Getting Your Customers Ready For The Year 2000

The Year 2000 (Y2K) problem is fast approaching. It has become a confusing and frustrating topic in the technology business, admits point of sale (POS) systems integrator Dean Crotty. Crotty is president of North Country Business Products, a $20 million, employee-owned company,headquartered in Bemidji, Minnesota. North Country Business, with 160 employees, has been helping its customers prepare for the Year 2000 since early 1997.

Founded 50 years ago as an office supplies distributor, North Country has 11 locations in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Michigan, Iowa and Wisconsin. The company added electronic cash registers, and later PC-based POS systems to its product line. In addition to selling and servicing POS systems in the hospitality and grocery markets, North Country continues to sell office equipment.

Setting Up A Y2K Help Desk
"Y2K is a two-edged sword," says Randy Melle, a branch manager/partner in North Country Business. "Y2K from our standpoint is frustrating. We can't get compliant systems installed as fast as customers want." Melle says that with all the media attention Y2K has gotten, his customers are starting to panic. "Many of them realize they can't wait any longer to invest in upgrades or new equipment."

"Our job is to help educate our customers and encourage them to address their Y2K issues now," says Curt Crotty, branch manager/partner of North Country. "It's important that customers get their information from a reliable source." Since early 1998, North Country has mailed information to its customers, urging them to address the Y2K issue. A minimum of four additional mailings will be sent throughout 1999.

North Country Business is setting up a dedicated help desk to assist its customers in dealing with the onslaught of Y2K information. The help desk will initially be staffed by one person, although more staff could be added if the demand is high. The help desk will have its own toll free number for North Country customers to call when they have questions about Y2K.

"The help desk information comes directly from the manufacturers," explains Melle. North Country has been compiling information from its manufacturers for several months. The information will be updated as needed and new information will be added from Internet sources.

All calls made to the Y2K help desk will be documented, including what information was given to the customer. "The information will then be put on a schedule for appropriate follow up," Melle says.

Dealing With Y2K Is The Customer's Decision
Curt Crotty says acting on the Y2K problem is ultimately the customer's decision. For many businesses, becoming Year 2000-compliant will cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. The cost of upgrades or new equipment may be forcing some customers to wait. Others may be slow to react because of fear. "There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding Y2K. We don't know exactly what will happen to every system on January 1, 2000. You can simulate many scenarios, but not every possibility," says Crotty.

One problem in the grocery industry, for example, is that four to five different software packages are often running on one POS system, says Crotty. The system can include hardware from several manufacturers. "Each software package and hardware component is its own Y2K case," he explains. That's where the VARs' knowledge and experience about the products are important, he adds. "We can make our customers Year 2000-compliant. But, they should become knowledgeable about the issue themselves as well," says Crotty.

Is Y2K A Moneymaker?
To keep up with its customers' demands, North Country has been hiring additional service staff. This process has proven difficult. "It's hard to find technically-trained employees and harder to keep them up north in our more rural areas," says Melle. The company has added incentives, such as company cars and sign-on bonuses, to attract qualified applicants. Melle says it's an investment the company chooses to make that may or may not pay off. "When the Y2K issue is all said and done, it may have cost us, and our end users, more than we expected," says Melle.

North Country is booked through the middle of 1999 for Y2K upgrades and new installations for existing and new customers. By mid-1999, the company expects to be fully booked through the end of the year. Many of North Country's customers, especially larger grocery chains, are already Year 2000-compliant. "There will be some customers we will not get to in time. They will have waited too long to contact us and get started," admits Dean Crotty. Other VARs will have the same problem, he predicts. "Even if VARs know what customers need, they won't have the time or the resources to help them," says Melle.