Xyz Quick Lube Co. Essay, Research Paper

XYZ QUICK LUBE Co.

The intent of this exercising is to plan a individual user system, to work out the demands of a startup concern. The concern I chose is a service oriented, automotive oil alteration company. This system will necessitate to fulfill the concern demands of a little company, including database questions, stock list direction, client trailing, signifier generating, accounting, and many other maps. This must be accomplished in an easy to utilize, simple, individual user format.

This system should be a point of sale system using separate databases. One for client trailing used to advise old clients via post card printouts. In add-on, these should be sent after a three-month period from their last service. There could be vouchers issued every bit good. Accounting and stock list information, such as day-to-day, hebdomadal, monthly, etc. gross revenues, current stock list demands, cost of stock list, net income borders, employee records, gross revenues revenue enhancement, etc. should besides be stored. Another, dynamic database would keep industry specifications. This would supply real-time question entree for make/model vehicle specifications for citing filter portion Numberss every bit good as other proficient information. This would necessitate to be updated as makers change specifications.

This system should incorporate excess characteristics as it is concern critical, supplying double, mirrored disc thrusts, every bit good as an efficient backup device. This would cut down down clip due to drive failure. The demand for this sum of safety prevarications in the necessity of keeping fast, uninterrupted service.

There would necessitate to be two pressmans. One, a point matrix for publishing client grosss, every bit good as a difficult transcript for concern intents. The 2nd pressman would be for the service forces. This would publish out the work orders with specific information, such as the brand and theoretical account of the vehicle every bit good as the filter Numberss and measure of oil needed. This pressman would be located in the service country.

This system should be capable of printing and displaying seasonably accounting studies including gross revenues figures and current stock list measures. These should be available on screen ( a colour VGA proctor would be required ) , every bit good as in printed signifier.

All this must be highly user friendly. With really small preparation required. The projected employee accomplishment and pay degree is expected to be entry degree lower limit pay.

When researching a concern solution to suit this demand, one company was mentioned in most interviews and research. Auto Data was extremely recommended by the independent country stores that provide this service. Auto Data provides a complete package system specifically engineered for this market. This bundle is called POS-I-LUBE. This is a across-the-board point of sale package bundle that provides complete support of an automotive service company. This system provides comparative accounting studies, real-time stock list direction, work order creative activity, dependable specification information via a secured connexion, employee time-clock accounting maps, full hard currency registry maps and professionally printed grosss, every bit good as a complete service history for each of your clients.

This system will supply the ability to look into stock list degrees anytime. Supply payroll information with their clip card characteristic. Generate accounting studies runing from comparative gross revenues figures from one period to another, period fiscal studies, net income borders, stock list costs, forces costs, withholdings, gross revenues revenue enhancement figures, basically all the accounting information necessary to successfully run the concern. This is in concurrence to the real-time merchandise specification question map and work orders.

The clip that is saved by the vehicle specification question, which antecedently had to be done through difficult transcript cross-index, looking up brand, theoretical account, engine, options, etc. , now can be used to guarantee that you have a timely client turnaround clip, as this is all done automatically through this bill of fare driven system. The client history database can be queried to supply indispensable informations for mass mailings and vouchers. These are all clip salvaging maps that work to better client satisfaction, while keeping a strong presence in the market place.

POS-I-LUBE utilizes a Fox Pro database for it & # 8217 ; s client history and trailing, every bit good as its accounting informations. For the vehicle specification database, POS-I-LUBE uses a accredited Check Chart subscribed database available through a secured connexion. This is where the monthly fee ( $ 250.00 ) comes into drama. Recommended difficult thrust size is 1GB by the maker Auto Data.

This bill of fare goaded bundle is designed to be mouse driven, with no typewriting required, offering less chance for errors. This besides make the system really user friendly with really small preparation required.

This across-the-board bundle offers greater dependability than many other merchandises available in the market place. The STAR Pro VII @ $ 1847.00, and the Shopman Standard Version 3.0 @ $ 29

9.00 are options. While the STAR Pro VII offers much of the stock list, study bring forthing and accounting maps of the POS-I-LUBE system it does non offer the database question maps to cite vehicle specifications. The budget priced Shopman Standard Version 3.0 merely offers the fix orders and bills. This dependability of the POS-I-LUBE system is due partially to the fact that it is all inclusive and non pieced together from non-compatible package.

The initial cost of this package is under $ 2,000.00, with a little one-year fee for real-time database questions ( $ 250.00 ) . The hardware is user supplied and can fluctuate in cost depending on the specifications desired by the user.

For the demands that I desired, Dell provided the best solution for the money. I decided on the Workstation 410 with the undermentioned characteristics.

Pentium III 450MHz processor

64MB ECC Ram

Double 9.1GB SCSI, Ultra2/Wide LVD ( 7200rpm ) hard thrusts

250MB Zip thrust

17 & # 8243 ; VGA colour proctor

Windows 95 operating system

3 + & # 8221 ; Floppy as thrust Angstrom

32X CD-Rom

The double difficult thrusts add a redundancy that is indispensable when your concern is so reliant on such a system in instance of failure on one thrust. The Zip thrust is for keeping current backups and off-site storage for catastrophe recovery. Entire cost of Dell system is $ 94.00 per month on their concern rental program. This to the full meets, and/or exceeds the system specifications required by Auto Data ( see operations manual ) . I chose the rental plan as it offers a service understanding throughout the extent of the rental, every bit good as the option to sporadically upgrade due to the moderate footings of the rental ( 3 old ages ) .

In add-on to this, there are the needed periphrials, as follows.

Okidata Microline 321 Turbo parallel pressman @ $ 451.91

Star Micronics SP322C Printer @ $ 379.00

3COM 56Kb Internal Modem @ $ 95.00

Symantec PCanyWhere v9.0 @ 169.95

Indiana Metal Cash Drawer @ $ 315.00

The point matrix pressman is for the creative activity of the client charge record and reception, while the other pressman produces the employee work order in the service country with all the vehicle specifications.

As required by Auto Data, all package must be installed and tested by their technicians at their installation at an extra cost of $ 100. Transportation is non included and runs about $ 25.00.

In add-on to these costs, there are besides the costs of pressman overseas telegrams, signifiers, multi-jack rush and phone line defender, or little UPC system with active system protection. This is figured into the cost as a assorted disbursal of $ 400.00. The initial sum cost to this system is under $ 4,200.00. With a monthly disbursal of $ 345.00 plus costs of signifiers, backup tapes, pressman care, etc. Overall, this is a really cost effectual solution that can be written off as a revenue enhancement tax write-off as a cost of making concern. The initial startup disbursal is really low due to the leasing plan offered by Dell.

All systems proving should be completed when system is wholly installed, less the stock list information, as preliminary testing has been done at the clip of the package installing. This testing should dwell of come ining vehicle specifications while cross- referencing returned informations with a known, dependable beginning, verifying printouts to both the service country every bit good as the client charge signifier. Upon successful completion of proving, all stock list information must be inputted into the database, along with cost figures. After the stock list information has been inputted, more testing will be required in order to prove the stock list trailing processs and cost analysis.

When the system is tested and proven, the preparation of employees may get down. Auto Data provides, at an extra cost, distant preparation, although with this bill of fare driven system this is non normally necessary. The employees will be prompted for the information required in the service procedure. The accounting information is available for direction and will necessitate extra preparation. This will be the concluding measure in the execution procedure.

Care should dwell of no more than serving the pressmans and running the backups.

This is the most complete every bit good as cost effectual solution I have found, using off the shelf hardware and stuffs at an low-cost cost. The hardware is common, supplying easy replacing in instance of failure. This is of import in such a service-oriented, time-based company. For more user information, please see the attach toing user & # 8217 ; s manual.

Mentions:

Integra Management Systems, 1999. hypertext transfer protocol: //integramanagement.com

PriceShock.Com, 1999. hypertext transfer protocol: //priceshock.com

Auto Data, The Original Point of Sale Software for the Quick Lube Industry, 1999. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.auto-data-inc.com

Dell Direct, 1999. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.dell.com

Register5, hypertext transfer protocol: //www.register5.com