Do It Best

Company Profile

Do it Best Corporation is a co-op that buys hardware and building materials. It also offers products and retail services to independent hardware, home center, and lumberyard member-owners throughout the world.

The Problem

Do it Best Corporation needed a way to manage vendor information throughout the duration of a business relationship. Their old process began with an application and included ten additional forms. Ensuring form completion and information accuracy is vital in approving each vendor. Do It Best Corporation needed a way to efficiently approve changes, track those changes, and manage information over time for each vendor.

The Solution

Do it Best Corporation and Aptera Software worked closely together to deploy an Extranet by using the SharePoint platform. The new system immediately simplified the vendor approval process for employees of Do it Best Corporation. A single Web form reduced the difficulty of data entry while a workflow tracked and managed the approval process between departments. The new system also eased collaboration efforts by providing each vendor with its own workspace on the Extranet and offering the ability to share documents, images, and information directly with the staff of Do it Best Corporation. Site templates were used to ensure that each created workspace provides the same functionality.

Once the data was gathered and approved, it needed to be processed in multiple systems. Aptera's software developers used service-oriented principles to devise an effective communication interface between SharePoint and the mainframe. Web parts were developed to help manage users representing multiple vendors so they could easily switch from one vendor site to another. Additionally, Web parts were created for searching vendor data and viewing user-specific workflow tasks.

Content management features were also enabled to allow Do it Best Corporation to deliver a common message to all vendors for each publication. Aptera's graphic designers and software developers helped create a unique look and feel that aligned with the branding used throughout Do it Best Corporation's existing sites. Aptera provided training to ensure that all employees were familiar with SharePoint’s capabilities.

Client Benefits

Do it Best Corporation now has a thriving and growing SharePoint environment, one that allows them to deliver additional business applications in a timely manner.