Partner Relationship Manager 
As business owners and managers, you constantly worry about your business spinning out of control. You talk about your concerns that your employees do their job the way that you want it done, but you know that you can't stand over the employee's shoulder for every transaction that occurs. You talk about your anxiety for the sales opportunities that are presented every time a customer is on the phone. You are concerned that you can't be listening along with the employee and point out a great new product or a new use for an old product. You talk about your need to influence the behavior of your employees but not having the time and/or the ability to do it. You need a clone, or maybe several clones to manage for you.

Control issues exist in all businesses. What the owner/manager needs is an ability to identify the critical business processes that most influence the success of the business and define the way the process should be done. Then the process needs to be automated in such a way that the employee must perform the transaction the way the owner/manager has dictated. This way, the owner/manager can virtually look over every shoulder for every important transaction. This is not a clone of the owner/manager, but automation of the processes that the clone would have managed. This brings a new element of control that has never before existed, thus minimizing the opportunities for the business to spin out of control. Next Generation™ Software allows the business owner/manager to define and automate the critical business processes.

One of the primary tools that is used in the sales and customer service areas is the Partner Relationship Manager (PRM).

Some of the processes that can be controlled in the sales and customer service areas are: ·

• "I want every customer called once a month". PRM can display a list of customer contacts for each sales/service person every day. The manager can follow up to be sure the list is called and review the results of the calls.

• "Every time we talk to a customer we need to tell them about our specials". PRM carries a promo list that can be used with each customer contact.

• "When customers call in for any reason, it is a great opportunity to up-sell and cross-sell". PRM has the information quickly available to let you see what they are buying, or have bought in the past, and links to companion or complimentary items that are appropriate to their buying patterns.

• "Every time we talk to a customer we need a record of the conversation". The note-taking portion of PRM allows the employee to record the notes of the conversation for each contact. Now everyone in the business can see the issues and the holes in the net are sewn up.

• "When we have a customer on the phone we need to know if there are any open issues that need to be addressed, such as open quotes, outstanding receivables, backorders, shipping questions, etc.". All a standard part of PRM.

• "We need to be able to respond to customers questions with knowledge and authority". Because PRM is so tightly integrated with Next Generation™ Software, there is a quick link to all the pertinent information. You can even establish a link to your catalog file and display a picture of an item and the associated text on the screen so the employees can respond knowledgeably.

• "When a customer needs to be followed up, we need to do it on time". The reminder portion of PRM will record a reminder and display a message describing the action required on the proper day.

• "As the owner/manager, I need to know what is going on with my customers". By using the PRM you can track the chronology of conversations and events that surround each customer. Review is simple and easy.