DataWeld’s 35th Anniversary

How many times have you heard or used the expression “How Time Flies”? This year marks DataWeld’s 35th Anniversary. Time has truly flown for us since those first few days when the concept of providing specialized software for the welding supply industry was conceived. There were very few options for the compressed gas distributor in those early days.

For those of you who have never heard the story of our humble beginnings in the welding supply industry I will tell you the short version. We were out making sales calls in Texarkana, Arkansas and happened into Langdon Oxygen Company. Reese Langdon was the owner and one of the nicest people you would ever meet. He needed a software solution to handle cylinder rent. We were a young software company with lots of energy and needed customers. We were a perfect match. Several times a week we would gather in his break room and discuss cylinder rent, special pricing, billing and any other areas unique to the industry. Many of the topics discussed in those meetings 35 years ago formed the foundation for the software you use today.

Reese and his son-in-law, Pete Snow, were two of the best mentors we could have had. Reese and Pete not only taught us the welding supply industry, they also taught us a lot about business. The success we have had as a company is due in large part to these two outstanding men.

Technology has changed dramatically in 35 years. The cell phone you use today is many times more powerful than the first computers we sold that were often the size of a refrigerator and cost more than a new Corvette! Software has also changed a lot. In those early days sitting around the table at Langdon Oxygen, we never dreamed of using cell phones, Wi-Fi, RFID or Blue Tooth technologies to solve problems for the gas distributor.

So on behalf of everyone here at DataWeld we want to say thank you to Reese Langdon, Pete Snow, each of you reading this article and every other gas or chemical distributor that has given us the opportunity to help them through the years. We sincerely appreciate the opportunity that you have given us.

Jim Broughton
CEO
DataWeld Incorporated

Do you have a digital junk drawer?

Do you have a digital junk drawer? I sat listening to a webinar looking at a list of social media apps that just seemed absolutely absurd to me. The list literally took over multiple pages. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm on Instagram, I have a Facebook account, and post regularly to Twitter. But as so many of us know or are starting to realize, these platforms, while they can be extremely beneficial both in our personal life and professionally, can become a time vacuum. Does that mean that we should just eliminate the use of these platforms? No, of course not, because these tools can be used to help businesses be more effective, efficient, and simply better at connecting and helping the customers. But maybe, just maybe, we should be a little picky about which ones we use. Making sure to only use the platforms that genuinely help a company better serve the customer and bring in revenue (this can and should be tracked). With that in mind, is it time for you to de-clutter your digital life?

Spring Growth

Given that it's spring time I figured that it was a good time to talk about growth. We all know that we're supposed to work hard and that hard work is supposed to produce results (at least in most cases). Recently I heard someone put that idea into one simple sentence. The person said "growth only occurs in a state of discomfort". Everyone knows that we should and need to work hard, but what does that look like? That's why this stuck out to me. Working hard should challenge and push you out of your comfort zone. It should cause a little discomfort. It's like exercise, if you don't push yourself out of your comfort zone then you'll never improve. So as spring takes off, think about your comfort level, what it would take to get out of it, and then get moving.

AcuTrax Digital Proof of Delivery

If you've ever had a customer ask you to show them who signed for a delivery, then you need DataWeld’s digital proof of delivery. Digital proof of delivery does several things, but the most important is that it makes it possible to prove delivery fast and easy. This can be done, in most cases, in a few seconds which helps in saving time and improving customer service.

The other major benefit is the elimination of paper. Orders and who signed for them are all digital, which eliminates the need for filing the paper and more importantly, trying to find the piece of paper when it's needed.

Want to learn more on how to save time and energy with DataWeld’s digital proof of delivery? Then please give me a call at 318-317-7977 or send me an email to andi@dataweld.com. I would love the opportunity to explain how AcuTrax can help with digital proof of delivery.

Don't have time for a phone call or email? We understand, so if you want some more information and have time for a quick 5 minute read, then click the link below to learn more!

Andrea Striegel
AcuTrax Specialist

Lot number headaches?

If you're having issues tracking lot numbers, then DataWeld has the solution. For more information on how we can help solve your lot number problems, just stop by our table top booth (#51) while making the rounds of all the exhibits at the IBDEA meeting in Orlando. We'd be happy to explain how AcuTrax can help track cylinder assets, keep track of lot numbers in individual cylinders and even keep track of lot numbers for bulk gases. 

If you're not attending the IBDEA meeting in Orlando, then please give me a call at 318-317-7977 or send me an email to andi@dataweld.com. We would love the opportunity to explain how AcuTrax can help get rid of your lot number headaches.

Don't have time for a phone call or email? We understand, so if you want some more information and have time for a quick 5 minute read, then click the link below to learn more!

Andrea Striegel
AcuTrax Specialist

Coffee and Customer Service

When I picked up my coffee the other day something unusual happened. The person behind the counter handed me a coupon for a free drink and explained that the wait time had been longer than what they felt was acceptable. Maybe someone got upset and said something, maybe no one did, regardless, I didn’t express to them that I was upset and yet they still gave me the free coffee. Now that free coffee probably didn’t cost them much and could easily be considered a marketing expense, but they made an effort to take care of their customers even when no action was technically required. I’m not suggesting here that we start giving away things for free, but rather to think about how we can go above and beyond to take care of the customer. I’d be remiss if, after writing this, I didn’t ask how we are doing with our customer service. So, please let us know how we’re doing. All you have to do is respond to this email with your thoughts and suggestions.

Need help with down payments?

When a customer makes a down payment on a piece of equipment, that money needs to be tracked and eventually applied to the final invoice once the equipment is delivered. But what's the best way to handle these down payments? A few things to keep in mind would be:

• To have a Liability Account: because until the product is delivered there is a liability
• To setup a Control Account: this will be used for the inventory item
• To have an inventory item called Down Payment: this will be what the down payment is applied to
• To apply the down payment to the final invoice: this is done by entering a line item for the down payment as a negative line on the invoice

Obviously, this is a brief summary, but rest assured that we have a full write up on handling this specific scenario. If you would like to see how we can help, then don't hesitate to reach out to us. 

Happy Valentines Day!

Real Time Asset Tracking

DataWeld’s AcuTrax Asset Tracking software for cylinders, totes, bulk tanks and other types of assets now offers wireless capabilities to track in a near real time environment.

1. Assets can be scanned and the database updated immediately.
2. Bulk gases can move in and out quickly with lot numbers.
3. Cylinders can be returned, filled, and immediately shipped to new customers with the database being updated at every step.

Want to talk more about this option? Great! You can simply send us an email or give us a call at 318-317-7977

Don't have time for a phone? That's fine, we know that you're busy, but, if you have a few minutes for a quick read, then click the Read More button below.

Andrea Striegel
AcuTrax Specialist

How much is too much?

As a company we never want to be sending out emails or any type of communication for that matter, that crosses that line of too many times. So how many is too many? That's a difficult number to pin down. It depends on many different variables and those variables can change from company to company. What we do know is that a gentle reminder can help spur a thought and/or lead to a sale without be intrusive. A gentle reminder could be a salesperson casually mentioning a sale without trying to "close the deal". It could also look like a reminder on an invoice or statement. However it's done, remember that, as Henry Ford once said, "a business that makes nothing but money is a poor business."

Happy New Year!

"For last year's words belong to last year's language 

And next year's words await another voice.” 

― T.S. Eliot

Embrace the new year and what it has to offer, the plans that will develop, the mistakes that will be made, and remember that mistakes happen because you are actually trying...

Happy New Year from all of us to you! 

Another year...

Another year has passed... As you run around trying to get everything in place and try to keep up with everything that's going on at this time of the year, remember to slow down. Running a business is definitely more of a marathon and less of a sprint. Sure there will be times when we have to rush around, when some crisis has taken priority and everything stops until it's fixed. However, this shouldn't be the norm. So during this time, and hopefully throughout next year, take a break, spend time with family and friends. Sit, be still, and be thankful for the things that you have and have accomplished. Today's issues may seem extremely important, but remember that they are merely one brush stroke in the entire painting.

Merry Christmas!

Some Thoughts on Planning

There are many things to think about when planning for the year. What will be the financial strategy? Will marketing look different? Is there new equipment that needs to be purchased? Obviously, running a business can get stressful, but if there's one thing we know it's that, while there is a lot of risk in business, there are great frameworks that can help to make things operate and function a little smoother. A couple of things included in those frameworks are:

• Guesses need to be educated and risk needs to be calculated.
• How you build can matter just as much as what you build.
• Make sure that your marketing brings in revenue not just attention.
• Worry less about timing, things get re-invented all the time.

This is by no means an all inclusive list, but will hopefully spark some ideas. Frameworks have been developed for many things, so keep in mind that you don't always have to re-invent the wheel.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Planning Time

We went from cassette tape to cd to download and now to streaming. The music industry, as with all other industries, has had to adapt and change. As time goes on, as technology improves and advances, we have to adapt and keep up or get left behind. As, the year comes to an end, be thinking about how you could improve. What technology could be implemented? How could you make your business more efficient, more effective? This will look different for everyone, regardless of whether or not you’re in the same industry.

The following are a few things to remember and to help guide you in your thoughts about planning:

• Adapting to new technology is becoming increasingly more important. We’re moving faster than ever and new technology gives us the tools to be more efficient and effective at both our daily tasks and big picture strategy.
• Online tools are amazing and can give us access from anywhere we need it. The downside? With more and more web based apps will inevitably come more cyber attacks. This means that security protocols will become increasingly important.
• Cloud strategy. I know that we sound like a broken record, but things happen. Every company needs to have a disaster plan and part of that could and probably should be a cloud service. Whether all information is hosted and/or run off of a hosted server or all files (not just the critical ones, space is cheap) are backed up and accessible from off site, every company strategy plan should involve the cloud.

Just remember that even a small step is still a step, so take that step forward as we plan for and get ready to move into a new year.

What passwords?

What if there was something better than passwords? Well technically there is, but it isn't necessarily widespread just yet. Biometric readers have been used for years as a way to unlock our computers (and many other things) and after Apple introduced Touch ID, passwords started becoming less necessary. For instance, I have several apps that now ask me if I want to use Touch ID instead of typing in my password. While this technology isn’t full proof, it certainly is very convenient and a little more difficult to hack. But Apple isn’t the only one in this game. Microsoft introduced Windows Hello which, on compatible devices, can not only read your finger print but also recognize you by your face or iris.

How does this work? Basically, when you set up Windows Hello, the system will take data from the finger print, face or iris sensor and create what Microsoft calls a data representation. In their words, this isn’t a picture, in the case of the face or iris, but more of a graph. This information then gets encrypted and stored on the device. The one thing that some people might not like is that some of this data is collected in effort to see how people are using the software and if it’s working properly. Microsoft does, however, say that all information that could identify the user is stripped out before it’s sent.

What do we think? This could be a good step forward for security. For years, organizations concerned about security have been using facial recognition as well as iris and finger print scanners. This is not, technically speaking, a new technology. It’s just finally made it to the hands of the average consumer and at the end of the day, it works. Will it stop all attacks or all possible break-ins? No, but it’s definitely moving in the right direction.

Keeps your eyes peeled!

A few days ago I received an email from "UPS". They were claiming that I had unpaid invoices. Now, we as a company use UPS all the time. However, I'm not the contact person nor do they have my email address on file as a contact... It's easy to see through a scam or email virus when the foreign prince is trying to entrust his fortune to you, but this email from "UPS" was not as obvious. At the end of the day, we can never be too careful, so keep your eyes peeled.

How's you virus protection?

When's the last time you thought about the virus protection on your computer? Often, we only talk about what to do after the infection has happened. However, there are ways to be proactive and in many cases avoid the infection altogether.

One basic way to be a little more secure is to find and fix the areas where a computer might be vulnerable. This might look like running an operating system that is no longer supported, such as Windows XP, or leaving outdated programs, that aren't being used, on the computer. In both of these instances, "doors" are open to an attack. Our advice, delete programs that you're not using. Not only will this free up space and help that computer to run faster, but it will also remove a possible entry point for a virus.

Of course, we can't talk about security without mentioning email. Plain and simple, be safe and cautious. Some things to look out for are the email address (do you recognize the sender?) and the formatting of the email (does the wording seem odd?).  

We've mentioned this a lot in the past, but always make passwords protecting critical information as cryptic as possible. The less they make sense, the harder they are to crack. Basically, don't use your birthday or easily found personal information.

No computer is unhackable, but why make it easy? So, take a few steps or as many as you can to protect that device.

Flooding...

With all the flooding in Louisiana, we figured that it would be the right time to remind everyone about having good secure backups. A few things to keep in mind with backups are:

1. Using an external drive can be a very inexpensive way to backup the company server, however, these backups need to be kept off-site in case of a disaster whether natural or un-natural i.e. flooding.
2. Having an off-site realtime backup, like Carbonite, is always the best option. This also makes it possible to be back up and running much faster given that files can be accessed from anywhere. If you've taken the next step and started having the company server hosted by a service, then the team could log in and continue working as if nothing ever happened. 
3. A final note is to regularly verify backups. We've seen far too many times where someone thinks they have a valid backup only to realize that either important files are missing or the backups are unusable.

Again, backups are extremely important and, in the long run, very cheap insurance. As always, if you have any questions, feel welcome to send those our way.