I am looking for a customer service software package for a grocery chain. I would like to be able to enter in customer info, issue, and solution. Later on I would like to generate reports for the info. For example is a customer complained about our meat department for Store #12, I could enter that in. Later on I could generate a report for the Meat department that they are having issues with # of stores or generate a report for Store Operations for each store and the complaints that each store may have for Meat, Produce and such.

This way the different departments can spot trends at a local level or at a national level. With the ability to generate reports based any type of criteria from problems, product requests, store location requests and so forth.


I have no idea what would work here. I don't need a help desk type of software (currently using a help desk package that is resulting in utter failure). I need something that is simple to use and will let them generate the types of reports they are looking for.

6/17/2011 9:25:01 PM

This isn't an out of the box solution, but have you considered getting an open source issue tracking program and finding somebody to add in the reporting and specific functionality you need?

6/17/2011 10:05:23 PM

SharePoint might be a good platform to build it in.

6/17/2011 10:13:36 PM

I was hoping there was an out of the box type of solution. I really really was..lol


I'm just not at all familiar with those types of programs. Help Desk stuff I got. CSR software, nothing. I was thinking Microsoft's Dynamic CRM might be able to help, but I wasn't sure how adaptable it would be. It's a smallish chain with just one person doing CSR type of stuff. I was debating just setting up an Access database for them to use, till I saw the scope of what they wanted.

So I am thankful for the advice and any more you guys give me. It gives me new paths to follow.

6/17/2011 11:15:24 PM

Get in contact with a Microsoft partner for dynamics. I honestly dont know that dynamics will have a outofbox or affordable solution for what you're looking for, but you'll be able to get an answer and possible alternatives within a couple of days.

Definitely sounds like you'd be better suited with an incident management or issue tracking system though.

6/17/2011 11:43:02 PM

http://www.designfacilitator.com - check that tool out. Web based survey and feedback generator with built in reporting and analysis. You can personalize it a lot. Built originally for designers but can be used in any sort of feedback analysis situation. Based here in Raleigh. Not dirt cheap but I would expect a chain to have a budget for this sort of stuff, I dunno. check it out though.

6/19/2011 9:50:23 AM

i would write something custom.

php+mysql.

Make your tables, organize the data like you want.

run your queries on whatever management wants.

6/19/2011 10:20:32 AM

i wish all stores would step up to today's technology. there is no reason that inventory & prices couldn't be linked to the web and also have pc/mac and mobile device apps for shopping lists, etc.

i should be able to make my shopping list via my PC, be shown current stock levels and prices, have my shopping list pull the prices and give me an order total (tax included), transfer that wirelessly to my mobile phone, go to the store and check items off the list.

6/20/2011 7:31:47 AM

Thanks for the advice guys. I did some research and I've got 3 companies to call this week. One was Microsoft's Dynamic CRM, got some good feedback with this and which module I need to ask about. The other two are i-Sight and PhaseWare. Both are leaning towards the incident management side of things that you guys suggested.

I'll let you guys know what I find out and if any worked, were close, or just plain sucked.

6/20/2011 8:46:13 AM

how complex are you looking to make this? you can do this with access and it shouldn't be hard to adjust one of the existing customer service templates to fit what you need.

i think they have a template for tracking complaints that would work well, thats what i used to build a system to keep track of phone calls and complaint resolutions

6/20/2011 8:56:32 AM