Free Microsoft Word View

For those that didn't know...Microsoft offers a free WORD document viewer online. You can download it from their website if the need arises.

(http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=95e24c87-8732-48d5-8689-ab826e7b8fdf)

Often times we'll send a training manual to clients (as a word file, *.doc) only to find out that they don't have MS OFFICE installed. This free program allows them to view the document, although they can't make any changes without purchasing a live copy.

All Fonts Smaller/Narrow in DocDesigns - Printed or Previewed

If you run into this one...where in Retail Pro all of the fonts in docdesign are printing/previewing incorrectly. In the two cases I've seen, the standard ARIAL font started to preview as a courier narrow. At first glance, you'd think the customer just changed the docdesign without telling us. Then you realize that it affects ALL docdesigns.

The issue is the graphics driver. You need to rollback the graphics card driver, or remove and then reinstall.

New Receptionist Notice

Due to the longstanding relationship shared between BHD staff and their customers, it’s necessary from, time to time, to inform BHD customers concerning a new phone greeter. Veteran greeters like Roberta, Christina, and Sara know BHD customers and visa versa; however, a new receptionist does not know longtime customers who may not have the patience to reintroduce themselves. Hey, who can blame them? Furthermore, due to the complexity of the BHD phone system, it’s not out of the ordinary for a new receptionist to occasionally disconnect a BHD customer, who in frustration must call back BHD for assistance. Therefore BHD staff would like to introduce Paula. She’s delightful, helpful and only desires a positive experience when contacting BHD. In the meantime, be prepared for hang-ups; transfers to the wrong person and the general melee associated with getting a new greeter up to speed. BHD staff thanks their customers for their patience.

Version 8.4 Error "Fixed column count must be less than column length"

We saw this error upon going into Merchandise>Inventory on one WS. After checking all the variable statements and shortcut paths, we copied the LAYOUTS folder from another WS# folder to the one having trouble. That fixed the problem. Layouts have a tendency to go corrupt from time to time, so it's a great idea for IT staff to have good LAYOUTS folders available in case situations like this come up.

Training and Tech Lead Times

TRAINING:

Phone appointments starting 10/8
Onsites starting 10/15

TECH:

Phone appointments starting 10/1
Onsites starting 10/1

Training and Tech Lead Times

TRAINING:

Phone appointments starting 9/24
Onsites starting 10/19

TECH:

Phone appointments starting 9/19
Onsites starting 9/21

BHD IN THE BIG LEAGUES

At BHD, following our favorite teams is not only a passion, its part of our everyday work load. In a great many sporting venues, Retail Pro is used at point-of-sale. For example, as the baseball season gears up for the playoffs and the NFL season gets underway, BHD technicians are traversing the country visiting parks and stadiums to provide assistance. In fact, as of this writing, technicians and trainers are visiting the legendary Soldier Field in preparation for another great Chicago Bear season.

The attached photographs were taken by BHD trainer Jeff Kenshaw while visiting Busch Stadium. A humerous photo was taken by BHD trainer Colt Riley while working at Dodger Stadium (Chavez Ravine).

What can a BHD customer take comfort in knowing? For one, BHD technical staff is arguably the leader in high-impact, mission critical support. “Retail Pro cannot stop working during a game,” states BHD Trainer Colt Riley. “Hundreds of thousands of dollars in merchandise is sold in a relatively short period of time,” says Riley, who offers examples of extreme shopping, ranging from seventh inning stretches to half-time at football and basketball games. “Thousands of fans flock to the registers, which can take an enormous pounding.”

On occasion, older sports venues may experience network concerns which can limit computer performance. “We’ve literally sat in the basements of some of the greatest and oldest stadiums while the game was played above us, in anticipation, of a catastrophic incident,” says Riley. A network failure during a playoff game can be disastrous.

Has a catastrophic incident ever occurred during a game? Not according to BHD President Mick Malaney. “Our tech staff knows the team schedules better than the commissioners, says Malaney, referring to the bosses of each of the major sports leagues. However, Malaney laughs, and recites a story of an incident at Safeco Field in Seattle.

“A BHD tech was installing equipment at one of the clothing concessionaire locations. Somehow, he turned and smacked his head on a television monitor. As blood trickled from his head, the concessionaire staff escorted him to the only medical staff available at the stadium: the Seattle Mariner’s team trainer,” says Malaney. “There’s our technician and the trainer sitting in the Mariner’s dugout when former Mariner slugger Edgar Martinez wonders into the dugout. He sits down next to the trainer and watches, transfixed, as the trainer loops thread through a needle in preparation of sewing up the wound."

As the BHD trainer retells the story to Malaney, he goes from feeling woozy to shock when Martinez asks the trainer if he can sew the wound. “I’m wondering if I shouldn’t grab a cab to the nearest emergency room and the next thing I know, one of baseballs great hitters wants to play surgeon,” recalls Malaney’s conversation with the technician. Fortunately, the slugger was called back onto the field and the Mariner's trainer performed the stitching.

In recent times, Malaney claims that BHD has been at some of professional sports greatest moments. “Actually, our technicians have heard the roar of the crowd at some of the great sporting events over the last decade, but that doesn’t mean they saw what happened until they returned to their hotel rooms and watched ESPN,” says Malaney.

The following is a partial list of some of the other sporting venues that BHD staff "break every rule, and head, to take care of:

Sacramento Kings (Hometown Heroes)
Boston Bruins
Chicago Bears
Chicago White sox
Cincinatti Reds
Milwaukee Brewers
St Louis Cardinals
St Louis Rams
San Diego Padres
Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Francisco 49er's
Nashville Predators
Tampa Bay Lightening
Denver Nuggets

The next time you’re at a game, you might just see a guy or gal walking around with BHD gear on. Tell him you’re a BHD customer. He may just sign an autograph for your kid.

Performance Reports in Retail Pro v8

The Associate & Cashier performance reports, common to retailers who use the Check In/Out feature, has a flaw in it's default design.

By default under OPTIONS (when you edit the report) the "Receipt Types Allowed" field is set to look at NORMAL and CANCELLED receipts. It should NOT be looking at cancelled receipts. Cancelled receipts happen when someone Cancels a check in/out due to a missed check in/out.

If you run into a client noting that the Check In/Out: Shift Report is showing different hours than the Performance reports (and you've determined the problem is NOT with the SHIFTs defined) this is most likely the cause.