June 2010
South Africa's only home-grown ERP solution has taken the industry by storm with its recent unprecedented money-back offer. Daryl Blundell, sales director at Softline Pastel gives some insight into why they are confident to put their money where their mouth is.
There's been a lot of talk about Pastel Evolution's unique money-back offer, what's it all about?
We must be the first ERP software company in South Africa to offer our clients their money back if they aren't happy with our software. The campaign was born from the absolute confidence that we have in our product. We know that we have developed a flexible full-function ERP solution that is simple to deploy, easy to use, is gentle on the budget and rivals any of its 'imported' competitors. The crux of the offer is that if customers are unsatisfied with their software after 90 days of use, we will give them their money back. Terms and conditions can be found at www.pastelevolution.co.za
Is the offer an indefinite one?
No, it's only valid until the end of June this year which allows companies to take strategic decisions with minimal risk. We understand that this offer is a forerunner to the launch of an Evolution upgrade.
What can we expect from the Evolution development team as part of the new version?
Evolution 6.5 is a complete overhaul of software. In fact it's the most significant change we've made to Evolution since its launch in 2003. But we're really thrilled with our new module: Branch Accounting.
Wow, so tell us more about Branch Accounting.
We believe that it is the most relevant change to Evolution we have made to date. In the past, data has been sent to, and consolidated at a central point, usually at a head office. Branch Accounting introduces bi-directional synchronisation and consolidation of data. Two-way data streaming comes with many benefits. Information is now shared, consolidated and saved on both the centralised system at head office as well as at branch level which means that users will enjoy up-to-date and consistent information across branches. A practical example would be for the retail environment where an item bought at one branch can be returned or changed at another without affecting stock control. Other benefits include the ability to transact at local level even if the ADSL lines or virtual private network goes down. Also downtime and loss of data due to fire, theft, etc can be kept at a minimum because the regular replication activity performed by the system means that data is housed in multiple locations.
You mentioned the benefits for the retail sector. Was Branch Accounting designed specifically with a retail application in mind?
Branch Accounting is relevant for any business operating at branch level but it is compatible with the needs of the retail environment. In addition to inventory management it also integrates into our point-of-sale solution and is able to perform the full range of transactions required in the retail space.
It's interesting to note that Pastel is beginning to create products specifically for vertical industry sectors.
Yes, because we are a local company we can provide flexibility to our products. Our in-house development team is able to respond to client requests and develop specific features and enhancements quickly, so over time, as we identify industry-specific requirements we can move swiftly into research and development. The result is value-added applications with a vertical fit. Our other vertical application is the Evolution Municipal Billing module which goes a long way to helping municipalities manage their vast range of clients and billing needs. The system is geared toward the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) and GRAP. Our implementation teams also have a good understanding of the Act so we are able to provide insight into best practice system set-ups and offer much needed training to municipal employees.
Pastel Evolution 6.5 certainly does seem to be a big upgrade from its current form, when is it available?
It will be available in the 3rd quarter of 2010.