[ Why should I use the Web ] [ Common Objections ] [ Other ] [ Back to Top ]
This is a question that is commonly asked by our customers when they first try out our services. Our goal at L & H is to make it “easier for you to do business with us”; that is why we provide our customer with services that they can access 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You benefit because your inside sales and outside sales representatives are able to work with you to make sure that you get the parts you need when you need them. Because of the efficiencies gained by using our web services, our highly trained sales force will be able to better provide more personal attention to solving your specific problems; this will in turn enable you to provide better value and service to your customers.
Here is a list of common questions that customers who are currently using our system asked when they first started working with our web services.
Getting started
· How do I access my company’s specific area on L&H’s website?
All you have to do is logon using your password, and then you will then be transferred to your own secure “customer room”. All data regarding orders, purchasing analysis, invoice information, pricing is unique to your company.
· How do I get a password if do not already have a password?
In the “Secure Member Login” on the website there is a link titled “Become a Member Now”.
Or, you can send a mail to webmarket@lhtech.com and we will take your registration request that way. After we register you we will send you an email with your “administrative” username and password.
· Can I create my own “custom” user name and password?
L&H will provide your company initially with an administrative password. With that password you can create as many users as you desire with varying privileges. Also creating customer users enables everyone to have a easy to remember username and password. You can control who gets acknowledgements of orders and shipments. Most important you can control if someone has privilege to order or just browse.
· Can I create a “read-only” password that allows my employees to get information, but not order?
Yes (see “Can I create my own “custom” user name and password).
· If I have problems navigating on the site how can L&H help me out?
Our system allows our customer service associates to login to your service room so that we can see everything exactly as you see it. This way we can help you in many ways: giving you a “walk through” of your services, helping you to setup your catalog, showing you how to check your purchase history, or checking your past invoices with you.
Checking stock and placing an order
· What hours can I check stock in the warehouse?
You can check availability of our items in stock 24-hour hours a day 7 days per week.
· How do I know that the quantities in stock are accurate?
As soon as someone places an order, the stock quantities are adjusted simultaneously. You can always trust our on-line inventory.
· I order the same 10-20 parts every 2 months, is there a way for me to setup a custom ordering page so I do not have to “reinvent the wheel” every time I order?
Yes, we have a very easy to use feature called “My Catalog” which allows you to create a personalized page sorted YOUR part numbers. All you have to do is enter the quantity desired and press “submit”; your shopping cart is instantly loaded.
· Can I remove or add items from my shopping cart?
Yes, in fact the shopping cart is provided to give you the confidence that you have ordered exactly what you want. Also it adds up your cost (excluding freight and taxes) using your pricing. There also is an option for you to specify if you want to ship it in the future instead of immediately.
· “My Catalog” sounds like a great idea, but can L&H help me out populating so that it is an easy tool for me?
Our staff will be gladly able to help you customize “My Catalog” to YOUR needs. We can easily do this over the telephone because our staff can see the exact same screen that you are working with.
· What if am searching an item not found in “My Catalog” and I don’t know the exact part number?
Our search capabilities make it easy for you to narrow your search even if you know only the first few characters of the part number. For example: If you type “AA10%” in our window our system will present to you in an easy to read table Rexroth pumps which start with those four characters
· Do I have a choice of ordering by purchase order or credit card?
Yes, you can order with purchase order and easily track an order by your purchase number in the future. Or, you can order by credit card. If you login with your own “custom” username and password our system will “remember” your credit card number for the next time.
· Can I specify a “one-time” shipping address?
The system gives you three choices: ship to your registered address, ship to one of past address, or ship to a brand-new (one time) address.
· Which shipping methods can I use?
Here is a partial list of our carriers: UPS, Fed-EX, Averitt, Consolidated Freight, Central Transport, Emery, RPS, Roadway, Yellow Freight.
· Is my pricing reflected when I order or am I looking at “generic” pricing?
When you login to the system the system is personalized to your own settings. Your price will reflect the pricing you have worked with your L&H salesperson.
· When I place an order how quickly can I find out if it was placed in the “system”?
When you order online you will see a visual confirmation within seconds of what you ordered, your PO number reiterated, our sales order number, the contents of your order, how you requested shipping, and any special comments you may have entered.
Service after the order
· How can I track my order after it leaves Livingston & Haven?
If you look in your order on the system you will notice that the UPS tracking number is “embedded” in the order. Furthermore, the tracking number is actually a “hot link” to the UPS website. By clicking on this link, not only do we automatically transfer you to the UPS site, we actually “plug-in” the number for you. At this point you can view the package progress from hub to hub, and even who signed for it at your facility.
· Can I see what I have ordered in the future after I have ordered?
You can look under the “Order Status” link in your “customer room”. You can search by your PO number, our order number, all open orders, or view all orders. Our order status goes back three years and even further depending upon the customer.
· Can my accounting department view all past invoices online too?
Yes, in fact we give invoice history as far back as 1993. Often we are able to get the customer who purchase the product , their accounts payable person, our internal associates, and our accounts department looking at the same information at the same time so that we can quickly resolve and questions or misunderstandings. Do you want to see your credit terms, your credit limit… it is just a few mouse clicks away.
· What about viewing past purchase history?
You can view every single item you have purchased from L&H back to 1993 online. If you have assigned your own part number to these items that will be reflected too.
· Can I get this data to an excel spreadsheet so that I can report it to other groups in the company?
Yes, you can just use your mouse to “select” the items, description, date, quantity, and price. Then copy that data to the clipboard and paste that data into an Excel spreadsheet.
· How can I do an analysis on usage?
We have a special area called “frequently ordered items”. This area sorts your purchases by the “times ordered”. Also you can filter from 1-12 months to get a quick “snapshot” of your “recent” buying habits. Often users use this area to order parts until they are able to set up “My Catalog”.
· Can I order off a digital photo of my machine or from a schematic?
Yes, please contact your salesman to see if this “customization” of your “customer room” is something that will make your organization more productive. For example: third shift maintenance employees can quickly identify replacement parts just by clicking on a picture. Then they can easily tell you what they want to order.
· What about linking to my existing purchasing system?
As our services continue to meet the needs of our customers we have seen more and more requests for this type of service. Please contact John Kan, e-Business Manager at 704 588 3670 ext 289 and he will be happy to discuss the details with you.
[ Why should I use the Web ] [ Common Objections ] [ Other ] [ Back to Top ]
To many companies the Internet is a relatively new addition to the way business is done on a daily basis. Some of our customers have eagerly adopted using our services and others have held back to see if the Internet is truly a productivity saving tool or just another “fad” in the ever-changing high technology landscape.
Once again: Our goal at L & H is to make it “easier for you to do business with us”; that is why we provide our customer with services that they can access 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
However, we would like to give some examples of legitimate questions and concerns our customers have when they first are introduced to our web services.
· If I order online with L&H that means I will be double-keying the order – once into my system and again into your website?
This is a true statement, but the real question is which method is more efficient and less time consuming: ordering online with L&H or just faxing us an order.
Think about how much time is involved in printing a Purchase Order (P.O), then faxing it or getting it mailed. Regardless of whether this task is done personally or delegated to someone else – it is still time consumed in your business.
Orders entered using the “My Catalog” feature are literally placed in just one minute. You don’t need to call or fax someone for the confirmation because confirmation is automatically shown to you seconds after you click “submit”. In addition you get immediate information on inventory availability and price confirmation. If you requested an email confirmation, that will be sent to you automatically within10-15 minutes by the system. There is no lingering question about whether we received the order or if was properly entered into the computer system.
Also, you don’t have to call or fax again to see if the order was shipped. We provide all the shipping information as well as a “hot-link” to websites such as UPS so that you can track your order even AFTER it has left L&H. Remember, you can check this information 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
For those customers who are ready to take the next step to integrating computer systems with EDI or using XML technology, we are ready to discuss this with you. Those process will eliminate even the one minute Internet key-entry task, but require more up front effort working in partnership with L&H to get the electronic trading partnership set up.
· Can other companies see my company’s data?
Your administrative password and all passwords that you generate yourself are unique to your company only. Only you and certain individuals inside our organization have access. All data regarding orders, purchasing analysis, invoice information, pricing is unique to your company.
· What if I forget my password?
Don’t worry, we will be happy to resend your original password. Just send a mail to webmarket@lhtech.com and we will resend your password.
· I am worried about employees without ordering privileges ordering over the internet without my knowledge?
If you have received an administrative password, then you will be able to create uses who can only “view” the information, but not order.
· If I have problems navigating on the site how can L&H help me out?
Our system allows our customer service associates to login to your service room so that we can see everything exactly as you see it. This way we can help you in many ways: giving you a “walk through” of your services, helping you to setup your catalog, showing you how to check your purchase history, or checking your past invoices with you.
· What if I login to the system after normal business hours?
You can check availability of our items in stock 24-hour hours a day 7 days per week.
· How do I know that the quantities in stock are accurate?
As soon as someone places an order, the stock quantities are adjusted simultaneously. You can always trust our on-line inventory.
· I have 12 employees and they each have their own credit card, won’t this all get mixed up in your system?
You can create individual user IDs and passwords so that the system will remember everyone’s credit card number the next time they login. It doesn’t matter which computer they login from as long as they use their assigned username and password.
· I often ship to “one of a kind” shipping addresses; is this a problem?
The system gives you three choices: ship to your registered address, ship to one of past address, or ship to a brand-new (one time) address.
· How do I know that I am looking at my pricing, not some generic pricing?
When you login to the system the system is personalized to your own settings. Your price will reflect the pricing you have worked with your L&H salesperson.
· When I place an order I am afraid that I will not be able to “see” it again until hours later?
When you order online with L&H you will see a visual confirmation within seconds of what you ordered, your PO number reiterated, our sales order number, the contents of your order, how you requested shipping, and any special comments you may have entered. This information again is available within seconds. Unfortunately there are many sites who claim to do “e-Commerce” that actually have someone physically enter in your order after you have placed it on the web. There are cases where a customer has placed an order and has not been able to find out about the order until hours later!
· How can I track my order after it leaves Livingston & Haven?
If you look in your order on the system you will notice that the UPS tracking number is “embedded” in the order. Furthermore, the tracking number is actually a “hot link” to the UPS website. By clicking on this link, not only do we automatically transfer you to the UPS site, we actually “plug-in” the number for you. At this point you can view the package progress from hub to hub, and even who signed for it at your facility.
· I order by fax can I still get any benefit from L&H web services?
Yes, all your order status, shipping information, purchase history, credit status etc. is available to you 24 hours a day 7 days a week. We want you to order from L & H in the manner that you feel most comfortable with. If you want to continue fax orders to us and just use the site keep updated that is a great to start out. After a while, like many of our customers, you will start experiencing the freedom and flexibility of entering orders over the Internet. Our customer service associates will be glad to “walk you through” the order process to help get you familiar with out system. The best news is that all these services are at no charge to you, our customer.
