Hardlines
Strategies
•
Fall 2013
35
Go Paperless! Blish-Mize
Offers e-Delivery
Paperless Service
For Blish-Mize customers who want
to receive their packing lists, invoices and
monthly statements faster, and for those
who are tired of shuffling through large
mounds of paper on their desks, there’s
a solution. Starting now, Blish-Mize
customers can choose to receive invoices,
month-end statements and packing slips
via email and/or fax rather than with their
regular order or via U.S. mail. While any
customer who wants to receive paper
statements can continue to do so, this new
e-delivery paperless optional service allows
customers to cut down on paper stored or
piled up around the office.
Documents will be delivered to one or
more email addresses and/or fax numbers
of the customer’s choosing. Documents
delivered by email will be in a PDF format,
making them compatible for viewing on any
type of computer.
“Blish-Mize customers already have the
option of paying their monthly invoices
online, saving them postage and paper. Our
new e-Delivery paperless service is just part
of the next logical step,” says President and
COO Jonathan Mize.
“The real value for our customers in
going paperless with us is that they will get
information in a timely manner,” says Blish-
Mize Information Technology Department
Manager David Griffin. “For those custom-
ers selecting to receive documents via email,
it will make it easier for them to archive files
on their own computers. The documents
look identical to what they look like now,
just in an electronic format,” Griffin says.
As Blish-Mize enhances its e-delivery
options for customers, it is also making
improvements to its electronic Advanced
Shipping Notice (ASN). Instead of
the text document customers have
been accustomed to seeing in the past,
customers will now receive the ASN as
a PDF, for email service only, with the
ASN looking similar to a packing slip, but
with less detail, making it easier to read.
“The ASN tells customers exactly what
is coming on the next shipment,” says
Griffin. “When we pick and load an order
from the warehouse, we send the customer
the notice via email that same day. The
biggest difference customers will see on
the new ASN is the easy-to-read format.
Customers have the option to receive
all these documents electronically, or
just choose the ones they want. “For
the majority of customers wanting to
go paperless with us, most are choosing
to receive their invoices and month-
end statements electronically via email,
but some are choosing to receive this
information via fax as well. If I were the
customer, I would still like to receive the
packing list in hard copy/paper form when
the order arrives at the store. Having the
packing list in hand when the Blish-Mize
order arrives makes check-in an easy and
efficient process,” says Mize.
By going to the Customer Login area of
the Blish-Mize website, customers can now
have an invoice emailed to them. Customers
will find that option in the Account Info,
Order History Inquiry area of the screen.
From there, they will choose the desired
invoice to view all the details of that invoice,
but in the upper right hand corner of the
screen, they should enter the email address
where they want invoice to go to. “It’s that
easy!” says Mize.
To sign up for the paperless billing
option, Blish-Mize customers should
contact their sales representative or Blish-
Mize customer service at 800-995-0525 or
.
We’re Growing!
Blish-Mize just added a new sales rep in
a brand new territory for East and Central
Texas. At the upcoming Fall Buying Market,
Blish-Mize expects to have prospective
customers visiting from that region. Look
for a few new faces at the Buying Market!
Blish-Mize Announces Chuck
Short as New Vice President
of Marketing
Many Blish-Mize customers already
know Chuck Short as their regional sales
manager whose breadth of knowledge
about the home improvement industry
and enthusiasm for marketing has been
invaluable in helping grow their business.
Starting this year, Short has a new way
to share his wisdom as Blish-Mize’s vice
president of marketing.
In his new role, Short will tackle a
variety of projects, including improving
Blish-Mize’s current marketing strategy,
developing the new Annual Review program
to help customers get the statistical data
they need to make smart business decisions,
and coordinating the biannual customer
buying markets.
“Chuck has been one of our regional
sales managers for the past three years,
and before that was president of Amarillo
Hardware Company for many years,” says
Blish-Mize President and COO Jonathan
Mize. “Chuck has many talents and has
a passion for marketing and promotional
concepts. He will be responsible for our
marketing, retail services and catalog
departments.”
Short began working for the Amarillo
Hardware Company when he was 19 and
stayed for the next 41 years, working his
way through the company. He started out in
receiving in the warehouse and finished his
time as the company’s president and CEO.
He also served on numerous industry boards
as well as contributed to his local community
through his church.
Today, he and his wife, Kela, have
two daughters and four grandchildren.
Anyone who talks with Short for very
long is bound to hear a little about his
hobbies: a 1926 Model “T” Ford, fly
fishing, wood and metal working, and
turtle rescue and breeding.
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