.
J.D. Edwards can be found at http://www.jdedwards.com.