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Blue Hare Software
Announces
Building
and
Store Directories
Imagine a
store that operates 6:00 AM. to Midnight (18.0 hrs/day), the
hardlines personnel are in the store 8:00 AM. to 9:30 PM,
(13.5 hrs/day). This is 4.5 hours daily (about 1630 hours per year)
when no one can easily help a customer. In a 24 hour operation, the
numbers are more significant. In addition, when you add in the hours
from interruptions of personnel answering "Where is ....?"
all day, the total hours lost can be
staggering
. If this is the
situation you need
StoreDir
.
If
you have even one customer per month leave the store without finding
what they are looking for even though it is an in stock item, you
need
StoreDir
!
If you do
not have personnel nor resources to have adequate customer service at
all hours, you need
StoreDir
!
StoreDir
aids shopping as
most customers will not use
StoreDir
except when they cannot find a specific item.
StoreDir
does not eliminate browsing.
Indeed
,
StoreDir
will cause the customer to pass ends and promotional displays.
Most
of the items in the store are like soup, if a type of soup is
requested the general location for soup is shown on
StoreDir's map
.
In
Achieving Excellence Through Customer Service
by John Tschohl, President of
Service Quality Institute
, it shows that if each store, in a 100 store
chain, lost only one customer per day the loss estimate would be
$94.4 million per year. If your situation is similar then you need
StoreDir
.
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Home
Building directories
may have maps, but generally the maps are much more simple and on a floor by floor basis. The database editor is the same as
StoreDir's.
StoreDir Specifications
As stores get larger with a wider variety of products the amount of
frustration exhibited among some customers trying to find products
increases.
StoreDir's
purpose is
to help you reduce this reaction significantly.
StoreDir's
is an interactive customer service store directory designed to be
easy customer use and and as an aid for your employees helping
customers. Several variations are available for retail stores with
40,000 to over a million SKUs.
First
Customer Screen Click image for 1280x1024x256 image
StoreDir
will partially relieve your clerks of the task of giving directions
to so many customers unfamiliar with product locations.
The
customer may press MAP without any other entry or may enter: brand or
common name of a product. After this entry
StoreDir
will: Display a screen containing up to 8 lines of location and "See
Also" information to aid the customer for a more detailed
search. Batteries often have four primary locations depending on
their type; Electrical, Auto, Electronics and Jewelry. Next and
Previous (Up and Down) keys are available for finding similar
products. The number of Next/Previous operations is limited to avoid
a single customer tying up your system.
Product found screen Click image for 1024x768x256 image
Customers
have access to the product database without the ability to change
your data.
If no exact match with the customer's entry, a
message will display, telling the customer that their initial entry
has been saved and the system is trying to find that product.
StoreDir
will try a partial key
search. After the first pass through the keys the entry will be
shortened then the search will repeat.
StoreDir
will always find something, at least a screen thanking the
customer for using your store's system.
Version 2 Store map with locations, Click image for 1024x768x256 image
This is an actual map of a
Big
K
Store
A map of your entire store will appear at the press of a key (MAP),
displaying the location of the
StoreDir
station, the location of the product and labeling the main
departments within the store. A "Bull's Eye" defining the
product's location and an "X" where the kiosk is located.
These are blinking, red and white for high contrast enhanced for
color blind customers. The DETAIL key displays a detailed section map
(1/5th to 1/70th of the full map), for the area around the
product.
Version 2 Zoomed Map of product area, Click image for 1024x768x256
image.
This is an actual map of a
Big
K
Store
Protection:
StoreDir's
roll about kiosk with lockable casters
has a sloped top for
liquid and physical damage resistance, flush mounted keyboard and
enclosed monitor. The computer should be mounted inside the base of
the cabinet behind a lockable door. The program has been designed to
recover from power failures and will prevent customers from
interfering with your system, (Neither the computer nor the kiosk are
provided, however we will provide specifications, designs and have
identified sources of all the components.)
All unused keys are
disabled to prevent misuse of or playing with the your
system.
The
StoreDir
system is eight programs with six integrated databases and
several files.
StoreDir
- the
"customer program".
SDmenu
- a utility with selections for Backup, Restore, Reorganize the main
file, Calendar for reference usage and access to both
StoreDir
and
StoreED
.
A variation of the editor
StoreEd
may be
supplied on a disk instead of resident on the computer. However the
editor is normally a hidden file which is heavily passworded so only authorized personnel may
access its functions.
The editing program,
StoreEd
,
after
password
entry
allows an employee to: Edit the product database; add or modify
access flags; Modify product location, wording and layout, copy a
Product or Shelf. A calculator that will place the answer in an entry
field if desired. Test the graphic customer screen and location on
the map. Enable or disable display of certain groups of products like
seasonal or sale items. Shelves may be listed by Department or Shelf
Number.
Plan-o-grams
, They are great when first laying out the map. However with
StoreDir
the product locations are in human terms,
"Soup is in isle 6 about halfway down on the right!"
NEW
: Functions for store fixtures of five types
and several sizes, placed on the map with
only one
screen (not multiple scereens)
. These features include:
Rounders
,
4-Ways
and other types of hard line and
soft line display fixtures for normal (90°) and 45° angles,
solid lines or filled with color and/or pattern. Also we have added
three fonts in eight preselected sizes and one large size
If
there is room on the screen the above graphic and help screens below
may be on the editor side. The fill styles below may be used on
shelves and features.
StoreEd
the store map generator
(additionally
passworded
)
(Wall, Shelf and
Label) with full editing features. It allows editing and testing
features for angle, position and color. A pseudoshelf (Electronic
Shelf Paper, "ESP") is a section of/or a shelf with length
only, in a different color as the shelf of which it is a part and can
only be seen with the editor. Hide or Unhide a shelf or "ESP"
and all products associated with it.
The
entire floor plan of the store may designed using only the keyboard
as the map is a database, however, we recommend
Blue
Hare Software
set up your original map.
The editor
is useful for seasonal or in-out items, these shelves may be as small
as two to four feet long an may have up to 1,000 associated items.
Move and/or Rotate a shelf or "ESP" and its associated
items to another location. Inquiries saved in a "Not Found"
database which may be used for marketing and/or to add/edit a
product. Utilities for restructuring all three major databases.
The
size of
StoreDir's
main data file is large enough to hold the locations and data for a billion
products. This number of records is unnecessary. Many variations of
one type will often be in more than one location. Examples of some of
these are: batteries, light bulbs, motor oil, screws, cosmetics,
pantyhose, cereal and ladies dresses. Access to a 275 character key
structure speeds searches and will allow multiple products to be
listed in one location (Screws, Spices, Soups and etc.) This is how
StoreDir
is able to access
millions of products.
A flag (ABC!@#$%^&*+...) will
allow display of seasonal products or or shelves, those only
available some of the time may be flagged and will be skipped on
customer searches. These flags and Hide/Unhide shelves allow
flexibility with little loss of speed. Departmentalization may be
used editing to speed access to many products.
The original
software and your initial data files will be retained at
Blue Hare Software
.
StoreDir's
initial product data file of 100 sites each with 1 to 100 products,
(average 4-6 per site), all attached to pseudoshelves, the store's
logo and a complete documented map system will be supplied upon
installation.
Upgrades
are
free
for one year from final installation. This includes
bug
fixes
or
new versions
. The Databases may be saved by
StoreDir
in an encrypted ASCII format that may be imported to versions using a different
database.
If
Blue Hare Software
is to maintain files or maps: A Fax/modem with an on/off switch,
should be used to speed up turn around for changes of maps or
data.
If you order StoreDir a demo will be sent on a CD with the manual and and notes, the upgrade is
Free
!
StoreDir
is "Site Licensed". ie. Copies of the program may on many computers at one location (same store name and address).
Our Current versions of
StoreDir
now runs on Windows 98© Windows Xp© to be tested on Vista© and a version for is in the future.
StoreDir
can convert the present databases to encryped ASCII for upgrades to the newer versions when available.
Read the manual for
StoreDir, Version 2.2
References
for Store Directories
and on customer
service.
Information on pricing versions
Take a tour of
StoreDir's
Editor:
Editor FREE,
StoreDir Demo
program is available, a screen tester
Download demo, Awards, and links
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