FAS 2007 is a comprehensive software system
designed to help you better manage every aspect of your retail
flower business--from point-of-sale, to accounts receivable, to
payroll, to inventory control, to general ledger, and more.
FAS’s easy-to-use software offers tremendous power and
flexibility, while simultaneously offering unsurpassed
reliability.
To learn more about FAS, we recommend that you read the
information on this Web site, read the FAS reviews published by SAF’s Floral Management,
and contact us to request information about FAS’s products
and services. We can then discuss your specific needs and develop a
proposal, along with financing options, to meet those needs. FAS
will also be glad to provide customer references you can contact to
discuss FAS.
FAS’s system is designed in modules to allow you to choose
which functions you want to automate. Many of these modules are
included in the standard system, while others are optional. All of
these system modules however, are fully integrated, allowing data
to flow to and from the various related modules without the
headaches of having to import and export data between modules as
you do with other systems. Again, FAS’s approach differs
significantly from most other floral technology providers. Some
companies simply don’t offer many of the features found in
FAS, and others require you to purchase third-party software to
handle critical business functions. Since FAS develops, maintains,
and supports all of its own software, FAS is able to more readily
satisfy customers’ requests for software modifications, and
more important, FAS is able to provide a much higher level of
effective technical support. It is extremely difficult for anyone,
including FAS, to provide a high level of technical support for a
software product developed by some other company.
The standard system features include:
System options include:
- Point-of-sale (cash register)
- Credit Card processing
- FASnet
- FTD Mercury interface
- Teleflora Dove interface
- Electronic checkbook
- General Ledger
- Employee Time clock & Payroll
- Accounts Payable
- Inventory control
- Purchase Orders
- Email confirmations
- FASmap
- FAS System Configurations
- Order
Entry
FAS’s order entry system is the “heart” of the Retail Floral Management system. Just as everything begins in your shop when a customer places an order, the benefits of FAS begin when you enter that order into your FAS system.
For example, having instant access to the customer’s history prevents you from selling an arrangement to someone whose account is already delinquent; it lets you know what the customer’s average purchase amount is, so you know what level of product to recommend; it gives you instant access to the customer’s credit card information, so you don’t have to waste valuable time (yours and the customer’s) requesting that information every time the customer calls. FAS’s order entry software maintains a recipient database that allows you to instantly look up a recipient without having to re-type the recipient’s address, even with an order being wired in from a florist located a thousand miles from your shop. With FAS’s software, you never have to write down a sending shop’s information or manually look up a filling shop using those huge, cumbersome printed directories. Has a customer ever given you a bad address or has an employee ever written down the address incorrectly? With FAS, all addresses can be located and verified in seconds using our address verification software. Card messages are automatically printed in a beautiful cursive font, eliminating hard-to-read cards and eliminating the time and cost required to manually write cards.
Once an order has been entered, you can always look up the status of an order--whether the order has been filled or delivered--within seconds, using the customer’s name, the recipient’s name, a credit card number, or a wire service transaction number. No more putting the customer on hold or having to call the customer back after searching through stacks of tickets.
FAS’s software provides dozens of additional benefits similar to the ones described above. These benefits allow you to effectively process more orders at the busiest times of the year, and they allow you to operate with a smaller staff and lower costs during the slow times of the year, providing higher profits throughout the year.
FAS captures the information entered with each order and passes that information along to all of the other modules discussed elsewhere.
- Accounts
Receivable
Billing is simple with a FAS system. Statements can be printed out on plain paper or on custom-designed statement forms at the press of a button.
The statements include your own promotional messages for customers whose accounts are current, and they include reminders for customers whose accounts are past-due.
This module also prints an aged trial balance report, and it generates various collection reports and letters.
- Delivery
Routing
Your driver can generate a delivery report which includes all orders scheduled for delivery on a particular day. These reports can be sorted by zip code, delivery zone, map coordinates, and other ways. These reports keep your staff from overlooking any deliveries. Delivery charges are automatically determined based upon the recipient’s location. FAS will allow you to quickly look up and verify Addresses. Delivery information can be automatically displayed on a map. Drives can scan the bar coded delivery tickets, allowing you to process the maximum number of orders in the lest amount of time
- Marketing
Information captured during order entry represents a tremendously valuable marketing resource. FAS provides a wide choice of ways you can utilize this data to build your business. FAS’s marketing features include the “Dial-A-Flower” preferred customer card, mailing labels that can be used to target certain groups of customers and recipients, postcards that will generate birthday and anniversary reminders for customers or recipients, holiday reminders, etc. FAS will even allow you to download your customers’ email addresses so that you can implement your own email marketing campaign.
LASER DIAL A FLOWER
DOT-MATRIX DIAL A FLOWER
MARKETING POSTCARD
- Reports
FAS generates dozens of reports that allow you to analyze virtually every aspect of your business. The system will analyze sales by transaction type, by wire service, by employee (sales person, designer, driver), by product, by occasion, by day of week, by time of day, by delivery location, and much more. Other reports, such as FAS’s funeral acknowledgment report, allow you to improve customer service.
- Wire Order processing
FAS will generate your wire service Reports of Orders Filled at the press of a button. With FAS, it is no longer necessary to sort through stacks of tickets searching for reportable wire-ins. Not only is this task very labor intensive, but when you overlook one of these orders, you don’t get paid for the order! FAS has also automated the wire service reconciliation process. Instead of manually verifying the charges and credits on your wire service account--a task that is so labor intensive most florists don’t even bother--you can pop in a diskette and reconcile your account in seconds.
- Point-of-sale (cash register)
FAS’s POS module, combined with a cash drawer, receipt printer, bar code reader, and/or credit card reader, allows you to integrate all cash transactions through your FAS system.
A PC equipped with an optional touch-screen monitor (illustrated below) allows you to operate FASwin by simply pressing the desired option on the screen itself.
- Credit Card processing
FAS allows you to process credit cards through FASCash, FTD, or Teleflora. When you process a sale through your FAS system, FAS’s software automatically authorizes and deposits the credit cards through the service of your choice. Funds processed through FASCash are routed directly to your own bank account. Users of FAScash can process their Credit Cards using a high-speed Internet connection instead of a dial-up connection used by the other services. Cards are authorized in just a couple of seconds, rather than taking 20-30 seconds to authorize on dial-up connection. Deposits are also performed much quicker.
- FASnet
FASnet allows you to electronically process wire orders through all wire services--FTD, Teleflora, and FloralSource International. FASnet also allows you to send and receive orders Florist Direct through the Independent Florists’ Association (IFA). With Florist Direct orders, you earn $3-$6 more for each order filled, and you receive immediate payment with a credit card for orders filled. When you send a Florist Direct order through IFA, you earn the 20% sales commission and the relay fee you would earn on a traditional wire order. Best of all, with IFA’s Florist Direct orders, you avoid all of the expensive wire service fees and clearinghouse fees normally associated with wire orders.
- FTD Mercury interface
FAS’s Internet-based FTD Mercury interface option allows you to send outgoing FTD orders directly from your FAS order entry software over Mercury and to automatically import incoming Mercury orders directly into your FAS system. Simply use FAS’s electronic FTD directory to select the shop of your choice and press a button to send the order.
Orders received over Mercury are automatically imported into your FAS system and printed on your invoice printer. FAS systems use a high-speed Internet connection to communicate with Mercury, eliminating the cost of a phone line. FAS's Mercury interface is authorized and supported by FTD.
- Teleflora Dove interface
FAS’s Teleflora Dove interface option allows you to send outgoing Teleflora orders directly from your FAS order entry software over Dove and to automatically import incoming Dove orders directly into your FAS system. Simply use FAS’s electronic Teleflora directory to select the shop of your choice and press a button to send the order. Orders received over Dove are automatically printed on your invoice printer. FAS systems use a high-speed Internet connection to communicate with Dove, eliminating the cost of a phone line. FAS's Dove interface is authorized and supported by Teleflora.
- Electronic checkbook
FAS’s checkbook software maintains up to 4 checking accounts. This software supports computer-printed or manual checks and maintains records of all checks and deposits. FAS’s software automates your bank statement reconciliation. The system will print check and deposit registers, and it will allow you to search for checks by payee. FAS’s checkbook module is fully integrated with FAS’s GL, payroll, and accounts payable modules.
- General
Ledger
FAS’s general ledger system produces financial statements (balance sheets and earnings statements) for current and prior periods, maintains monthly and annual history; prints trend analyses for various critical financial data; performs past-month and year-to-date comparisons; generates “what if” reports using anticipated changes in performance to project future performance; prints “batch” balance reports before posting entries to GL; includes easy help features for non-accountants; verifies that all entries balance; and automates recurring entries. FAS’s GL is fully integrated with all other system modules, eliminating the need to import data into other software systems as is done with many other floral systems.
- Employee Time Clock & Payroll
FAS’s Time Clock software allows employees to clock in and out on a system workstation. The software automatically figures regular and overtime hours and wages, eliminating manual calculation of this data. FAS's payroll software maintains a history of vacation time, holiday time, and leave time for each employee. The system calculates taxes and other deductions, and supports either computer-generated checks or manual checks. FAS’s payroll system generates various monthly, quarterly, and annual reports, and it prints employees’ W-2s. This option also calculates federal unemployment taxes and other similar taxes.
- Accounts Payable
FAS’s Accounts Payable module maintains records of vendors and purchases. The software prints an aged trial balance showing purchases by vendor, along with cash requirements to pay invoices approved for payment. FAS’s AP system automatically generates checks and is fully integrated with FAS’s checkbook and GL systems. The AP software maintains a history of vendors’ invoices and prevents the entry and payment of duplicate invoices.
- Inventory control
FAS’s Inventory control system is a comprehensive software module that provides traditional inventory control functions, as well as a couple of floral-specific functions--Arrangement Recipes and an Event Planner.
This software maintains all relevant data on each inventory item, e.g. wholesale cost, retail price, vendor, item number, quantity on hand, etc. When items are sold using FAS’s invoice-entry programs, the inventory records for the items involved in the transactions are updated instantly. Numerous reports provide a wide variety of options for analyzing your inventory data. FAS’s inventory system allows you to either use a manufacturer’s bar code tag as your own product tag, or the system will allow you to print your own bar coded item labels. Using FAS’s motion-activated laser bar code reader, you can check a customer out as quickly as you can pass the item tag by the bar code reader. FAS’s inventory system also has an option to print special “plant tags” that can be placed on plants and other greenhouse items.
FAS’s Arrangement Recipe Manager allows you to create your arrangements by selecting the various components of the arrangement from inventory. These recipes provide your staff a guide from which they can fill arrangements. By preventing your staff from “stuffing” or over-filling orders, you can better control your costs of goods sold. As you select items for a recipe, the system automatically updates and displays the wholesale cost and the retail value of the products in the order. When an inventory item is updated, all recipes that utilize that inventory item are automatically updated as well.
FAS’s Event Planner allows you to plan for holidays, weddings, conventions, and even everyday work. After entering general information about an event, e.g. date, location, etc., you are allowed to enter the product that will be sold for the event. These products can be either individual inventory items or arrangement recipes, as discussed above. The event planner will determine the total retail value of the event, the total wholesale cost of the event, and the gross profit generated by the event. At the press of a button, the FAS system will break all of the event items down into the individual inventory components, calculate the totals of all necessary items, and print a requirements report you can use to order the product for the event. Event data can be kept on file year after year, allowing you to plan future events in minutes, instead of hours or days.
- Purchase
Orders
FAS’s purchase order system maintains purchase information for all vendors. The PO system is fully integrated with FAS’s inventory module. When items are received through the PO system, item quantities on hand, wholesale costs, and retail prices are automatically updated. Orders can be located by vendor, by customer, or by product, and the system will generate a report of outstanding purchase orders.
- Email
confirmations
FAS allows you to send email order confirmations and delivery confirmations to your customers. Samples of the confirmations are displayed below. This feature is a fully automated function of FAS's order entry software. The software prompts you to ask if the customer wants an email confirmation for the order. If the customer requests the confirmation, the system displays and allows you to verify and edit the customer's email address. Email addresses gathered through this process can also be downloaded for other marketing purposes.
FAS's order confirmation is essentially a summary of the invoice. The email includes the recipient's name and address, the card message, a product description, the occasion, the price, the name of the person who placed the order, and the date and time the order was placed. These email order confirmations eliminate the need to mail or fax invoices to customers.
HOUSE OF FLOWERS, INC.
Thanks for your order! 
APRIL SPECIAL -- MIXED SPRING FLOWERS IN A BASKET -- ONLY $29.95! ORDER CONFIRMATION
Receiver first name JANE Last name SMITH Address 123 MAIN ST. LINCOLN GENERAL HOSPITAL City, State RUSTON, LA Zipcode 71270-0000 Phone (318) 254-1234 Card WE LOVE YOU JANE! FEEL BETTER SOON! LOVE, ANNA MARIE AND BILL Product description 3 RED AND 3 PINK ROSES***NO BABY BREATH*** Occasion Other Price 38.55 Order by ANNA MARIE
This message was sent to confirm the order you placed at 1:31 PM on Monday, 09/28/05. If you have any questions concerning your order # 64066, please contact the shop at: HOUSE OF FLOWERS, INC. 300 EAST GEORGIA RUSTON, LA 71270 (318) 255-4715 james@hofinc.com
The delivery confirmation is available in two formats, depending upon whether you mark orders delivered when your driver leaves with the order or when the driver returns from his trip. In addition to the order information included on the order confirmation, the delivery confirmation includes a note that says either "This message was sent to confirm that your order was dispatched from our shop at ..." or "This message was sent to confirm that your order was delivered at ...", depending on when you mark orders delivered.
HOUSE OF FLOWERS, INC.
Thanks for your order!
APRIL SPECIAL -- MIXED SPRING FLOWERS IN A BASKET -- ONLY $29.95! ORDER DELIVERYCONFIRMATION
Receiver first name JANE Last name SMITH Address 123 MAIN ST. LINCOLN GENERAL HOSPITAL City, State RUSTON, LA Zipcode 71270-0000 Phone (318) 254-1234 Card WE LOVE YOU JANE! FEEL BETTER SOON! LOVE, ANNA MARIE AND BILL Product description 3 RED AND 3 PINK ROSES***NO BABY BREATH*** Occasion Other Price 38.55 Order by ANNA MARIE
This message was sent to confirm that your order was delivered at 3:28 PM on Monday, 09/28/05. If you have any questions concerning your order # 64066, please contact the shop at: HOUSE OF FLOWERS, INC. 300 EAST GEORGIA RUSTON, LA 71270 (318) 255-4715 james@hofinc.com