What is Supply Chain Execution (SCE)?
Supply Chain Execution systems are real-time computer systems that help companies to manage Supply Chain operations to be more profitable by generating increase sales, and helping to reduce expenses. These computer systems consist of Merchandising Management systems, Sales Force Automation systems, Collaborative Product Development, Warehouse and Transportation Systems, Consumer Feedback Systems, and many others.

CRC's focus within Supply Chain Execution, is on logistics of capturing, distributing, and moving information, in real time, along the entire supply chain from consumers to manufacturers, to service companies, to retailers. CRC's goal in this process is to help all stakeholders take maximum advantage of information to ensure that consumers find everything they went to buy, and a few items they didn't expect to buy!

How Does CRC Accomplish its Goals as Stated Above?
CRC provides the, sixteen-years-in-the-making, on-demand, Web-Based suite of tools named VelociTRACKER™. The toolset's name is significant because it both generates higher velocity on the sales end, reduces fraud and expense via the tracking capabilities. The toolset is extremely robust, and provides tools for sales force automation (such as suggested reorder quantities with order history), merchandising management (such as scheduling, visit, time, task, and survey accountability), document management and transfer, tools for training (including on-pda/laptop videos), tools to manage and order Point-of-Purchase signs, messaging for all stakeholders, and much more.

How do Merchandising Service Companies Benefit from VelociTRACKER™?
There are two primary benefits to the Merchandising Service Organization (MSO) from the use of our toolset: execution and reduced-expenses. By using our objective management and tracking tools, MSO's commonly and consistently realize 100% execution on assigned projects. In addition, MSO's have more services to offer (such as POP audits, price audits, product-knowledge training, and more.) All of these services can be sold and delivered with confidence through the use of the MSO toolset. In addition, all of these services can be delivered much more cost effectively as intelligent tracking virtually eliminates fraud, and adds tremendous efficiency to the process though the use of intelligent scheduling and monitoring of programs. Doing what you are paid to do, efficiently and on time results in more sales of your services, and more profit for each job. The bottom line is higher sales for lower cost.

How Do Retailers Benefit from VelociTRACKER™?
There are two primary benefits to Retailers from the use of the Retailer toolset: increase sell-though via increased service, and reduced cost to service. CRC has integrated its toolset with retailers - some with over 1,000 stores - to provide instant service accountability, along with in-store reports such as: who's in my store, and who's coming to my store. Using multiple levels of integration with the retailer, CRC's Retailer toolset provides proof that service paid for is service received. In addition, retailer programs (and those of manufacturer partners) are executed with confidence that they will be complete, on time, and to specification - including training, sufficient holding power, and plan-o-gram integrity. The bottom line is higher sales for lower cost.

How Do Manufacturers Benefit from VelociTRACKER™?
There are three primary benefits to manufacturers: more accurate demand forecasting through better consumer input, better sell-though, at lower cost. CRC's manufacturer toolset provides in-store reps with the ability to capture critical consumer information about product and packaging likes and dislikes, as well as provides integrated web tools for consumer surveys to provide the manufacturer with the right consumer information about the right product at the right time. Using that information, manufactures are better able to produce relevant and timely products that will move consumers towards purchase. Further, other toolset components are used to ensure adequate product knowledge training for store employees and MSO employees, and scheduling, tracking, document transfer, and picture verification of compliance increase sales and reduce cost. The bottom line is higher sales for lower cost.

Higher Sales for Lower Cost Seems to be a Theme. Please Explain.
The cornerstone of CRC's mission and vision is to provide robust and reliable tools to all stakeholders in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry, which both increase our client's revenue through increased sales, and decrease our clients' costs through more efficiency and reduced fraud. The unique combination of increased revenues and decreased costs is how we find it easy to cost justify our applications. We price our solutions such that despite their cost, our clients' see significant ROI, and that's how we explain our phenomenal growth.

Do All Stakeholders Have to Use VelociTRACKER™, or Can Just One Company Benefit?
One company can absolutely benefit! Whether a manufacturer, or a professional service organization, or a retailer, the individual toolsets apply and can generate massive ROI for any one company. However, when used in conjunction with trading partners, the ROI is exponential!

How Does It Work?
It's simple! We host and manage all aspects of the hardware, software, data, security, and maintenance of the system. You access the tools via the Internet. Field reps access the tools via Pocket PC's (PDA) and synchronize them wirelessly, or while connected to the Internet. You receive data via email, and web-based reports - and many of our larger clients receive direct data feeds via XML Web services, FTP, ODBC, etc.

Who Are Your Largest Clients?
Some of our largest are also some of our longest: American Greetings, Mattel, Lego, and Lowe's.

Which Components of Which Toolsets Are Appropriate for Me?
At CRC, we deliver far more than computerized solutions. We deliver expert, business-level consulting to deliver relevant solutions with guaranteed results. For that reason, we can't recommend any specific combination of tools before a consultation.

How Secure is My Data?
Extremely! We go to great lengths and expense to ensure that your data is guarded, protected, and private. In addition, we provide secure connections to our servers via Virtual Private Networks to our large, Fortune 100 clients as well as smaller companies with technology capable IT departments. These companies get regular copies of all of their data on demand.

How Much Does the Service Cost?
Because we find it necessary to hold a consultation meeting prior to recommending toolset components, we are not able to price the solution until the recommendations from that meeting. However, the overall cost is almost always less than $1.00 per hour, per field worker.

How is the System Cost Justified?
Our clients experience immediate and massive Return on Investment. Consistently, our clients tell us that they achieve immediate savings of approximately 1.5 to 2 Full Time Equivalent employees per 500 field workers, resulting in annual savings of $50,000 to $60,000 per 500 field workers. In addition, our clients also consistently tell us that they save 5 to 10 percent of their entire annual payroll. A company with 500 field workers can save over $1,000,000 annually in reduced fraudulent calls. Intangible benefits consist of one hour of increased productivity, per rep, per month; 7 percent increase in management effectiveness, and large increase in sales. Where clients provide us with Point of Sale data, we can quantify lift from implementation, and provide enormous ROI from increased sales alone.

Can I Outgrow the System?
No. CRC's largest user base has over 15,000 field workers who access the system every Monday morning. CRC constantly monitors the system for potential capacity short falls and increases capacity at both data centers as needed. CRC has many terabytes of data storage on Storage Area Networks, and provides disk and tape backup for all of it.

What Happens to My Data if I Decide to Discontinue Use of VelociTRACKER™?
Our clients own their data. All data is always available to clients in good standing. Additionally within 30 days of all outstanding invoices being paid, CRC will provide a client who discontinues service with all data on portable format (CD, DVD, Tape, etc.).

What is CRC's Support Policy?
CRC will support the application 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year. CRC's normal business hours are 7am to 11pm Eastern Time. Support requests outside those hours are for system-outages only. Additionally, each client is assigned an Account Manager who oversees the client relationship and ensures that clients have consistent, positive experiences with the software, CRC's staff, and most importantly, that clients receive expected Return on Investment.

What is CRC's Training Policy?
CRC will provide training at your location(s), at our locations, and via Phone and WebEx as requested by a client, subject to travel and meal expenses. Detailed Training Policy information is available on our website.

How Do I Get Started?
Simply contact sales at 800-650-2679, or sales@crcsecure.com. We will be happy to schedule an appointment to provide an initial requirements gathering consultation, as well as demonstrate the system in your office - at no charge. Pilot programs, and guaranteed results make the transition to CRC an easy, low-risk decision.

What Involvement (if any) is Required From My Company's IT Department?
This varies from client to client and ranges from: none, to: extensive. It depends entirely on the level of integration. We are capable of receiving, scrubbing, and synchronizing your data directly from your systems, and exporting the data you choose to your trading partners in any format you would like - in as secure a fashion as you would like. Or, we can provide a solution that requires no involvement from your IT department.

How Long Does it Take to Implement, and How Long to See ROI?
Simple implementation can take as little as 3 business days. Complex implementations involving custom application work can take as much as 90 days. Our goal is to implement all companies in under 90 days. Specific contractual penalties apply if we take longer than we estimate.

Will You Customize the Application for Me?
Of course! Some of our clients are running completely custom and proprietary applications that we built from scratch - to their specifications. Others have no customization at all. Still others, have bolt-on, and integrated proprietary solutions. Finally, we always take input from our clients and strive to include their suggestions in the applications.

How Do I Get Upgrades?
Since the systems are provided over the Web, and on mobile computers that synchronize with our servers, upgrades automatically appear - both on the Web and on the mobile computers - when available.

Do I Need a Full Time Administrator?
That depends on many factors. A couple of examples are: how tightly are your systems integrated with ours, who will review reports and analytics, and who will drill down for further research into issues? The more systems you are able to allow us to integrate, and the more specific you can be with us as to who gets which reports, when, etc. - the less need there is for an administrator. However, smaller companies will notice a need for an administrator to keep store and employee information up to date, as well as do research into issues.

How Does VelociTRACKER™ Handle Territories?
Using three built-in levels of hierarchy, VelociTRACKER™ allows breakout by Region, Branch, and Territory. (These names are configurable, and can be re-labeled according to your needs.) Additionally, unlimited grouping is available to make sure that your data is sort-able and report-able using any criteria to group entities in the system.

How Much Security is Available within the Application?
Tremendous! The territories above are securable (so a territory manager can not see data for any territory but his own…but a branch manager can see all territories she manages). Additionally, each and every function on each and every screen is securable, and simply does not appear as an option if access is not granted?

How do I Work With VelociTRACKER™ When Not Connected to the Internet?
Critical reports are emailed to managers on pre-set schedules so managers can take entire reports with them on their laptops. Additionally, report data can be synchronized to manager's PDA's, and managers can access key business indicators via wireless cell phone PDA's.

Can Our Existing Data Be Imported To VelociTRACKER™?
Yes! At startup, and as often as you like. Our largest retailer client exchanges data with us every hour.

Does The System Ever Go Down? What happens if it Does?
We understand that we provide a business critical solution. Not only is the data you view critical to your business, but in many cases our clients' payroll and billing processes are tied into VelociTRACKER™. For that reason, we go the extra mile to have redundant servers, constantly monitored, and secured with best-in-class security measures. Our systems are up over 99% of the time, and the 1% they are not is split between planned and unplanned system outages. You are always given notice of planned outages, and notified as soon as possible for unplanned outages. E-Level clients are offered Service Level Agreements that refund an entire month's charges for very little outage. We've never had to pay them once.

What if I Want To Do My Own Backups?
No problem! We provide that ability via ODBC and Virtual Private Networks. We still continue to back up your data anyway, but you have your own copy as often as you like.

Is The System Scalable?
Yes! We've never had a client outgrow the system, and we have some very large and demanding clients. Over 80,000 field workers supply huge amounts of data…some up to 50,000 digital pictures per month, and we just keep growing the systems.

How Do I Sign Up?
Simply call 800-650-2679 or email sales@crcsecure.com and we make the process easy!