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Question: What is Closed-Loop TPM?
Short Answer: The ability to manage
all aspects of a trade promotion, from start
to finish, in one tool that is
tightly linked to all of your financial
systems.
Closed-loop TPM software must manage
all aspects of a trade promotion event, from
start to finish.
Many TPM
packages are not truly closed-loop systems.
Information entered or processed by one
module is not used or available in other
modules. Make sure that all of the modules
of your TPM software are tightly integrated
for the complete life-cycle of a trade
promotion event, including planning,
budgeting, payments, deduction resolution,
and post-promotion analysis. Make sure the
life-cycle includes all of your internal
data such as shipments, cost-of-goods,
actual trade spending, etc. It should also
integrate syndicated data from A.C. Nielsen
and IRI along with retailer specific POS
data.
All of your internal financial systems
must also be in the loop:
If your
internal systems are not electronically AND
automatically linked to your trade promotion
system, your trade promotion management
system is not truly closed-loop.
Closed-loop TPM by definition must be
tightly integrated with all of your systems,
including your ERP's invoicing, A/R, A/P,
G/L, and supporting tables.
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In addition, TPM must be linked to other
systems such as forecasting and supply-chain
packages. TPM must also pull in data from
third-party sources such as A.C. Nielsen,
IRI, and individual retailer's POS data.
Data flows must be automated both
directions, both into and out-of your
closed-loop TPM software.
Our
Configuration Module links to virtually all ERP
packages with out the use of any customized
code. It also empowers you to easily
reconfigure the Account Review software to
ever changing ERP packages and business
rules without customized-software code. The
result is a true closed-loop system that
easily adapts to version upgrades and
updates to your internal systems.
True closed-loop TPM eliminates redundant
work:
Most TPM vendors do not
offer true closed-loop systems. Clients must
perform duplicate data entry to master files
and other tables. These un-necessary
activities create potential data entry
errors, synchronization issues, and time
delays. Data 'owned' and created in any of
your internal systems must seamlessly flow
into your TPM software. Likewise, any data
owned and created in your TPM software must
seamlessly flow into all of the other
systems requiring the data.
Account
Review™
TPM
is a true closed-loop system, where
changes in your customer master, product
master, and other sources automatically and
electronically flow from your ERP system
into Account Review™. This is the best way
for any TPM system to handle new customers,
new products, geographic realignments, and
other day-to-day changes in your financial
systems. Data also flows the other way. Any
data element from any field in any data
table within Account Review™
TPM
can be linked
and/or exported into all of your internal
systems for true closed-loop TPM.
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