Midpoint National
Providing technology plus hands-on services to drive new revenue. and power your profit performance.
A
wide range of solutions to help you build your business:
Interactive marketing, sales force and dealer support . . . Database
integration and management . . .Product
and Literature fulfillment . . .Web-based applications. Take one, take all – we’re here to help.
Here’s Midpoint National in a nutshell…
As an outsource solutions provider, Midpoint National links technology-based
solutions with personalized hands-on services. We are primarily
focused in two major areas: Order Fulfillment and Marketing
& Sales Support.
1. Order
Fulfillment services
· Warehousing,
pick, pack and ship
· Call center
order entry and customer service
· Internet and
E-commerce
· Credit card
processing
· Invoicing, A/R
management and collection
· Returns
processing
2. Marketing & Sales Support services
· Lead
development, response and tracking
· Management and
distribution of sales literature, premiums, samples
and other
marketing materials
· Database
integration with marketing-oriented CRM
· Development and
management of web-based interactive marketing portals
· Personalized
call center support services for your sales force or dealer network
Fulfillment was where we were – and still are, among
other things
Midpoint
began in 1988 as a provider of order fulfillment services – serving
catalog companies and direct marketers. We warehoused and shipped a variety of
merchandise for these clients …sneakers, dresses, sporting goods, small
electronics, books, videos, even “ChiaPets” with live growing green hair. Our
in-house call center took the orders on 800-numbers or via mail and fax. When
the Internet came along we were quick to offer this option too.
From
the outset we built the business by creating customized IT systems and
technology to meet unique client needs. As a result, we attracted major
national clients – companies that were hundreds of times larger than
ourselves. And soon we were also fulfilling orders for sales literature,
samples, premiums and other marketing materials to support the sales forces in
several of these major NYSE client companies.
Marketing and sales support services: an added
dimension
Midpoint still provides all of these same fulfillment
services today. But we’ve also developed a wide range of additional technology-based
marketing and sales support capabilities that go far beyond our original
operations. They all have a common goal: To help our clients drive more
revenue and increase bottom line results.
If
there’s a fit with your company’s interests, we will help you achieve these
results through a custom solution to meet your specific needs and
opportunities. In addition to something as basic as warehousing and
distributing your sales literature and marketing materials more effectively, we
can also provide a web-based marketing portal to keep your Marketing and Sales
teams moving faster and producing better bottom-line results.
Midpoint Marketing and Sales support
services – Integrated and working in synch for revenue driving results
Midpoint’s special strength is in linking Marketing
and Sales together for synergistic impact. Reinforcing and enhancing each
other’s efforts. With the right technology and hands-on services Midpoint helps you field a winning team.
Making a difference: Midpoint Marketing and
Sales support
In today’s e-speed economy, Sales and Marketing teams are forced to keep up
with ever-tougher competition. In Sales, the wide-awake sales
management groups are launching innovative efforts to provide more leadership
and active support for their sales forces or dealer networks. In Marketing, the leaders are staying ahead by enhancing their marketing databases,
and then utilizing new technology to take full advantage of them.
That’s where we come in. As an established outsource supplier of
technology-based marketing and sales support services, Midpoint National can
make solid contributions in a variety of ways:
• Inbound
call center teleservices
• Lead receipt and
initial qualification
• Order entry
• Customer service
• Outbound
call center teleservices
• Market research
• Lead generation
• Lead
qualification
• Lead development
• Lead Tracking
• Internet services
• Information
source
• Electronic
fulfillment of stored content material
• Automated order
entry
• E-commerce
• Interactive
marketing and sales support portals
• Direct
mail and catalog programs
• Lead generation
mailings
• Lead receipt via
mail, phone, email or Internet
• Personalized
lead response, fulfillment and follow-up management
• Complete product
fulfillment programs for direct marketing, catalog, and E-commerce
merchandisers
• Pre-printed
literature fulfillment
• To sales reps
• To dealers
• To customers
• Premium
and product fulfillment
• To sales reps
• To prospects
• To customers
• Trade
show item shipping and backup support
• Literature
• Posters
• Premiums and
giveaways
• Catalogs
• Samples
• Related
equipment
• Incentive
award program management
• Point
accumulation programs
• Cheerleading
letters
• Prize
fulfillment
• New product
launch collateral item fulfillment
Lead receipt, response and follow-up
Midpoint’s
support services are all about making your leads more productive, shortening
your sales cycle, and boosting your bottom line. Today’s hot topic is CRM, or
Customer Relationship Management. If you’re not there yet, Midpoint can
provide you with an affordable web-based solution. But before CRM can begin
you first have to obtain the customer. That’s why Midpoint’s
services begin with PRM, or Prospect Relationship Management. We take
the leads, qualify the leads, and begin the sales process…
Midpoint’s
Four R’s of Lead Management: Receipt, Response, Referral, Results
Midpoint can receive your leads by mail, email, Internet,
fax or toll-free phone. Where we have the opportunity we will qualify the lead
by finding out the prospect’s particular interest. But most important, we will respond – at once – with a personalized letter, targeted sales
literature and samples, and a reference to your nearest sales rep or dealer.
Literature management and distribution
One of the most important sales support services at Midpoint
is the warehousing, management and distribution of sales literature
and related marketing materials. Our larger clients may have well over a
thousand different brochures and folders, covering an extensive line of
products spanning multiple company divisions. They also usually have a variety
corporate gifts, premium items, and giveaways in their same overall inventory
of marketing materials.
What has typically happened prior to Midpoint is that the
company tried to manage and distribute these items internally. Lacking
sophisticated inventory systems and continuing personal attention, they never really
knew where they stood – what was being used, by whom, with what effectiveness.
They were often running out of stock on the most important items. And only
then did they think about reprinting, modifying, or even discarding the item in
favor of something brand new. The end result was a tremendous waste of
resources and a frustrated sales force sometimes going into the field empty
handed.
If this sounds familiar, Midpoint can change your picture
dramatically. Your sales literature will be kept in our professional
distribution center for rapid pick/pack/ship to your reps, dealers or
customers. They can email, fax or phone in their orders. Or
more likely they will have the advantage of ordering through a web-based
interactive marketing portal that we will have created for their private
password-protected use.
You’ll use the portal too, for headquarters Marketing and Sales management.
You can track the movement of each item, and we’ll alert you when one reaches
its predetermined re-order point. You’ll have time to make important management
and re-order decisions without chaos and confusion. We’ll also keep track of
who’s ordering what, how often, and for what purpose. For more expensive
corporate gift items, you can set management approval levels, and again track
the progress of each order.
Trade Show Support and Backup
There’s nothing worse than manning your exhibit at a trade
show and finding that your literature, premiums, giveaways, or even part of
your exhibit didn’t make it. Again we know the great importance of an
effective trade show presence. And we’ve had a lot of experience at Midpoint
ensuring that our clients will enjoy just that. Your materials are shipped on
time to arrive on time at the right dock or booth location. Moreover, they
will be well packed, so even the most careless forklift driver in the exhibit
hall will have trouble damaging them. And if you need something more in the
middle of the show, just call. We’ll get it there ASAP!
Bottom line
– which is what it’s all about isn’t it – with Midpoint you’ll be supporting your field sales force or dealer network far more effectively, helping
them drive more revenue, and spending much less money doing it.
Fulfilling the
order…
the final step that can make
or break the sale.
It’s where Midpoint
started, and nobody does it better.
A full spectrum of fulfillment services …
- Product
fulfillment
- Literature
fulfillment
- Lead
response fulfillment
- Subscription
fulfillment
- Continuity
program fulfillment
A wide range of clients …
- Manufacturers
selling via the Internet
- Catalog
and direct marketing firms
- Publishers
of books, magazines and other media
- Sales
and marketing organizations
Midpoint began in 1988 as an order fulfillment provider,
serving the needs of catalog companies and direct marketers. Today, we
continue to handle a wide variety of fulfillment programs in our
70,000 square feet of warehouse and order processing space, and we do it well.
Barcode technology and dedicated Midpoint associates allow us to maintain accuracy
levels above 99%, with fast turnaround and customized pick, pack and
ship.
At Midpoint, turnaround means “out the door, on the truck,
and on its way.” Nothing less. And, if it’s a rush situation, don’t worry; we
usually turn orders around within 24 hours, but we regularly do it even faster
for those “Gotta get it tomorrow!” type situations. And In addition to fast
action on daily orders, we can also store and ship your items on an “as-needed”
or scheduled basis.
You’ll be in good company at Midpoint
Midpoint Clients have ranged from small startup companies to
corporate giants – like Wyeth Ayerst (American Home Products), Hallmark, Time-Life,
AT&T, John Deere, Sprint and others – plus diverse organizations
including the Children’s Book Council, the NCAA, the US Army, and the FBI. Needless to say, the kinds of products and fulfillment programs involved
have been, and continue to be, equally wide-ranging.
The small stuff is big with us
Midpoint has special expertise in small item fulfillment.
“Published products” are an example: We provide book fulfillment and all
administrative services for some 150 book publishers who are affiliated with
our related company, Midpoint Trade Books. And over the past sixteen
years Midpoint National has also shipped literally millions of books for Time-Life and other book publishers. Important too are CDs, videos, and
DVDs. And yes, we’re equipped to do subscription fulfillment for magazines or
newsletters – and continuity programs for virtually any product. Health
care products requiring periodic “refill” or replacement are prime
examples.
Another important “published product” at Midpoint is sales
literature and related marketing materials: things like brochures,
posters, shelf talkers, banners, or manuals. We ship them hand-in-hand with
training videos, CDs, premiums, giveaways, and corporate gifts. Typically we
are fulfilling orders for these items to our clients’ sales reps and dealers,
taking their orders via phone, fax, or an interactive marketing portal that
Midpoint has created for them. Most importantly we’re getting these vital sales
building materials where they need to be, when they need to be there.
Technology
helps us do it all
With
more and more catalog and direct marketers now concentrating on the Internet,
Midpoint National is right there too. We have full e-commerce capability,
including credit card processing for consumers, or invoicing and A/R management
for your B2B customers. We can add a shopping cart to your existing website or
even develop a complete e-commerce website for you, if you’re not there yet.
In either case we will download your orders directly into our fulfillment
systems on an encrypted secure basis.
But we’ll also take orders and handle customer service in
our computer interactive call center, with our representatives answering
your calls in your name. Their order entry screens will show that customer’s
buying history and preferences, contributing to effective CRM, cross-sell and
up-sell. Again, we process credit cards or invoice your customer as
appropriate, send an immediate email confirmation, and deposit the money in
your account.
When it’s the best solution, we provide electronic
fulfillment services too. We maintain the content in our databases in
formats that allow access, download and printout, real time and real nice. In
sum, flexibility is our trademark. We’ve fulfilled orders for all
kinds of products – from personalized laser-printed Final Four ticket
applications to satellite dishes and ChiaPets. We’ve served wide-ranging
clients, from small to very large. If your customers want it and you have it,
we can get it to them.
Yes, you can have E-Commerce or E-Business , , , operating effectively in today’s e-speed economy.
From idea through execution, Midpoint can help every step of the way.
· E-Business interactive portal
development
· E-Commerce website development
· On-line ordering
· Credit card processing
· Invoicing, A/R management,
collection
· Warehousing and fulfillment
· Returns processing
· On-line reporting
“Midpoint”
doesn’t have an “E” in it, but several of our services do.
E-commerce and E-Business are often confused. They do have
distinctions, but they both also have a lot in common. How do they differ? How
are they the same? Both use the Internet and varied computer technologies for
the transfer of information. But most importantly – from our point of view –
both are key strengths at Midpoint National.
E-commerce
Solutions
Midpoint’s E-commerce services typically refer to complete
transactions conducted over the Internet – usually in one web visit. An
“E-catalog” is a prime example. It presents all the information a shopper
needs to make a buying decision. Site navigation is well planned and easy to
follow. With multiple items being offered, there is probably an
electronic shopping cart as part of the site. For just a few items being offered there may be just a simple order form. But in all
cases, Midpoint’s E-commerce solutions facilitate a complete transaction. From
the placement of the order, the processing of the customer’s credit cards, to
warehousing and shipping the items, Midpoint can help you be a player in
E-commerce.
Our E-commerce solutions are comprehensive. If you need a
website, we can create a professional E-commerce site for you. It will have
shopping cart ordering functionality that will link seamlessly with Midpoint’s
order fulfillment systems. As orders are received we will pick, pack and ship
the merchandise ordered, process credit cards for you – automatically depositing
the funds in your bank – and send an email order confirmation to your customer.
If the merchandise is later returned we’ll handle that for you too, performing
all functions in reverse.
But
if you already have a website we can interface with it, providing the
shopping cart, credit card processing, and order fulfillment services for you.
We will simply add these E-commerce features to what you already have. In
whatever way you might choose to utilize Midpoint National’s varied E-commerce
capabilities, your solution will be tailored to your needs and to your opportunities
to drive new revenue.
E-business solutions
E-business may or may not involve a complete transaction, although EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) is a Business-to Business application that
typically does. EDI involves computer-to-computer transactions between two
major trading partners. If you want to do business with large firms like
Wal-mart, JCPenney, Barnes and Noble or other big retail chains, EDI will
probably be a necessity. Midpoint can provide you with full EDI capability,
including ASN (Advance Shipping Notices). ASN is often not part of EDI
capabilities; yet it’s often a requirement by the big buyers if you’re going to
go after their business. Of course we can also do invoicing, A/R management and
collection, with or without EDI. In sum, we’ve got you covered in these
vital E-business areas.
Yet, as important as B2B order processing is, it’s only part
of Midpoint’s B2B capabilities. Another significant E-business application at
Midpoint is our Interactive Marketing Portal. It’s another way of
trading information via the web – in this case primarily with members of your
sales force or dealer network. Midpoint can create and manage a private
Intranet portal that will be customized to fit your organizational structure
and marketing objectives. It will be state-of-the art. It will help your
sales representatives and dealers do things they haven’t been able to do
before.
Midpoint’s personalized call center teleservices can help you compete. across the board.
Whether taking a lead to send along to your field
sales reps or dealers… or taking an order from a customer on your
toll-free number … or answering a caller’s customer service question …
Midpoint’s teleservices representatives will handle
the call as you would yourself.
Satisfaction guaranteed.
Customer-centric call center services
Midpoint is a
medium-size supplier of teleservices – big enough to cover the complete needs
of all but the largest of client companies, yet small enough to be flexible
and innovative in meeting whatever unique requirements you may have. Our
call center currently has 24 computer-interactive workstations. It can be
expanded when necessary. However, at average call lengths of 2 minutes, this
translates into total capacity of more than 4,000 calls per eight-hour day, or
more than 8,000 calls in a two-shift operation.
Midpoint is “right-sized” for service
Midpoint is ideally sized to serve a select group of customer-centric clients.
Our size allows for complete training of a dedicated team of Teleservices
Representatives (TSRs) in the nuances of our client’s products and programs.
In the Midpoint call center you will have a small team of well-informed people,
each equally qualified to represent your company as you would yourself. You can
be confident that our TSRs will present a polished and professional company
image as they answer the phone in your name. Our quick, accurate, and
courteous support will only add to your company’s prestige.
The full scope of Midpoint’s
Teleservices Division includes:
• Information
requests and follow-up literature fulfillment
• Inquiries
and other customer service with interactive transaction records and customer histories
• Catalog and direct marketing
order entry, with up-sell/cross-sell
• Lead receipt or generation with
personalized laser-printed follow-up letters
• Internet inquiry, order entry,
and email communication
• Dealer
locator service with immediate voice, mail, or fax response
• Outbound
market research
• Outbound
lead qualification and tracking.
Inbound
calls: Your first chance to make a great first impression
The Midpoint call center
provides full order receipt and entry via "800" lines that are
dedicated to your programs and answered in your name. Our TSRs who answer your
calls will be fully conversant with your business, products, inventory status,
current promotional campaigns, and most important – your customers.
Each existing customer’s buying history and personal notes appear on Midpoint’s
order entry/customer service computer screen when the call is answered. This
enables friendly and accurate order entry – plus courteous and competent
customer care if it’s a customer service call.
Integrated order entry and
processing
With
our strong background in catalog sales and direct marketing, virtually all of
Midpoint’s order calls involve the capture of source keys or promotion codes for later analysis. Order entry screens are set up to accommodate whatever
codes you are using for a particular marketing effort, and relevant information
is included in the TSR’s on-screen call guide.
In order entry for catalog or
E-Commerce applications, your inventory status will be strictly
"up-to-the-minute." Or more precisely, up to the second: On
telephone orders, our system blocks the entry of an item that may have gone out
of stock just seconds earlier as the result of an order entered by another
teleservices representative. This feature allows the TSR to advise the caller
immediately of out-of-stocks and supply the expected date of receipt on
back-ordered items or suggest alternative selections.
Outbound calls: added marketing support
Customer Service too
The overriding objective of
your CRM team at Midpoint will be to treat every caller as if he or she
were the most important caller of the day. This requires knowledge and
preparation. It also requires systems and technology that facilitate the
process. All are present at Midpoint.
Most customer service
calls typically involve questions concerning orders or products. As noted, our
ability to respond readily with the required information while the customer is
on the phone is made possible by having customer histories, order tracking, and
extensive product information available on-line in our database.
Your
customer’s call into the Midpoint call center can provide one of the most
important entry points into your company’s CRM program. Information like
customer records, call notes, and ordering histories including items ordered,
are all vital in any integrated system – and they’re all part of your
interactive database at Midpoint. And best of all, if you do not yet have an
established CRM program in place, Midpoint can assist you in creating a
web-based solution in coordination with our call center services.
MIDPOINT NATIONAL
1263 SOUTHWEST BOULEVARD
KANSAS CITY, KANSAS 66103
PHONE: 913-362-7400
info@midpt.com
Copyright © 2009 Midpoint National. All Rights Reserved.