AVS Services AVS Services is a software and servi

AVS Services is a software and service company which purchased the rights to inventory control and retail management software in late 1993. The company employs four people and is able to keep its operating costs low because of a lack of overhead. The company has targeted hardgoods retailers as its primary target market, and prefers those retailers who have sales in excess of $20 million per year. Because of the nature of the software, companies with several stores and a central location are ideally positioned as customers. This research outlines a marketing plan for one of AVS Services' most promising prospects, MTS, based in Palo Alto, California.

AVS acquired the rights and source code to ServiceTrak and Inventory Manager. This agreement gives AVS the right to sell and service the products in any way the company deems appropriate. These interwoven products offer complete management of a retailers operation, from purchasing through final sale, and incorporate customer history and service information into the package. The end result is a seamless and transparent product which offers ease of use to its users through its Windows interface, and also gives exceptional price-performance benefit. The system is designed to run on IBM or IBM-compatible microcomputers, and each store also requires a printer. The product is designed to use a Novell local area network (LAN) within the stores; each stored communicates its daily transactions to a centr

ge can be put to good use. This feature enables retailers to track the history of customers using the service options on their purchases, and to target direct mailings to customers who have purchased parts from the stores. MTS MTS is a large retail operation that employs more than 800 people. MTS sells and repairs electronic office equipment, electronic products and small appliances. The company currently operates ten retail stores and has ambitious expansion plans, with their current strategy calling for opening two stores per year. The company is family owned and operated, having been started by the family patriarch some years ago. The father built a strong company through his own forceful personality, and few in the early years could stand up to his will. The eldest son is now in charge of the business, and while the business has opened up somewhat to more modern methods of doing business, there continues to exist a commitment to doing it the "old man's way" in the tradition of the father. MTS recently hired a director of service and operations who has been charged with the task of making the company more competitive and profitable. He has tried to move the company away from the "not-invented-here" syndrome that curre

Category: Business - A