Jenkins Enterprises is a designer, importer and wholesale distributor of gifts, souvenirs and licensed collegiate merchandise. Founded in 1976 by Allen and Kay Jenkins, Jenkins Enterprises has grown from a small, family-owned business to a nationally recognized leader in the industry. Jenkins places a premium on customer service and community spirit, and treating every customer as a valued part of their family.

The Challenge

Although Jenkins Enterprises is a company that highly values regular interaction with customers, they were not an early adopter of e-commerce transacting on the Internet. They began with an information-only electronic catalog and did not transact any business online.

Unfortunately, the e-commerce system they initially selected never fulfilled its mission, often crashing and requiring constant maintenance which resulted in too much effort and expense to adequately maintain and update. It was obvious that it had to be replaced.

The Solution

Jenkins Enterprises’ management called in AccountMate Business Partner Tamlin Software Developers, Inc., to help implement critical modifications that would leverage Jenkins’ longstanding investment in its AccountMate accounting system.

Because of its easily modifiable structure, its ability to scale up with customer growth, and the fact that it’s all contained in an SQL database, the AccountMate software allowed for numerous new features that met Jenkins’ requirements and which proved to give them a strategic competitive edge.

Two features in particular gained Jenkins Enterprises tremendous advantage over others in their market. In the event a special price is quoted to a customer, a feature called Last Price Recall automatically presents that price and invoices that amount. Current AccountMate functionality also now links a photograph of the Jenkins’ product to an item in the database. This allows Jenkins to print their color catalogs from within the AccountMate suite, significantly saving on catalog production costs.

During this updating process, Tamlin president & CEO Linda Bryan contacted AppFinity Software Corporation about integrating their Webstore product. This customizable e-commerce application worked seamlessly with Jenkins’ AccountMate accounting software system.

The new system allows Jenkins Enterprises’ salespeople to log in, access their sales data, check inventory and run reports.

Using the system’s menu of “self-service” functions, customers can now access and retrieve their account information on their own. Being able to use the Internet to retrieve this information, makes it available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Results

According to Jenkins Enterprises president Steve Jenkins, “The system has already paid for itself, and the enhanced online ordering capabilities have translated to added sales and reduced costs for processing orders. The system is self-maintaining, which is a real bonus since we want to spend our time serving customers, not our site.”

Continued Jenkins, “Tamlin did an outstanding job. Linda shepherded the entire process. She gets the big picture and wants the best. They collaborated with our IT director and AppFinity to ensure every technical aspect of the AccountMate system worked to perfection.”

“The AppFinity WebStore enables us to focus on what we do best – serving customers with the products they want and providing the highest possible level of customer service,” concluded Jenkins.

About the Client

Jenkins Enterprises is a designer, importer and wholesale distributor of gifts, souvenirs and licensed collegiate merchandise. Corporate headquarters is in North Little Rock, Arkansas and manages their business in three locations.
www.jenkins-enterprise.com

About Tamlin Software Developers, Inc.

Tamlin Software is a systems integrator providing ERP, Shop Floor Control, MRP and Enterprise Optimization solutions to small and mid-range manufacturers, food processors and distributors. Tamlin provides solutions for distribution, accounting and e-commerce through the award-winning systems developed by AccountMate.
www.tamlinsoftware.com

About Third Party Add On Solutions

AppFinity Software is dedicated to the design, implementation and support of e-commerce solutions that leverage existing technology investments and minimize ongoing IT costs. Their solutions are fully customizable and can integrate with most existing commercial Web sites and AccountMate accounting software.
www.appfinity.com

About AccountMate

Founded in 1984, AccountMate develops and markets fully modifiable business accounting software. Systems range from single user versions to those that support hundreds of users simultaneously. AccountMate software is distributed exclusively through a worldwide channel of authorized solution providers. AccountMate can be reached at (800) 877-8896 or at www.accountmate.com