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Setting up a profitable database for your business requires a well-designed jewelry software program. But how do you tell if a jewelry software program is well designed? Here are a few questions to ask before making a purchase.

• Is the jewelry software program easy to learn and use?
• Has the program been around long enough to be fully field-tested in a number of retail jewelry stores?
• Is the program constantly updated to meet new marketing challenges, changing retail conditions and tax reporting requirements?

Once you have purchased a jewelry software program, it’s time to decide what information to cultivate.

The database is only as good as the information you collect

You probably won’t want to collect all the data your jewelry software is designed to collect. Just because a program is able to accumulate a lot of different information, doing so can turn an easy job into a difficult one. By the same token, keep the future in mind. Sometimes information that is not needed today may become important later on. So look ahead when planning how to use your jewelry software, but don’t fall into the trap of information overload.

Start with the most essential data that should be stored in your jewelry software. This will probably be:

• Customer contact information
• Product or Services purchased
• Purchase price and picture of an item
• Inventory

When setting up your customer contact information, be certain to include e-mails. Even if you don’t have a use for them right now, they may turn out to be gold in the future. Plus they are easy to add to any jewelry software customer database.

Other information you may want to include in your jewelry software database might be:

• Information requested and provided to a customer
• Warranties or insurance purchased (if applicable)
• Any gem quality disclosures discussed.

A good jewelry software program will also allow you to collect specialized information that might be applicable to just your store. If you have such a need and don’t know how to incorporate it into your jewelry software, contact the program’s customer support.

Once you begin collecting data in your jewelry software program …use it.

Nothing is more useless than a lot of information sitting idle in a jewelry software program. Use it to plan and execute advertising programs…control inventory…order new items…and help make other business decisions. Get in the habit of using your jewelry software everyday and it will quickly become one of your best and most profitable business partners.

Cheree Dohmann is an internet marketing consultant that works with individual companies to build branding, search engine visibility and create online advertising opportunity for small businesses. Cheree has worked with IBIS for the past 2 years to promote their jewelry software. To learn more about IBIS, please visit http://www.ibis-net.com.

Tags: CRM, customer service, database management software, jewelry software, retail softwareCRM, customer service, database management software, jewelry software, retail software

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Jewelry store software isn’t just something used exclusively in chain stores. In fact, anyone dealing in fine jewelry and gems should have a jewelry store software program to help them run their business. However, many small and private establishments forgo looking into computer software with dire consequences. While they might have a computer and a database of some sort, they fail to look into jewelry store software for fear the cost would be too great or the programming too complicated.

Today, using software to organize your business is much easier, than in years past. With more businesses competing in the jewelry market, it’s important to stay a step ahead of the competition. This is where jewelry store software comes to the rescue. Software programs that use to cost tens of thousands of dollars to install, now cost less than five thousand, in many cases.

Increasing Sales with Jewelry Store Software

Unlike the older MS-DOS databases, jewelry store software with its integration of POS, inventory and accounting functions offers owners a turnkey solution to these three major areas. As an example, the software can simultaneously compute a sales transaction, update your inventory and the general ledger; all at the same time! In addition, it tracks customer contact information, returns, and repairs.

Another function of the software one should consider is the time saved when determining the current mix of products in stock. Much of the owners’ valuable time is wasted when done by hand. However, with jewelry store software reporting features, analyzing the inventory is a snap. Now, the jeweler can use the time saved and focus on moving aging inventory, making room for the more popular items.

Don’t Let Opportunities Pass You By

When companies do their inventory the old-fashion way, they lack the solid answers to three important questions they should know about their retail business in order to compete:

• Current value of inventory
• Inventory turnover
• Product profit margins

This information is invaluable when an opportunity presents itself and a quick decision is a must!

Bottom Line

The knowledge that jewelry store software will provide, and the time it will save you, will more than make up for the investment. Jewelry store software will level out the playing field, allowing smaller companies to compete effectively and efficiently with larger corporations.

Cheree Dohmann is an internet marketing consultant that works with individual companies to build branding, search engine visibility and create online advertising opportunity for small businesses. Cheree has worked with IBIS for the past 2 years to promote their jewelry store software. To learn more about IBIS, please visit http://www.ibis-net.com.

Tags: CRM, database management, database software, jewelry store software, marketing, retailCRM, database management, database software, jewelry store software, marketing, retail

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Microsoft CRM - Client Relationship Management package from Microsoft Business Solutions was initially designed to be customizable with Microsoft Visual Studio.Net and one of its programming languages - C#.Net or VB.Net. You can use ADO.Net, Web Service, Transact SQL scripting and stored procedures, deploy such SQL Server tools as Linked Server to all ODBC/OLEDB compliant database, including ORACLE, Sybase, Ingress, DB2, Unidata, Pervasive SQL, Ctree and even Lotus Notes/Domino.

In this small article we would like to give you the clue on programming the integration with SQL third party Database.

First - use Microsoft CRM SDK to initiate communication with Microsoft CRM, we have it in C#:

String[] arr1 = coll.AllKeys;

int loop1, loop2;

for (loop1 = 0; loop1 0?1:arr1.Length); loop1++)

{

String[] arr2 = coll.GetValues(arr1[loop1]);

for (loop2 = 0; loop2 < arr2.Length; loop2++)

{

strAccountId = arr2[loop2].Replace(”}”,null);

strAccountId = strAccountId.Replace(”{”,null);

}

}

if (Page.IsPostBack==false)

{

// Server should be set with the name of the platform Web server

string Server = ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings[”ServerName”];

// VirtualDirectory should be set with the name of the Microsoft

// CRM Virtual Directory on the platform Web server

string VirtualDirectory = “mscrmservices”;

string strDir = “http://” + Server + “/” + VirtualDirectory + “/”;

// BizUser proxy object

Microsoft.CRM.Proxy.BizUser oBizUser = new Microsoft.CRM.Proxy.BizUser ();

oBizUser.Credentials = System.Net.CredentialCache.DefaultCredentials;

oBizUser.Url = strDir + “BizUser.srf”;

// CRMAccount proxy object

Microsoft.CRM.Proxy.CRMAccount account = new Microsoft.CRM.Proxy.CRMAccount ();

account.Credentials = System.Net.CredentialCache.DefaultCredentials;

account.Url = strDir + “CRMAccount.srf”;

Then you use ADO.Net for calling stored procedure with parameters to do the integration job:

try

{

string SQLStatement=”ICS_UpdateAccountPrivate ‘”+

strAccountId +”‘ , ‘” + this.TextBoxWorkPerformed.Text +

“‘ , “+doubleEncode(System.Double.Parse(this.TextBoxAnnualRevenue.Text))+” , “+

intEncode(System.Int32.Parse(this.TextBoxNumberOfEmployees.Text.Replace(”,”,”")))+” , “+

doubleEncode(System.Double.Parse(this.TextBoxAverageGrowthRate.Text))+” , “+

“‘”+this.DropDownListOwnership.SelectedItem.Text +”‘ , “+

intEncode(System.Int32.Parse(this.RadioButtonList.SelectedItem.Value))+” , “+

intEncode(System.Int32.Parse(this.TextBoxCredit.Text.Replace(”,”,”")))+” , ‘”+

this.TextBoxComments.Text+”‘”;

System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection tmpConnection =

new System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection(ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings[”ConnectionStringICS”]

);

About The Author

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies - USA nationwide Great Plains, Microsoft CRM customization company, based in Chicago, California, Texas, Florida, New York, Georgia, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Canada, UK, Australia and having locations in multiple states and internationally (www.albaspectrum.com), he is CMA, Great Plains Certified Master, Dexterity, SQL, C#.Net, Crystal Reports and Microsoft CRM SDK developer. You can contact Andrew: 1-866-528-0577 andrewk@albaspectrum.com.

akarasev@albaspectrum.com

Tags: business solutions, CRM, dba, developers, microsoft, programmers, SQLbusiness solutions, CRM, dba, developers, microsoft, programmers, SQL

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