When Monroe Florist upgraded their computers and network recently, there was only one computer service company they considered – Tech Experts.
Tech Experts Keeps Monroe Florist’s Network Safe, Secure & Problem-FreeWhen Monroe Florist upgraded their computers and network recently, there was only one computer service company they considered – Technology Experts. “Tom and his team have been taking care of our computers for almost 20 years,” said Eva Sutton, co-owner of Monroe’s largest and most successful flower shop. “As our business has grown, they’ve grown right along with us. There’s no way we’d trust anyone else to handle our computer systems.”Started in 1976 with a second hand cooler and big gold van, Monroe Florist’s owners Dave and Eva Sutton have seen their business “blossom” into a powerhouse of fresh flowers and beautiful arrangements. Smart use of computer technology has helped them successfully grow the business.Monroe Florist was one of the first flower shops in the region to recognize the value that computers and networking could bring to a seemingly “low-tech” business like selling beautiful flowers.“Tom and his team installed our first computer network in the mid-1980s,” Eva explained. “The efficiencies we saw from that network combined with our floral management system really helped us to be able to concentrate on taking care of our customers, while the computers took care of all the mundane tasks of running the business.”Monroe Florist’s systems have been upgraded several times since then. The current system uses a proprietary back-end floral management server that interfaces with all of the major floral delivery networks, letting Monroe Florist fill orders from all over the world.Local Windows XP workstations located at the front counter and in the floral design area connect to the server through high-speed Ethernet connections. Every employee is trained to use the system and take orders.Multiple shared printers are dedicated to certain tasks, such as printing delivery tickets, card messages, wire-in orders (orders received from the major wire services), and accounting information. Monroe Florist has several office computers with additional capabilities for Internet access, accounting and data processing.Customer information, such as delivery addresses, billing information, and any special requirements are all stored in the system and instantly available to Monroe Florist’s highly-trained staff. Once a customer is in the system, all of their information is saved for future orders – letting the staff concentrate on taking care of the customer instead of doing repetitive data entry.Eva has invested hundreds of hours to input detailed delivery and mapping information into the floral management system. Now, flower deliveries are scheduled and routed in a logical order, automatically making the delivery process significantly more efficient. “Our commitment to our customers is that we deliver the freshest flowers on the planet,” said Eva. “Getting the flowers to the customers faster lets us keep that promise.”“We don’t buy technology for technology’s sake,” Eva commented.“For us, it’s all about making the back office parts of the business run as smoothly as possible, letting the entire staff provide customers with the attention and service they deserve.”Tech Experts recently worked with Eva to provide access to the flower’s shops systems from her home office. This highly-secure and encrypted connection lets Eva review payroll, sales and accounting information from home. But more importantly, she can take orders and follow up on deliveries any time she needs to, at any time.“When you rely on your computer system as much as we do,” said Eva, “you really have to have a technology partner you can count on. I remember during the first few years we had our system, there were days when Tom would spend the entire day with us. He knew how significant our computers were in our business, and how bad any downtime would be for us. It’s rare you find that level of support and dedication from a service company.”If you’ve made someone mad or if there is just an occasion where you want to show someone you really care – take a chance – flowers will do the trick. With their smooth running network, you know Monroe Florist will supply the exact flower arrangement you ordered, with the freshest flowers possible, delivered quickly. Eva concluded: “I know that with having Tech Experts as our computer service company, I can count on our systems staying up and running when we need them the most.”Visit Monroe Florist on the web, at www.monroeflorist.biz. Or call (734) 242-6565.
