News

Caroline Page talks to booksellers about the technology they use and why they love it

For the independent bookseller a good bookshop system is vital, offering the potential for large savings in time, money and drudgery. But what constitutes a good system? The answers seem to be as varied as the options available. One regarded as ideal by bookseller A is anathema to bookseller B, while bookseller C swears by another system altogether. In a world where independents continue to forge separate and unique identifies there is not only room, but a need, for a range of different options.

One thing on which all are agreed is that reliability is essential, and worth any number of all singing, all dancing extras. If the choice is a case of horses for courses, the horse in question must be a good, steady runner, dressing it up in tassels and spangles is largely irrelevant.

Martin Hearn, IT manager, Mathven’s Booksellers
Methven’s Booksellers (nine bookshops in the south and south east) has used AE Data’s Super Books 2000 system for five and a half years. During this time the group changed briefly to Triptych before reverting back to Super-Books last year.

"We decided to return to Super-Books because the system is trustworthy and bullet-proof. It provides a complete stock control system – it can carry out searches, produce bestseller reports and other analyses such as stock figures, customer orders, do sales processing, TeleOrdering and so on.

We did not look into other systems when we decided to go back to Super-Books. We felt it was a case of better the devil you know. You don’t get upgrades. If the system is working well you don’t need them. It is quite expensive to alter the system, but we request new features if they are specific to us. AE Data doesn’t say, "We have this add on, would you like it?" You have to ask them. They respond to needs and write tailor-made programs for you. At our flagship shop in Canterbury they allowed their data to be used for customer searches, writing a program that enabled us to export it.

We will not necessarily stay with AE Data forever, but so far we have seen anything better. They do a very good job: they provide telephone support and they would provide training, too, if it were needed. If someone has got the system into a mess, they dial in and sort it out, but crashing is very infrequent compared to other systems. You don’t realise how important that is until it happens. Although the system is expensive, it makes you more productive. In theory, your stock management is better, and we find it useful for identifying best and worst sellers. But computers don’t adjust for seasonal variations; you still need somebody there to say: "Don’t send back hundreds of copies of Delia Smith’s Christmas in October".

With hindsight, I’d say we made the right decision for us, and I would recommend the system to others for its stability and reliability. If I were looking at any new system, I would want to go into a shop where it is already up and running and ask the users about it, rather than rely on the manufacturers’ information".

Matthew Short, Bookworld
Bookworld (five branches in the Midlands) has used Bertrams’ Bertline since April, having previously used THEsis.

"We are a rapidly growing family business, and we wanted a system that would provide a link with a wholesaler and a means of streamlining our processes. The reputation of Bertrams was important. You feel that if anyone is going to do it properly, they will. Equally important was the way they didn’t go for the hard sell. In fact they said, "Wait, we may have a little glitch which needs sorting out before we’ll sell it to you." They don’t need to sell the system. It sells itself.

Bertline keeps everything in order. It is stable, it doesn’t crash and it makes things easy. It’s all on one screen and very user friendly. Put it this way: one of our shops has been paper-based for the past five years. The four staff, none of them computer boffins, have had Bertline for only four days and they are using it easily and say it’s fantastic. I suspect that the people who designed it must have had hands-on experience of running bookshops. Also it’s simple. Our previous system has 15 different ways of getting to the same place, which you didn’t need or want.

The customer support is fantastic. We had a problem last week and they came all the way form Norwich to Nottingham to sort it out. Generally, all they need to do is access the problem by modem. I think you’d have to have had the problems before to appreciate how good Bertline really is. Their helpline is staffed by people who helped put the system together, so they’re knowledgeable and efficient.

Bertrams build the software around existing hardware. In our other shops we used the hardware we had already, but for the new site we bought both together, and it is even better. We’ve made all sorts of savings. For a start, it gives us a touch more discount at Bertrams. But the great beauty is the savings in time. It used to take the staff all morning to complete customer orders. Tonight I managed 30 customer orders in literally three and half minutes. How much time is that per order? And of course it’s real time – the orders are actually there five minutes later. And at our goods-in end it’s gone from taking three hours to half an hour for organising, processing and unpacking customer orders.

Bertline is as near to perfect as you’re going to get. I’m confident it helps sell books. It was also tremendously good value. The software cost £600 all-in, including a day’s training, setting up the hardware, a year’s support and free updating.

My tip for a bookseller looking for a new system is to think why they want it. If your existing system works, stick to it; if a new system would help, go for it."

Jonathan Peters, Warwick University Bookshop
Warwick University Bookshop has been using BookSolve for 18 months

"Before choosing the system we did the rounds. What we liked about BookSolve was that it seemed to have flexibility and that it was very good value; this left us free to change our minds without too much trouble. We need it to be a stock control system and to handle invoicing, goods in, tills, ordering and returns.

The returns module needs some work. The academic module deals with recent reading lists, reports back to lecturers on usage of lists, analyses textbook supply and so on. It is as efficient as we could expect it to be, considering the cost. Sometimes it is frustrating – we’re running it on a network that can be pretty fragile. However, the support is very efficient. Anything our technical guy can’t fix they’ll sort out, either by dialling in, or by an onsite visit.

BookSolve saves us time and money compared to the system we had before, or to nothing at all. I’d recommend it if someone wanted a system that was fairly flexible and quiet open. Security is not a strong point with this kind of system, which is fine if a bookshop doesn’t need tight controls or has other procedures in place.

Looking back, we made the right choice, and the timing was probably pertinent as well. We bought in 1998, aware of potential millennium problems. We knew that the company was working on a millennium-proof version. We also thought that if we got a relatively inexpensive system and it fell apart we could go on to something else without too big a loss.

My tip for people investing in a bookshop system is to buy off the peg and not to go down the route of having something written for you. BookSolve Computer Systems is a very small company and, as a result, responsive. Because it’s nimble we have been able to buy a system off the peg and yet get adaptations tailor-made for us. This is a big advantage. I would also recommend not spending a vast sum, because that ties you down. It’s a nice concept to be permanently in the market for a new product."

Sarah Rees, Cover to Cover, Swansea
Sarah Rees chose Gardners’ Gardlink for her recently opened bookshop

I bought both hardware and software, and the system arrived with my initial stock – the biggest order I’m ever likely to make – already loaded on. The barcode scanner automatically removes sales from stock. The system also list bestsellers by category, or overall – worst sellers, too; it will cascade orders and give the status of titles.

The support has been good and included a full day’s training. When anything has gone wrong, the Gardners team has phoned back and talked me through it, or has come in to look at the computer and see what’s wrong. They are very friendly, and are even there on Saturdays. They will be providing a seven-day service over Christmas. There have been no fatal flaws so far. I love it when the stock and invoice are delivered and everything is already there on the computer. You just press ‘Yes’. I’d definitely recommend the system, especially to an independent bookseller starting out, like myself. My only reservation would be that Gardlink obviously links into Gardners. I might one day want to move into education, which is not on their disk.

If you are investigating bookshop systems, I’d suggest that you talk to people face to face. And no system is any good unless you are comfortable with computers in the first place".

Darren Jarvis, The Building Bookshop, London
The Building Bookshop has recently acquired ML Computers’ BookMan 98

"We shopped around, but we were limited in that we definitely wanted a Windows-based system. BookMan has clear, user-friendly screens and, because it is Windows-based, you can flip between functions without having to close down one activity before starting another. It also links in well with the IT system of our parent company [the Building Centre Ltd]. BookMan is also very flexible and gives us exactly what we want. Anything we didn’t have as standard we had written for us. So we got a tailor-made system for a standard package price.

BookMan lists all customers, books, publisher details, distributors; it can raise orders, invoices and credit notes and can produce reports on a flexible date basis. We’ve only used it for dummy runs so far, which has enabled us to see what was missing and get it built in. So far it looks good and, being Windows-based, is very easy to use. The support has been excellent – like nothing I’ve been used to. I feel that so many systems we looked at were far too complicated for a small business, offering a lot of unnecessary functions that we just didn’t need. This system cuts out all the superfluous features."

Ian Edwards, W H Everett & son [library supplier]
W H Everett has used PubEasy for nearly a year

"I think we discovered PubEasy through an ad in "The Bookseller". As a library supplier, a lot of our work involves price and availability checks and tracking orders if they don’t appear. It can be very time-consuming, and at busy times – like October, when the academic term starts – impossible to get hold of publishers on the telephone. More publishers and wholesalers are joining PubEasy-Wiley has just come on board-and it makes communications much easier. If we discover that for some reason an order has not been placed, we can do it through the relevant Website. Sometimes a publisher’s site is down, but it is usually up again in an hour or two. That’s the only disadvantage I can think of. Using PubEasy is much easier than writing or ringing, and it enables people to check a lot of orders in one go. It is also very simple to use. And it’s free.

At our end it saves time, and time is money. Generally, publishers’ Websites don’t specify the status of books. The PubEasy site gives you the exact status-reprinting, due date, out of print. The sites seems to be updated regularly. Certainly on any occasion that we have double-checked, the information has been absolutely accurate.

Jonathan Spencer-Payne, The Peak Bookshop
The Peak Bookshop (single bookshop on two floors plus children’s department) changed to THE Books’ THEsis from Gardlink seven months ago

"With two floors and a children’s department, we needed a system that could be networked, and at the time Bertrams couldn’t provide one. Cost was also important. We looked around and THE came out on top: THEsis was a lot cheaper, the system used Windows 98 and is networkable; and the back-up was very good. THE went out of their way to help us. I really can’t say enough good things about them. They gave us things such as barcode scanners instead of us having to buy them. And when you’re expanding a business, capital costs are obviously an important factor.

THEsis does much the same things as other bookshop systems: sales figures by title, returns sent simply down the modem, excellent stock control: when the book sold last, was ordered last, when it was supplied and so on. The biggest advantage is when we want to send orders. If THE hasn’t got the book, the system will cascade the order to the suppliers-Bertrams, Gardners. The hit rate at THE is 90% plus, and I would say that with the cascade, our hit rate is nearly 100%, which makes it really fantastic for customer orders. If I wanted, I could list a whole range of suppliers for the cascade, but I haven’t needed to. It’s not a ‘selfish’ system. It is a pure, independent bookseller’s package, telling you where a book is from, rather than whether THE has it, although, when we brought the package we agreed that THE should be our primary supplier, and we’re so pleased with them. THE has a computer room and systems people, and they’re very supportive. Any system will have glitches, but THE will go through it over the telephone there and then. We have never been out for any length of time.

The savings made, initially, were financial, but the most important thing is the efficiency-the system saves us so much time. We have five networked monitors, and customers who come in cannot believe the speed with which we can find things. Because it is an open system, it doesn’t tie us down either.

There are a few thing sit would be nice if THEsis could do. For example, it doesn’t automatically take your returns off your stock file, which would be useful. At the moment I’m looking into whether THE could build that in. I would recommend the system to other independent booksellers, if the independent bookseller were really independent and didn’t want to be tied down to one wholesaler. Ultimately, it comes down to what you and your staff are happy with. THEsis is even better than I thought it would be.

My advice to booksellers looking for a new system is to negotiate. If you agree not to be tied down but to accept one wholesaler as a primary supplier, you can get good terms, which is important. Also ask what they are prepared to do in terms of staff training."

David Edyvean, Gosport Bookshop
Gosport Bookshop (two branches) has used Tryptych’s Bestseller since 1990

"At the time we were looking, Bestseller was the best system on the market. The others seemed pretty long in the tooth. Bestseller manages our stock for us-helps us with ordering and reordering; we can order and get confirmations online from a range of wholesalers and publishers; and it’s a powerful tool for sorting out returns. I can dial in from home and work remotely while our two shops are can talk to each other, which is very beneficial. We would not have kept it for nine years if it didn’t work.

Bestseller’s main advantage is its reliability, which is vital. Crashing is rare, though some years ago our hard drive went just before Christmas. Triptych provides good hardware and software support when things go wrong. If anything crashes they can dial in from outside and correct it.

Running the shops without the system is inconceivable; it saves so much time. There are obviously costs-hardware and software support and so on-but the benefits far outweigh these. I’d definitely recommend the system. I believe there is an updated version coming out in March, but the functionality and proven reliability of the current system are excellent. I’m sure we went down the right route; we’ve been loyal to them, but they’ve looked after us very well.

When buying a system, my advice would be to make sure it is going to do what you think its going to do, not only its internal operations but also in its links with outside."

Contact details

AE Data Services (Super-Books 2000), Cockayne House 126/128 Crockhamwell Road, Woodley, Reading, Berks, RG5 3JH (tel 0118 969 1207/8504, fax 0118 969 7924, e-mail sales@aedata.co.uk, Website www.aedata.co.uk)

Gardners (Gardlink), 1 Whittle Drive, Willingdon Drove, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN23 6QH (tel 01323 521555, Website www.gardners.com)

ML Computers (Bookman 98), c/o Zeno Booksellers, 6 Denmark Street, London WC2H 8LP (tel 0171 240 1968, fax 0171 836 2522, e-mail zenobooksellers@aol.com). Contact: Loui Louizou

THE (THEsis), Rosevale Business Park, Newcastle under Lyme ST5 7QT (tel 01782 568456, fax 011782 561790). Contact: John Evans

Triptych Systems (Bestseller), Buckingham House, Station Road, Gerrard’s Cross, Bucks, SL9 8EL (tel 01753 889988, fax 01753 880060, e-mail info@triptych.co.uk, Website www.triptych.co.uk). Contact: Stewart Hodges