Kevin
I've been a XA user for over 20 years, first as a super user, and then as an iSeries/XA administrator and now back to super user, so I know how good of an ERP system XA is.
And thanks for your valuable reply, I liked seeing in writing that a CRM type tool might be valuable for my needs and that the value could be enhanced even greater by integrating it with XA. I've already got traction on a solution from our I.T. department (perhaps due in part from a message to our Director from our channel partner, a lurker on this list) and it's great to see the potential in the future for some of the products you mentioned.
Bryan
-----Original Message-----
From: mapics-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:mapics-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Kevin Fox
Sent: Monday, May 20, 2013 6:47 PM
To: MAPICS ERP System Discussion
Subject: Re: [MAPICS-L] Best place to store notes and attachments by item number?
Bryan
You first statement is the one assumption that starts many down a wrong
path: "XA doesn't lend itself to lengthy notes on service part items numbers...."
XA has supported unlimited notes against any business object since R7.7 (circa 2006) This includes service parts or any other object. And before that, in green screen, with OfficeVision integration going back as far as MAPICS/DB (Circa 1988). In fact there is even conversion code supplied that will migrate your officevision notes.
Infor XA also delivers a full CRM solution that includes incident reports and solutions with XA CRM, which can be integrated to Salesforce.com (SFDC) with Inforce. SFDC with XA is a killer combination that enables world class incident tracking and resolution.
In addition, XA supports workflow that permits tracking incidents in real time using mobile devices such as iPad or iPhone that permits real time communications between you and your customers no matter where you are at.
In addition Infor XA with ION would support the complete integration of your various applications: ARI Partsmart catalog with RightnowCRM (integrated to XA). And if you want you could integrate track-it, although you might find it very redundant. Yes, XA can easily integrate with native Infor/XA tools to any JDBC compliant databases.
[BTW: funny note about ARI Partsmart customers...many are Infor XA customers I know because I recognize my customers.]
Announced last month at Inforum 2013, you can even add Infor's Social Space
product: Ming.le. which permits you to communicate with your internal staff and if you desire your customers/vendors in real time using robust, secure and industry leading products.
I'd suggest you discuss all this with your channel partner. I'm certain they would be happy to demonstrate all of these features to you and your staff.
XA may have the longest history of any ERP system but that only means it is the most reliable and lowest cost system to own. However, it is not "old".
It's technology is best in class in every way imaginable.
Enjoy!
On Mon, May 20, 2013 at 6:15 AM, Burns, Bryan <Bryan_Burns@xxxxxxxxxxxx>wrote:
XA doesn't lend itself to lengthy notes on service part item numbers
and I've asked I.T.to look into solutions and also volunteered to see
what service departments in other companies use.
Often, hours of investigation are done on a service part and the
resolution ends up in someone's email file on a PC, or in a word
document filed who knows where. Sometime later, the same issue is
investigated again (the wheel re-invented) because the resolution
wasn't stored in a central database and the investigator didn't know
there already was a solution in place. Because we have 50,000 service
part numbers (roughly just half of them active), I believe we need
some type of solution for service parts notes.
Based upon my experience working a help desk, I believe a ticket
tracking system (e.g. Track-It) would lend itself to storing notes and
resolutions by part number. Since we already use
* RightNow CRM
* Track-It
* Dell Kace K1000
* XA for ERP version 9.0 (green screen, but we're implementing
Thru-put...)
* ARI PartSmart
software, I'd like to know if any of you have used one of these for
service parts notes, or if you have a recommendation of some other
approach. There are also a lot of free tracking system apps out there
that may be players.
At the moment, I'm looking for something for internal use, not
something to be shared with our customers. It should have the ability
to add a record by item number and be able to accept an attachment for
the item number record. The simpler the better; as a grand, full scale
solution encompassing not only spare parts (item class xx) but
production parts that can be used by all XA users (I would think our
buyers have similar need) is not what I'm looking for because that would take years.
Thanks in advance.
Bryan Burns
Parts Analyst
--
midrange.com
