There’s never a dull moment when you spend a night out with the Encompass team. Last night, Encompass Solutions’ ERP consultants, business analysts, and IT support professionals had a field trip. We went to Sip and Stroke in Greensboro, NC for a paint night and had an amazing time. There was no shortage of smiles and laughter. However, there were a few furrowed brows during the event. Our ERP consultants, sales staff, and IT support team demand perfection of themselves. That’s why we’re so proud to have them as part of the Encompass family. Every one of them is knowledgeable, dependable, and a joy to be around. Here’s looking forward to the next outing with these awesome individuals that make up Encompass Solutions, inc.
North Carolina ERP Consultants And East Coast Reps Unite
Our North Carolina ERP consultants, North Carolina ERP consultants, Georgia ERP consultants, and New York ERP consultants came together for a great time. Our talented team showcased their artistic sides with precision and impressive detail. Everyone took the time to create a brilliant interpretation of the event’s subject and we’re proud to have several of their works on display here at the Encompass Solutions, Inc Greensboro, NC offices. Our team of ERP professionals never ceases to amaze us and we’re sure you’ll agree that they are never short of surprises when it comes to tackling the challenges our customers face. If you’re in the Piedmont-Triad area of North Carolina, stop in our offices to have a look at the great artwork up close. Our staff is always happy to shake hands and learn more about our customers and the community.
Joe couldn’t help having an educational moment with a bit of help from Google.
All of our Rembrandts are hard at work. Except for Dave and Sherri.
Joe has a great sense of design along with first-rate execution.
Even out of the office the Greensboro crew insists on sitting together.
TOP: Dave and Melanie are cool and concentrated, both in color and countenance. BOTTOM: The Sales team and top brass on a level playing field. Everyone is looking to create a masterpiece on canvas.
Our team shows off their work. Their results are always top-quality, whether for business or pleasure.
Encompass Solutions, Inc. is an ERP consulting firm, Epicor Platinum Partner, and Netsuite Solution Provider that offers professional services in business consulting, project management, and software implementation. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems or addressing emerging challenges in corporate and operational growth, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. As experts in identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.
We recently sat down with Masterbuilt’s Director of Information Systems, Cristina Robinson, to discuss the company’s utilization of Encompass Solutions’ Managed Services, manufacturing of top-of-the-line cooking equipment, and the future of Masterbuilt. Here’s what Cristina had to say about the company and where she hopes to see growth enabled by the essential services Encompass Solutions and Epicor ERP provide.
Q: Can you describe what Masterbuilt does?
Masterbuilt manufactures grills, smokers, and fryers. We believe that given the right tools, anything can be mastered. That’s why we build products to perfect recipes that will become family traditions.
Q: What makes Masterbuilt unique?
I believe our core values make us unique. Chiefest among them are faith, family, and then the rest. The McLemore family set the stage from the beginning here at Masterbuilt with priorities of faith first, family second, then the rest. We live out those priorities each day, as the work comes in line with the most important thing in our lives.
Q: What prompted you to seek out a Managed Services Provider?
We upgraded to Epicor 10.1, and our customization requests continued causing a backlog. We also did not like having to wait for Epicor support responses.
Q: Was there an evaluation or selection process? If so, what did it involve?
Yes. We wanted to be sure the provider we chose would adhere to an internal method of development and documentation and be extremely knowledgeable about Epicor. Additionally, we want to learn from the provider
Q: What key component(s) of our Managed Services were you interested in?
We were most interested in three aspects of Encompass Solutions’ Managed Services:
Quarterly system and DB performance tuning
Epicor Hotfix and Patch installs
Annual business process review
Q: What were some of your apprehensions regarding bringing us on to assist Masterbuilt?
We had none.
Q: What has Masterbuilt accomplished with Encompass’ Managed Services that you couldn’t previously?
The biggest thing I have noticed is the support aspect Encompass provides for Financials. We would normally place a ticket with Epicor Support and it would be days if not weeks before we would get a resolution and even then had no understanding of what the underlying cause was. With Encompass, all of our Financial support issues are resolved within a few days or less and we are educated on the cause.
Q: What are you doing to keep up with the global competition?
By making sure our products are of leading-edge quality and innovating better products each year, we can ensure our cooking equipment meets the highest standards of our users, including functionality, durability, and dependability.
Q: What are some everyday challenges Masterbuilt faces in business? Anything specific to cooking and kitchen equipment that other manufacturers might not face?
When it comes to the contentious world of BBQ, pleasing our end users can present a challenge – sometimes we hit the nail on the head, and sometimes we are so off course. Finding the perfect fit for every one of our customers’ needs can be a difficult set of standards to live up to. Nevertheless, we are not satisfied with our work until our customers are happy.
As it pertains to cooking – that’s a tough one. The thing that may be a challenge is that the company is Christian-based. Our owner, John McLemore, does not drink alcohol and therefore does not use beer or anything of the sort in any of his recipes. This is sort of a challenge for us because most people associate beer/alcohol with BBQ!
Q: What does “Work” mean at Masterbuilt?
When it comes to our work philosophy we always say, “Do the work, make it fun”. Team Masterbuilt does what it takes to get the work done. We’re not just a team, we’re family. And we’re not just a family, we’re a FUN family! How do we “do the work” at Masterbuilt? With integrity, determination, grit, and a whole lot of teamwork. We cultivate relationships with our employees that go far beyond the doors of 1 Masterbuilt Court. There’s a lot of work to do before the bell rings each day, but our team finds a way to laugh and have a great time while getting the job done. With a loyal, trustworthy team and tons of dadgum good food all around us, we think Masterbuilt is the best place in the world to work!
Q: How does Masterbuilt address innovation in manufacturing?
It begins with leading-edge quality and innovation. Masterbuilt leads the way in our industry with the quality and innovation of products. We work tirelessly to make our products better and bring new products to market. Product innovation is a cornerstone at Masterbuilt. From the invention of the world’s first indoor electric turkey fryer and the Hitch-Haul cargo carrier, to our unmatched reputation with electric smokers, we are relentless in our pursuit to be the best. It’s not uncommon to find our President/CEO with a welder in the workshop, mentoring our engineering team. We work together to bring you products that make life dadgum good!
Q: How does Masterbuilt approach customer satisfaction?
Our customer service team has one simple goal: world-class customer service. When someone buys our product, they aren’t just a customer to us – they become a member of our Masterbuilt community. We love to share recipes, product tips, and even photos or videos of dadgum good food with our community. We wish there was never an issue with a product, but we know it happens from time to time. When it does, our team works hard to resolve it with our community members. We strive to create an environment of respect within Team Masterbuilt and also within our Masterbuilt community. We’re here to do the right thing, every single time.
When it comes to sharing, we want to create a special combination of good times, good food, and good people. At Masterbuilt, we design products that make sharing good times and good food with good people easy. What’s “good” to us?
G – Gather around the people that mean the most to you.
O – Open up your heart and kitchen to share good food and good times.
O – Original recipes you’ve passed down in your family are best. Don’t have any original recipes? We’re always happy to share ours!
D – Don’t be intimidated by lack of experience. You don’t have to be a chef to be a dadgum good cook.
Sharing goodness also means giving back. Whether tithing at our local church, serving at our local Valley Rescue Mission, or loading a bus with our team members to go serve in another state, Team Masterbuilt generously gives of their time and resources to make the world a better place.
Q: Do you have any other thoughts or comments you’d like to share with others considering Encompass Solutions’ Managed Services?
Jason has been awesome and he sold us on Encompass’ capabilities as a managed services provider. He is a pleasure to work with. Viviana is the best thing since sliced bread! She has been amazing with our Financial support tickets.
The Masterbuilt story begins with a leap of faith by Dawson McLemore. Don’t most good stories begin that way? Dawson was working hard to support his family with a steady job at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company when he took a chance and turned his backyard welding hobby into a full-time family business. While he was driving down the road one day, praying for guidance and asking God to build and protect his business, the name Masterbuilt came to mind. As he tells it, our company was “built by the Master”. Masterbuilt has grown leaps and bounds since the day Dawson said that prayer, but we hold on to the same set of priorities. Putting our faith and families at the top of the list keeps everything else in perspective. Our team is good at the work, and they know we value them even more than the work.
Masterbuilt will lead our industry in providing innovative, high-quality products and services, fully recognizing that all things are possible with GOD. This will be done with a commitment to long-term relationships with employees, customers, suppliers, and our community while upholding the highest standards of business ethics.
Encompass Solutions, Inc. is an ERP consulting firm and Epicor Gold Partner that offers professional services in business consulting, project management, and software implementation. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems or addressing emerging challenges in corporate and operational growth, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. As experts in identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.
With so much news and industry coverage concerning information security challenges, the topic is never far from people’s minds. This is especially true when sensitive financial information is being exchanged between systems. Maintaining the latest version of security tools in conjunction with these actions is essential not only for your customers’ peace of mind but your company’s ability to maintain their confidence. TLS is one of the defining security protocols that make secure data transfer, and by proxy internet commerce, possible. Here’s a bit more background on the subject and why you should be considering making the latest upgrades to your system to comply.
Transport Layer Security (TLS)
Transport Layer Security and HTTPS both work in tandem to encrypt the data being sent back and forth between customers and payment service providers such as credit card companies and digital wallets like PayPal.
Experiencing issues with payment processing? Upgrade your POS/PMS solution today and ensure you meet today’s Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) using TLS, and can process credit card payments without interruption. Not sure how to go about it? Contact Encompass Solutions experts to get your system up-to-date.
Using PayPal as an example, the payment service provider made a service-wide upgrade to TLS 1.2 just last month. The upgrade made it mandatory for businesses using the service to maintain the same version to enact payment transactions through their business. This means support for TLS 1.0 and 1.1 has been discontinued and businesses maintaining those versions will find their ability to use PayPal for payments and order processing no longer in effect.
On the client side, all it takes is a properly updated browser to ensure the latest TLS protocols are in place. Here is a breakdown of which browsers and their versions are following the latest TLS protocols:
Utilizing Epicor ERP Software
On the provider-side things get trickier. Encompass works with many manufacturers utilizing Epicor ERP software, so we’ll use this as an example. However, any similar software or ERP platforms your business operates on will likely utilize the same protocols to protect electronic data exchanges. Therefore, the practical application remains the same. Businesses operating on legacy versions of the Epicor ERP platform, primarily those on 8.3 and prior, are most significantly impacted. With many of these businesses so far behind on technology, they’re quickly realizing the true cost of waiting until the problem is upon them, rather than staying ahead of the curve with regular updates. That’s why it’s so important to maintain a recent version of Epicor, and any other ERP product, for that very reason.
You may think that a current SSL certificate is enough, but this only addresses security when it comes to incoming web traffic to your server. You need an up-to-date protocol in place that addresses the connections your server is making to other services, such as credit cards and other payment service providers.
Get Up To Speed And Avoid Downtime
To begin, take a good look at your Epicor ERP system. Is it version 10? X or above? That’s a tremendous step when it comes to ensuring you’re following modern security standards. Maintaining the most up-to-date version of Epicor will ensure your operations are never compromised by changing industry standards. You’ll always be caught up with industry standards as long as you’ve got your business running on the latest version of Epicor.
If that’s not the case and you’re on an older version of Epicor, you may find your business quickly being outpaced by industry in line with every effort to maintain the most modern standards of technology and security. Because industry and commerce are constantly at odds with malicious activity in a digital landscape, it’s important to maintain a framework that addresses those potential risks and places adequate security to obstruct their path.
Encompass Solutions, Inc. is an ERP consulting firm and Epicor Platinum Partner that offers professional services in business consulting, project management, and software implementation. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems or addressing emerging challenges in corporate and operational growth, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. As experts in identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.
Empowering your customers to direct their experience will have a positive effect on their perception of your services. Better visibility, better access, and more relevant data ensure clients are satisfied with every step of the customer journey. Bezlio delivers a superior tie-in with existing Epicor ERP systems to empower customers, reduce resource costs, and improve ROI. Read on for more info on our strategic partner, Bezlio.
Self Service Portals
Among the many features Bezlio self-service portals provide, order visibility, shipping, and order detail tools rank among the most critical in the eyes of the customer. Here’s how Bezlio addresses these needs to deliver a superior service portal and customer experience.
Open Order Access
By allowing customers to view their full queue of open orders that are ready for processing they can address those that are more time-sensitive, make better forecasting, and drill down into further details on an as-needed basis.
Order Tracking
With a simple and self-explanatory approach to giving customers further visibility into the ordering process, your customers gain better forecasting and turnaround time on orders. This empowers them to deliver on their obligations with better accuracy. As a result, their trust in your dependability increases.
Order History
Providing full visibility into order history allows customers to recreate previous purchases with ease, download and print the necessary details as needed, and maintain cleaner data regarding invoicing, supply on hand, and spending over given periods.
Shipment Tracking
Shipping visibility gives customers access to the full field of details regarding every order, including invoice numbers, dates, quantities, order numbers, PO numbers, part numbers, and much more. Good for both in-process and historical data, shipping visibility is one component of Bezlio’s services everyone agrees is essential.
Parts And Inventory Lookup
General and custom parts look-up facilitates real-time inventory visibility to ensure your customers can get the parts and products they need to be delivered on time and as expected.
Invoice Archives
Convenience invoice sorting and search allows customers to find their invoices by order number and to share essential invoice details with the click of a mouse button.
Autonomous Order Entry
Going one step further than reviewing important order and inventory details, the ability to place orders on their own, without the tedious set-up associated with complicated e-commerce platforms.
AboutBezlio
Bezlio is a US-based company with 15 years of experience in customizing and optimizing ERP (enterprise resource management) systems and manipulating data. Specializing in mobile, cloud-based integrations, Bezlio offers many supplemental tool integrations for existing Epicor systems, such as mobile crystal reports, Amazon Seller integration, Salesforce + ERP, tableau write-back, and the recently added self-service customer portals.
Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm specializing in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.
