Grain Journal - July/August 2008 - (Page 82) COMPUTER SOFTWARE CASE STUDY Personal Service AFTER 20 YEARS, AGVISION SOFTWARE STILL SERVES SMITH FERTILIZER AND GRAIN’S NEEDS It is the personal service that keeps Sharon Smith, office manager at Smith Fertilizer and Grain of Knoxville, IA sold on AgVision software. “Recently,” she says, “we had switched from a tractor feed printer to a new laser printer, so we could send out the monthly statements. But, the computer kept giving us an error message.” It was night when Smith called an AgVision Software support specialist at her home. “She went back into the AgVision office and researched the problem. She found it to be a hardware issue. She contacted one of their technical staff members, and at 8:05 a.m. the next morning, the problem was fixed.” Instead of taking more than an hour to print statements and battling an overheated tractor feed printer, Smith said the process only took 10 minutes and statements were out on time. Complete Package Smith is responsible for the company’s grain, fertilizer, and feed together,” she continues, adding that Smith Fertilizer and Grain used to run different programs on different computers. “It is silly to have all of those capabilities and not use them. The payroll program is slick, and if we had a payroll service do that, I would still have to prepare all of the data.” Flexibility. Smith appreciates the flexibility of the AgVision software package that allows reports to be customized but also negates frustration. “There will always be a farmer who will change his mind after a transaction, but with AgVision, just a touch of a key allows the entire settlement sheet, check, and ledger to be reversed.” Smith also likes the information available at manager meetings held by AgVision, where software capabilities are explained, and other managers like Smith talk about solutions to common challenges. “The AgVision folks are always asking questions about our needs and how their products can be improved. Stu Ellis, contributing editor Sharon Smith, office manager, Smith Fertilizer and Grain, Knoxville, IA. operations, and the AgVision software package addresses all of those. The package includes AgVision’s Commodity Manager, Fertilizer Manager, Financial Accounting, and Feed Mixing and Manufacturing, in addition to a scale interface. Smith Fertilizer and Grain, which operates four grain elevators, has been using AgVision software since the late 1980s, when Sharon’s husband and business partner Max saw it at an Iowa Grain and Feed Association trade show. “All of their programs are linked Grain Company Smith Fertilizer and Grain Knoxville, IA • 641-828-8500 Max Smith, General Manager Sharon Smith, Office Manager Chris Overgaard, Pleasantville, IA Manager Gary Sterling, Albia, IA Manager Bert Neukirch, Centerville, IA Manager Founded: 1972 Number of employees: 84 at four facilities Crops handled: Corn, soybeans Services: Grain handling, fertilizer, feed, roadway de-icing products 82 GJ J/A Software Vendor Ankeny, IA 800-759-9492 www.agvisionsoftware.com Shelley Laracuente, Vice President Marketing Grain Accounting Software: AgVision Commodity Manager and Scale Interface. Operating Systems: Windows 2000, XP, Professional, and Server 2003; Terminal Services; Metaframe. Software Options: General ledger, disbursements, payroll, accounts receivable/bookings and prepaids, accounts payable, inventory, degree day and budget billing, fertilizer, seed, feed manufacturing, and custom mixes. http://www.agvisionsoftware.com http://www.agvisionsoftware.com
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