Atlantic Tactical Case Study

Located in New Cumberland, PA Atlantic Tactical (www.atlantictactical.com) is one of the nation's largest public safety equipment and uniform suppliers. Atlantic Tactical represents over 400 manufacturers that provide services through their retail store, outside sales force, catalog and Website, for thousands of policemen, firemen, EMS, postal workers, security guards and military personnel. Founded in 1972, Atlantic Tactical provides services in all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries.

Previously using Visual Account Mate software, Atlantic Tactical realized that they needed a software program that would incorporate more than just accounting functions into their business. They began looking at software that included stronger inventory functions, as well as customizations, shipping, point of sale (POS) and e-commerce in addition to strong accounting functions.

"We realized that AccountMate was not working because we were working for the accounting package, not the other way around," said Jarrett McAlicher, Director of Marketing and IT Service for Atlantic Tactical. "Everything was separate and disjointed." Everest provided an all-in-one business management solution that met Atlantic Tactical's specific needs from inventory control to shipping to POS and more.

One feature that Atlantic Tactical found especially beneficial was Everest's integrated POS. The implementation of Everest's integrated credit card processing has drastically improved Atlantic Tactical's sales cycle time. Before implementing Everest’s business management software, customers frequently became upset with the amount of time required to write a sales order , convert it to an invoice and finally enter credit card information into the system, just to complete one sale. Everest's POS feature also enabled inventory tracking which is a major asset for Atlantic Tactical. "Being able to be on the phone with a customer and tell right away if something is in stock is so beneficial," said McAlicher.

Backordering and shipping were other business problems that Atlantic Tactical faced. They needed a process that simplified their backordering process and gave them a process for tracking an order from submission to when it leaves the door. With their previous software they had built a complicated system in which there were 22 different stations for the backordering process. Currently, with Everest they have decreased the number of needed stations to two. "Because of the information Everest gives us at a glance, we don't have to go digging for answers to our questions," McAlicher said.

When originally looking for business management software, Atlantic Tactical wanted a program that was scalable and robust and would grow with their company. Everest Software has done just that. Since implementing Everest, Atlantic Tactical has had a 10 percent gross revenue increase and have also been able to expand their employment force, as well as their business by opening another retail store. Their sales have also increased, despite the fact that they published only two catalogs in 2006 instead of their typical three.