Jayme Poole has been at Red Wing Software since June, 2014 as a member of the support team. I talked to Jayme to see how she likes being a part of Red Wing Software so far, and to learn a little more about her.

What do you like most about working at Red Wing Software?

I love the fact that it is my job to help customers get their problem solved. To know that when I am done with a call, I have just helped someone find an answer to their problem.

What do you like to do outside of work?

In my spare time, my favorite thing to do is spend time with my family and friends! I have two kids, a son named Jackson who is nine, and a daughter Jaydea who is seven. Also, my boyfriend Brian has a son Collin who is twelve. They keep us very busy! When we are able to get out, we like to go to friends’ houses and socialize. I also coach volleyball for youth girls when time allows, unfortunately this year I had to take off due to a busy home life. I am looking forward to getting back to it next year!

Red Wing Software will implement the requirements for reporting applicable to employer-sponsored coverage for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the first half of 2015. CenterPoint Payroll will allow you to track all the information you need to complete the 1095-C and 1094-C forms for your organization, as well as the reporting requirements for the employee W-2 form.

It’s no secret that I’m not a big fan of cold weather, so I’m sure it will surprise many people to know that I love January. No, not because I like to spend as little time as possible outside, and not because I like to drive around in a car that always needs to be washed. It’s because I get to witness the best software team on the planet shine.

I don’t like to brag about our team (that’s a lie, I do it all the time), but if you ever get a chance to visit our office, you too can see a group of people that truly enjoy working hard at answering customers’ questions. When I wander into our support area, the entire team is quietly focused on dealing with the issue at hand, call after call. It’s kind of like watching ducks on a still pond. As they gracefully and effortlessly move across the water, you just know they are paddling like crazy under the surface. To use another duck analogy, our entire team is always flying in formation. A call might originate at the front desk and may not need to go any farther. If others need to be involved, one team member may take the initial lead on a problem, and then pass it on to another for additional research or analysis, and then it may move through the Quality Assurance department, and on to our programming staff as they help take some load off the front-line support team, and so on. Rarely do I hear any of our team members quack. That’s probably because we also have the best customers on the planet.

A few years ago, we set a goal to answer at least 80% of our support calls as they come in, as opposed to having to call a customer back. We review that metric weekly, and for the past few years, it is rare that we attain lower than 89%. This January our call volume was up more than 10% over last year. We were still able to maintain our high standards, and rarely did any customer have to wait a long time on hold.

As you walk into our Red Wing office, you’ll see our vision painted on the wall under the Red Wing Software logo. It reads, “Creating the Best Management Software Experience”. Our entire organization makes every attempt to live up to that vision.

- Ken Hilton, President

Several years ago we wrote the blog post: Ten Signs Your Company is Ready for an Inventory Management System. Are you still trying to get by without an inventory management system? Well, here’s further proof that inventory management software can help your business.

In a recent report released by Forrest Burnson at Software Advice, a digital consultancy, there is evidence that theft can be prevented with the use of an inventory management system. Having done a comprehensive study*, here are the key findings they came up with:

1. Twenty-eight percent of employees whose stores use inventory management software say internal theft is a problem, compared to 37 percent of those whose stores use other methods for managing inventory.
2. Fifteen percent of employees whose stores use inventory management software admit to stealing from their store, versus 22 percent of employees whose stores use other methods.
3. Only 37 percent of small “mom and pop” stores are using inventory management software, versus 53 percent of local and regional retail chains and 85 percent of national retail chains surveyed.



I had the opportunity to ask Forrest some questions about this report, and he weighed in on the subject for Red Wing Software customers. Here’s what he had to say.

• Question:

  Does inventory management software actually deter theft?

• Answer:

  “While a computer program won't necessarily deter employee theft, it will give you the resources to ensure that your inventory is properly accounted for. When your inventory is properly accounted for on a consistent basis, there's less of a chance that bad behavior will be able to fly under the radar.”



• Question:

  What kind of business can benefit the most from moving to inventory management?

• Answer

  “Regardless of what kind of business you have, it's important to protect your assets. From small businesses to larger enterprises, every company can benefit from implementing inventory management software. As you can see in the below graphic from our report, at least 60% of respondents from each type of store see employee theft as a problem to some degree. Using this software is an easy way to give you a better sense of security."


• Question:

  What is the most significant improvement businesses experience when moving from paper and pencil to inventory management software?

• Answer:

  "It's important for item-based small business owners to realize that while inventory management software might seem unnecessary or time-consuming to maintain, it will actually save you time—and money—in the long run. It increases your inventory visibility by standardizing your records and it can help you identify where shrinkage is occurring when you perform cycle counts."

Researcher Bio



Forrest Burnson is a Market Research Associate at Software Advice, where he covers the construction, inventory management and supply chain markets. He graduated in 2011 from the University of the South with a degree in political science and French studies. In 2013, he graduated from the University of Texas with a master’s degree in journalism. During his second year of graduate school, Forrest was a fellow for News21.

Prior to joining Software Advice, he was a writer and researcher for Global Water Intelligence. He has also written for a number of other outlets, including the Texas Tribune, the Austin Business Journal, Market News International and the Austin American-Statesman.




*To find the data in the mentioned report, Software Advice conducted a seven-day online survey of six questions, and gathered 385 responses from random retail employees within the United States. All survey questionnaires undergo an internal peer review process to ensure clarity in wording. If you have comments or would like to obtain access to any of the charts above, please contact forrest@softwareadvice.com.

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