We receive constant inquiries about SISS, our cloud- and web-based sales tool that streamlines the timber industry sales process. And in recent years we have been working hard to develop SISS into a really comprehensive tool for timber product sales. Today SISS is being used by around 25 customers.
Michael Tågerud, who works with SISS commissioning and training, explains the process of changing to our system, from first contact to finished installation.
“When the contract is signed, we hold a start-up meeting where we discuss the customer's conditions and draw up a schedule. A check list is then used to keep track of how it's going and make sure nothing is missed. Because SISS is cloud-based, it can be set up immediately, and the customer can begin to enter basic data. Customers and products can often be imported from previous systems. And that’s a good opportunity to delete any that are no longer relevant.”
We hold training and progress meetings as often as required by either side. These may be held on site with the customer, but often take place digitally. Meetings via Teams can be held often and at short notice, which is efficient in terms of both time and cost.
“One or more physical meetings, particularly at the outset, facilitate communication within the project. When the users feel more comfortable with SISS and they're ready to change system, the transition date is chosen,” Michael explains.
The test SISS database is deleted a couple of weeks before the start of operations, and the customer begins entering real contracts and deliveries. Basic data, customers and products are retained from the test period. As part of the transition, the inventory should also be updated, which can take place in various different ways depending on the customer. If they are already using SIPal, it’s straightforward to transfer the package to SISS.
“SISS is primarily a sales support system, but it also offers invoicing, so it’s mostly people in Sales, Ordering and Accounts who use it. The latter can produce reports and statistics. If you don't have SIPal, inventory management and unloading is also handled in SISS.”
Installation is carried out by DataPolarna’s staff, and because SISS is a cloud service, it can be done quickly and without requiring a visit to the customer’s site.
The users who will work with SISS are then registered, with different roles that control their permissions for different functions.
“All the users need is internet access. So the technical installation only takes a couple of hours.”
It often doesn’t require extensive changes to the new customer's everyday procedures, but of course the functionality works differently. If you've had a similar system before, it’s best to make as few changes as possible during the transition.
It’s more helpful to implement any changes after you've switched to the new system. Changing systems and procedures at the same time makes things more complex.
The installation time can vary quite widely, and primarilydepends on the users. It could be done in a few weeks, but it often takes a few months. The customer’s everyday operations must function undisturbed during the installation period, and those affected are often key personnel who are already very busy.”
Michael Tågerud thinks customers gain a great deal by changing to SISS.
“They get a modern, future-proof system, which will be available, supported and developed for many years to come. Integrations within and between companies will become increasingly important, and that’s where SawInfo and DataPolarna are at the cutting edge. We’ve been in the industry for many years and are an optimal size – neither too small nor too large. Big enough to be a secure supplier, one that isn’t based on just one or two people, but at the same time small enough that users have a personal relationship with our staff,” Michael concludes.
