SkillNet Solution Highlights

• Implemented and extended functionality of Retek POS to accommodate furniture sales and rental features
• Integration with ISD's PinCom credit interface
• Integration with PeopleSoft AR and HR, proprietary merchandising and inventory systems
• Centralized database system

SkillNet Solution Benefits

• Reduced rental payment backlogs
• Improved fraud protection via automatic reporting of payments
• Easier payment mechanism leading to enhanced rental customer satisfaction
• Extensive reporting features leading to better visibility into operations

Retailer's Goals

The retailer has a special kind of business model- rental and sales- and needed a state-of-the-art point of sales system to support this dichotomy in operating models. Its furniture clearance business needed a point-of-sale system, but with flexible payment and scheduling features, and its rental business needed advanced customer payment mechanisms.

Retek's POS was their choice of POS system. Heavy customization was required to support the unique nature of the furniture business; to include features such as delivery and scheduling. The clearance business offered credit-card payments, part-payment and deposits-toward-future-purchases which Retek POS needed to support, and the rental business wanted to offer flexible payment options to its customers.

SkillNet Approach

SkillNet's design built on Retek POS' architecture that called for a centralized database approach. This minimized the repetitive and redundant costs associated with handling data on a store-by-store basis. The hitherto store-based databases also hampered the retailer's need for better visibility, in the case of its clearance business; into customer sales, and in the case of its rental business, into payment history.

SkillNet's Store Operations team realized that to keep the retailer agile and cater to changing business climates, there was a need to integrate proprietary systems for merchandising and inventory, and the PeopleSoft accounts receivables system, with the Retek POS system. The retailer's clearance store personnel were empowered to provide their customers with information on availability of furniture, and collect information on which customer had purchased which item on what payment terms.

Additionally, Retek POS' functionality was extended to collect scheduling information and the customer intimated when the merchandise was ready for pickup or delivery. Integration with credit interfaces further ensured that the payment process was seamless. During the customization, SkillNet also built in security features to ensure that the retailer met with mandatory audit requirements.

The retailer's rental customers could now make their payments at any clearance store, something they couldn't do before SkillNet's solution.