I2S

John runs a successful vending company in Essex and was looking for an easier way to manage his daily business and keep better track of invoices.

I'd reached a point where I was spending almost as much time chasing invoices as I was on trying to get new sales.

My biggest problem was easily seeing what was owed and when… it soon stacks up…[My] spreadsheets weren't coping well.

Spreadsheets can soon be swamped — they're designed for presenting data not managing it. What's needed is a database to make storing, processing and retrieving data easy.

I2S is based on IBM's powerful Lotus Notes platform and provides effective tracking of orders — clearly displaying the amount and date due of all outstanding invoices.

Because I'm a small specialist business there are some things I do that don't fit the 'standard'.

That's the problem with a lot of software — you usually have to work the way the programmers want you to. Too much small business software out there is a cut-down version of the full version and often a 'translated' version of US-targeted software.

I2S is different. It's designed solely for small businesses in the UK. We listened to John and what he needed — customising I2S for his specific needs and adding new features where they'd be useful to other small businesses.

I knew my business needed to get to grips with computers more but I didn't want to have to spend ages figuring out what to do.

That's exactly why we pre-configured, customised and fully installed I2S for John. We also trained him up and, with I2S's ease of use and intuitive interface, got John fully up to speed within a couple of days.

As a bonus, being IT solutions providers, we were also able to help John with purchasing/installing computers/printers and MS Office, as well as setting up domain names and email.

Kristian runs a very successful IT company specialising in providing storage, security, infrastructure services and solutions. A busy man, Kristian wanted the most efficient way to handle orders and visibility on the figures.

My business has been growing quickly and I just wanted the quickest and easiest way to manage things.

With a click of the mouse I can check who owes what and when the payment is due — keeping us on top of our credit control. There's also full visibility of who we owe and when they're due for payment so we keep within terms with our suppliers.

Loading an order is really quick, little time's wasted filling in forms and we've full visibility from sales order to invoice on a single screen.

With I2S, it's easy to use, update and amend all information in the database. The search box is very convenient and saves time looking through the data.

I2S gives me a complete breakdown by salesman, day, month and year. I can also see the turnover of each individual salesman as well as individual deals. This is an exceptional tool and ensures I know everything about our turnover and profit margins. Having all of this available on one screen is excellent.