Bock Water Heaters

Improving an independent rep's access to info heats up sales to a distributor network

About
Bock Water Heaters sells a diverse line of water heating and hot water storage products to a nationwide network of independent distributors. An employee-owned company, Bock maintains its market competitiveness by keeping a small but versatile staff at its Madison, Wisconsin headquarters, and by improving company efficiency through a WorkWise Enterprise Resource Planning system.

The Challenge
The rep network needs easy access to product info, pricing and stock availability for sales success in its territories. Sales growth made it increasingly difficult to quickly respond to reps with up-to-date pricing and inventory information.  Product experts at Bock were bogged down with information requests, causing a potential bottleneck in the sales process. 

The Solution
Brilliance created an e-commerce web site linking information from Bock's WorkWise ERP system to a web interface where both salespeople and in-house staff can reach it instantly with ease. Separate password-protected channels of information were tailored to the unique interests of different groups of channel partners.

The Result

• Improved satisfaction with the relationship between Bock and its trade customers
• Easier access to technical data and pricing information without the need for employee assistance
• Improved sales success in competitive bidding processes, thanks to quick availability of specifications and pricing