News
We’re excited to announce that Antera Software is currently looking to visit your facilities. We look forward to the opportunity to meet our customers and receive direct feedback on how we impact their business.
While touring, the Antera team will be able to provide on-site support based on their understanding of customer needs and note down any suggested changes/additions to the Advance™ system.
By going to our customers, we at Antera aim to build lasting relationships that help us recognize the different ways that our software is implemented into day-to-day operations. We also tour to understand ways that we can improve our software for our clients.
About Antera Software:
Since 2008, Antera Software, USA has been a key provider of software-based business solutions for the print and promotional products industry. Today, Antera has recognized automation as the next major step in innovating how businesses operate. By creating tools that streamline and simplify business management and web store building, Antera has dedicated itself to helping promotional products businesses see an increase in growth and revenue.
Based in Plano, Texas, Antera is proud to service promotional products companies internationally. To learn more about Antera’s cloud-based business solutions, please visit http://anterasoftware.com/
For the best platform security, all of our software runs on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) platform, which provides all of the server, database, and storage needs for your business. Benefits of operating on AWS include automatic backups of your data, fail over sites, dedicated personnel that constantly monitor the platform, and a response team that resolves any issues that may arise.
Finally, we have worked to secure customer payment information through integration with CardConnect via their hosted iFrame Tokenizer. This separates our platform from the processing of customer payment information, so no credit card information passes through any Antera servers or connections. We look forward to keeping our customers safe and secure, and will continue to put focus on how we can best prevent cyber attacks of any form.
We’re pleased to announce that Antera Software, USA has developed a strategic partnership with Liftoff. After working together over the past year, we realized there is something unique to offer. With our combined efforts we can provide productive solutions for our mutual clients. Liftoff offers a wide variety of features suitable for all E-commerce. Liftoff and Antera are tightly integrated using Liftoff’s cXML, webhooks, and OData REST API features, making the two platforms a very powerful duo. Liftoff and Antera will be offering discounted support and professional services to users of both platforms. We encourage customers using both Antera and Liftoff to reach out to your account representatives to learn more about this partnership and your potential savings. We are excited to begin this partnership to improve the efficiency for our customers.
A new incarnation of the Advance™ order form has been released. It offers users a more streamlined and efficient vehicle for presenting, requesting and recording orders. The new order form offers the ability to eliminate multiple lines per product; speed up and simplify order entry via three product line types (Promotional, Apparel and Simple); create orders on the fly; easily add personalization, additional charges and so on to the order and, above all, create a condensed order form that is easy to read, but rich in detail. This just one in a series of monumental improvements recently made to Advance™. For further information, please contact sales@anterasoftware.com and we will be happy to give you a demonstration.
Antera software announced today that it had formed an integration partnership with Avalara – the pioneer of end-to-end sales and transactional business tax solutions. With Avalara’s Avatax fully integrated, Advance users can rely on a simplified means to collect, file and remit tax in real-time, either domestically or abroad. AvaTax users can also recover and issue tax documents, as well as generate, validate and monitor tax obligations, complete with detailed reporting.
“This integration significantly alleviates the hassle and headaches associated with managing taxes from calculation to filing. Through Avalara, our customers can rest assured that compliance is no longer a factor in any transaction and the risk or audit has been significantly diminished”, stated Rick Peters, CEO.
For more information on AvaTax, or to enable it on your Advance™ system, please contact support@anterasoftware.com or call 214.556.8040 (press 1 for support). Curious about our other integration partnerships? Follow the link for a complete list and more information.
Chris will play a key role in developing and executing sales strategies that will not only grow Antera, but underpin a tight alignment of product development and business objectives, driven predominantly by customer needs and expectations.
“We are very pleased with the new sales opportunities Chris has identified for Antera during his tenure as sales manager as well as the dynamism and enthusiasm he has brought to our team. I am highly confident that he will deliver in this new role and ensure a tighter cohesion and integration between all Antera business units. In turn, I am assured under his stewardship that will see a consistent progression for Antera towards meeting our business objectives and mission”, stated Rick peters CEO.
We are pleased to announce that Phillip Mitchell has been promoted from Customer Support Specialist to Manager, Customer Support. The role change, effective immediately, reflects our appreciation and acknowledges Phillip’s dedication and devotion to customer service and support, as well as his contribution overall to our growth and standing in the promotional products community.
“By giving Phillip managerial oversight of the support team, we are reinforcing our commitment and pledge to customers and employees alike to excel in this area of our business. Phillips tenure of over two years with Antera make him well-placed to be a highly effective product champion and mentor for the more junior members of this rapidly growing unit”, stated Rick Peters, CEO.
Rick Peters is scheduled to give a TED talk at P2P – the flagship annual event of the PSDA. The TED talk entitled: The Impact of Technology on the PSDA: Past | Present | Future will take place on on Friday, October 16, at 11:15 – 11:35 am. PSDA is a network of print professionals dedicated to providing best-in-class-print, marketing and business communications solutions to the end-user customers through the distributor channel. The talk will touch upon the evolution of technology in the print and promotional sectors – highlighting the drivers for change from a historical perspective. It will then shift to a description and analysis of the various existing and emerging technologies in the context of their likely negative and positive impact on the PSDA membership. Anyone from the PSDA that missed the event but would like a copy of the video recording should send a request to marketing@anterasoftware.com.
Vendor Alias – released today, eliminates the risk of multiple vendors being added to Advance™, by recognizing spelling variations that may occur for the same vendor. Using parameters set by the user, Advance™ can distinguish between when there is a name similarity (such as same spelling but with an additional space or extra letter), and when the vendor is genuinely a new addition.
We are thrilled to announce the launch of our much-anticipated and highly requested, Customer Portal. This new addition to our Advance™ BMS gives you the opportunity to communicate with your customers and for them to interact with their orders in real-time.
Once secure access has been granted, this unrivaled functionality will enable customers to login and:
- Approve artwork proofs
- Access enabled reports
- View quotes and turn them into orders
- View order history and current status
- Review and pay invoices
- Upload files
- Review the latest products that you want to showcase
Be among the first to see how the Customer Portal will add value to your system and transform your communication and interactions with your customers.
The information displayed can be filtered via various criteria. In addition, the value of the purchase order is visible at all times and automatically recalculates as items are added and deleted.
See the purchase order module in action – request a demo today!
Antera Software today unveiled its plan to create an advisory panel for its Advance™ cloud-based business management system. The initial panel will comprise six to ten of its key promotional product distributor customers. This advisory council, made up of executives and practitioners, will act as a bridge between Antera’s development team and its stakeholders in the field of promotional goods distribution. Through open and candid communication, the panel’s feedback and strategic insight will play a pivotal role in determining the roadmap for future product development and improvement from the distributor’s perspective. Antera plans to repeat the initiative later this quarter with an additional panel focusing on promotional goods suppliers.
“By creating this panel, we are furthering our mission to be the go-to system experts for our customers and the promotional products community in general. We are committed to providing business management software aligned with their business goals that will be future-proof by keeping pace with their needs. Their input will be crucial for the strategic direction of our company and the customer-centric development of the Advance™ system”, stated Rick Peters, CEO.
The advisory panel will meet on a quarterly basis and annually every January at the PPAI Expo in Las Vegas. For in-depth information on the program, and to apply for inclusion on the panel, interested distributors should call 214.556.8040. To find out more about Advance™, please visit https://www.anterasoftware.com . To view the original press release, please visit https://www.prlog.org/12808855-antera-software-to-form-distributor-advisory-panel-for-its-advance-cloud-based-bms.html
Combined, these two new features represent a significant opportunity to cut costs and improve efficiency, while raising the potential for increased revenue.
In addition to these major feature changes, users will also benefit from an expanded screen size; the ability to ship to multiple locations within the same order and manage the tax for each; an enhanced billing feature that identifies any item that has passed vouching and shipping and is ready to bill, and the ability to add as many locations as required per contact or account. The full and orginal press release can be found here.
Unlike other companies that force users to export orders in a batch format, and manually import them into another application, Antera utilizes live links to provide real-time feeding of orders. Antera provides dashboards to clearly display all web store order activity versus direct sales results. Advance™ workflow then kicks in to handle the production and fulfillment with ease.
“This integration makes it possible for Shopify stores to easily feed to Advance™ and provide our customers another way to increase revenues. We expect this integration to open up infinite possibilities for our Advance™ system. It has greatly enhanced our customers flexibility to meet their clients’ needs”, stated Rick Peters, CEO, Antera Software.
More information on this and other integrations can be found here.
View Prices, Inventory and Shipping Warehouses on One Screen in Real Time!
PLANO, Texas – Dec. 24, 2019. Antera Software USA today announced it has successfully integrated and combined four key PromoStandards endpoints: product data, pricing, media and inventory into its Advance™ business management system. For the first time in industry history, all product data appears instantly at the fingertips of the customer with the click of a mouse. Product vendors can be compared, goods can be priced and shipping warehouses selected, based upon real-time information on product availability.
“This new functionality is a revolutionary game-changer for both promotional products distributors and suppliers alike. Previously, distributors were reliant upon industry search engines and had to log into individual websites to find, compare, price and ship products. In addition, currently, suppliers pay for inclusion on the search engines and to receive priority in a search. PromoStandards and Antera have leveled the playing field. Through PromoStandards, distributors have instant, free access to any PromoStandards compliant vendor in one place and vendors with compliant endpoints can be included on the PromoStandards database for free also”, stated Rick Peters, CEO, Antera Software.
News release originally published on PR Log, December 23, 2016: https://www.prlog.org/12803498-game-changing-global-search-available-to-the-promotional-goods-industry-through-advance-bms.html
Alternate Vendor
This is a very competitive industry. Sometimes the difference of twenty cents per product can earn or lose the business. With Antera Advance™ new Alternate Vendor feature, you can select other vendors that carry the same product and easily switch from one to the next with a single button. Pricing, images and inventory will automatically adjust to reflect the new companies information.
Alternate Products
In the event the primary selected product is not available, Alternate Products allows the user to see all alternative products that could be substituted. It can also provide accompanying products or companion products. If you are looking at an adult male products, you can easily switch to the ladies or youth version.
This is a must have feature. You should never consider a system that does not have this capability.
Antera, which uses best-in-class software solutions to increase sales revenues, increase customer satisfaction, and generate increased workflow efficiency, is specially designed for the promotional products industry. According to Fully Promoted President Mike Brugger, the software has already been launched at several locations, and more locations will implement the new system over the coming months.
“We looked at many business management systems, but Antera matched our needs for new and existing locations—those only doing sales, as well as locations doing full production,” says Brugger.
The new software makes it possible for businesses to enjoy many benefits, such as easily creating a fully customized, responsive, and user-friendly experience for customers, and seamlessly integrating their eCommerce site, Customer Relationship Management, and Order Manager software. Its system software is SaaS cloud-based, so eCommerce sites can run from anywhere in the world, at any time. In addition, the software features rich eCommerce corporate web stores that are easy to populate and integrate with an existing BMS.
“The software is designed for smarter work, not harder work,” Brugger said. “It automates and integrates order fulfillments faster than before, which saves time for everyone involved in the sales cycle. Its ability to access real-time pricing, artwork, workflow production and reports from anywhere means we can deliver a better experience to our customers.”
Antera has also expanded the system to allow for the full benefits associated with PromoStandards. Antera has automated the process so as suppliers add additional endpoints and grow their PromoStandards capabilities, Antera dynamically accepts them and allows distributors to submit and retrieve information from all PromoStandards endpoints seamlessly.
“We are very pleased to be selected as the BMS company for Fully Promoted franchises worldwide, and we believe our ability to provide real-time analytics, as well as manage all aspects of Fully Promoted’s franchise operations, aligns perfectly with their aggressive growth plans,” said Rick Peters, President for Antera. “Our Advanced BMS provides Fully Promoted with complete process control over its operations which will help manage all areas of its business, including product sourcing, artwork, production, scheduling, warehouse management, and eCommerce fulfillment. The BMS also provides much-needed data analytics to help store owners strategize on how to effectively increase sales.”
Fully Promoted is a one-stop-shop that will help elevate your business. A member of the United Franchise Group, it can access more than half a million promotional products, plus it offers a comprehensive suite of marketing services that include print, digital marketing, and lead generation. Keeping to its EmbroidMe roots, the global marketing consulting company is renowned its custom screen-printed and embroidered apparel.
About Fully Promoted
Fully Promoted has more than 300 locations across the globe and plans to have 350 by the end of 2019. Fully Promoted operates a full-service branded products and marketing services business and is the place to go to get customers. From promotional products and embroidery to expert printing services, we can help take your business to the next level. Fully Promoted also offers an office-based model that will allow you to operate your business using a developed network of resources.
About United Franchise Group
Led by Founder and CEO Ray Titus, United Franchise Group is home to a variety of internationally recognized brands including Signarama, Fully Promoted, Experimax, Jon Smith Subs, Venture X, SuperGreen Solutions, Transworld Business Advisors, Accurate Franchising, Network Lead Exchange and The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill. With more than three decades in the franchising industry, and 1,600 franchisees in 80 countries throughout the world, United Franchise Group offers unprecedented leadership and solid business opportunities for entrepreneurs.
The orginal press release can be read here.
10/14/2019. Antera Software, USA today announced it had selected Karon Long to be its new Marketing Director. Karon will be developing the marketing department from the ground up. She will be responsible for creating and managing digital and traditional marketing strategies that will nurture and underpin Antera’s high growth trajectory. Her efforts will focus largely on marketing and corporate communications – both on and offline, as well as building brand awareness, affiliate marketing partnerships and various sales support initiatives.
Karon has more than twenty year’s marketing experience, spanning several technically complex industries and roles of progressive responsibility including SaaS, logistics technology, financial services, commercial energy and most recently, baby health and safety innovations.
“We were delighted to have Karon as part of our team and help us grow our company through 2020 and beyond. We expect her marketing expertise to contribute significantly to achieving our business goals. We are excited to leverage the new ideas and fresh perspective she brings to the table”, stated Rick Peters, CEO.
Antera will show exclusive technology at PPAI 2020
July 1, 2019, Antera Software will once again be an exhibitor at the 2020 PPAI Las Vegas Expo. The PPAI Expo gives Antera the opportunity to meet with hundreds of customers and prospects interested in expanding their businesses and automating their operations. It also provides a platform for Antera to showcase the latest innovative developments made to the programs that comprise its Advance™ business management system and web stores.
Customer reviews for Antera’s new technology were outstanding
January 22, 2019, Antera Software unveiled and showcased dozens of new business management system features at the 2019 PPA Las Vegas Expo (January 13 – 16th).
New Interface
Among the new items, Antera has released a new version of the Advance™ BMS system. This user-friendly, Google/Angular based front-end is incredibly user-intuitive and eay to navigate. It also provides the opportunity to expand and run advanced features including: Sourcing, Inventory, Receiving, Vouching and Payment Integration – all of which have received major improvements.
During the Expo, Antera had the opportunity to meet with over 300 customers and prospects and demonstrate the new technology. This face-to-face setting provided an opportunity to gain feedback from customers, meet new prospects and discuss a strategic roadmap for any future addtions to the system that will add value to their business.
The next PPAI Expo will be held Sunday, Jauary 12, 2020 – Thusday January 16th, 2020. Antera willl be hosting meetings in the Horizon Suite. Please contact sales@anterasoftware.org to secure your spot if you would like a personal tour of the system, would like to discuss your needs in more detail or have any questions.
Matching of invoices, purchase orders and receiving has never been easier
January 1, 2019 PromoStandards Invoice integration was utilised by Advance™ business management system. PromoStandards provides the opportunity for real-time and accurate data to populate the invoicing program. The integration greatly increases efficiency and reduces error by automating the invoicing and payment process between suppliers and distributors. The system pulls the invoice and matchs it side by side with puchase orders. This allows the user to compare, adjust and then archive the invoice in the cloud.
Antera Software Partners with CardConnect (now Clover Connect) to Offer Integrated Payment Processing
Antera Software, a leading provider of solutions designed for the awards, decorated apparel and promotional product industries, recently announced the newest addition to its cloud-based software: Integrated payment processing. Antera has partnered with CardConnect, a First Data company, to provide innovative payments technology to streamline and secure the way their clients do business.
Through this strategic partnership, Antera will integrate its platform with Bolt P2PE, CardConnect’s solution for simplified payment device integrations. This combined offering provides secure card-present payment acceptance and data breach protection for promotional product distributors and their customers through PCI-validated point-to-point encryption (P2PE) and tokenization.
By taking advantage of this integrated solution, Antera users will be able to manage their business and securely process transactions within one comprehensive platform, allowing for simplified reconciliation and an enhanced payment experience. This offering also covers all payments channels, providing customers the option to pay in-person, online or over the phone for a more convenient, omnichannel approach.
“We are extremely excited about leveraging this partnership as it enables us to provide our customers with a more efficient method of processing payments at considerably better rates compared to other merchant processors,” said Michael Wallens, vice president of operations for Antera. “We are committed to working with companies that provide the highest level of products, service and support for both Antera and our customers which is why we chose to partner with CardConnect.”
For more information, visit https://integrate.clover.com/partner/antera.
First published: November 20, 2018. The original press release may be viewed at: https://www.goprintandpromo.com/article/antera-software-partners-with-cardconnect-to-offer-integrated-payment-processing/
Send an electronic purchase order to vendors to get immediate acceptance
November 19, 2019, PromoStandards Purchase Order end point has now been utilized within Antera’s Advance™ business management system removing the need for the distributor to visit the vendor’s website to order products or manually generate purchase orders.
Advance™ is configured to automatically send purchase orders to any PromoStandards vendor in the correct format and ready for immediate processing. Purchase orders are also confirmed electronically. This will give rise to greater efficiencies resulting in both time and cost savings on both sides of the equasion.
Software Customized to Meet Needs in Fast-Changing Business Environment
November 19, 2019, Antera announced it has incorporated PromoStandards Inventory endpoint into its Advance™ business management system (BMS). The integration allows suppliers to track and manage all their inventory in multiple locations down to the bin and serial lot number. It also provides the means to adopt a just in time (JIT) inventory strategy, paving the way for better sales forecasting and improved inventory management. The adoption of JIT will raise a companies return on investment considerably by reducing non-essential costs. In addition, approved distibutors now have round-the-clock access to acurate, real-time inventory information at their fingertips. This integration is expected to produce greater efficiencies in warehouse management optimal inventory control and faster order turnaround times.
Antera Software USA has unveiled the first release of a newly designed and developed web store for the promotional products industry. These unique web stores allow corporate companies to provide products to their employees using award points or credit cards. The web stores are built to our customer’s specifications and can be customized to any business.
The system provides the ability to offer unlimited products organized by category and sub category, and the functionality for multiple characteristics per product. The admin has the ability to focus featured products on the homepage and can use other modules like recently ordered, most popular, best selling, etc… for tailoring the site to the customers preference. Products have a variety of fields associated with them to allow for all possible variations and provide the needed details for shipping calculation and customization. Additional charges can be added to items for large sizes or add-on features.
Company administrators can award points to employees for use on the store, or the stores can be standard currency based. A user can even have the option of using their existing points and making up the balance with currency. The stores manage price breaks for larger quantities purchased. Shipping is auto calculated and integration with authorize.net allows for seamless financial processing.
Antera has developed a large number of templates to choose from and the user the ability to customize any of the core templates to come up with their own unique style and look. The stores are social media ready and a user can share, pin or like products on the stores.
Special features have been built into the system and can be enabled or disabled at the direction of the administrator. Hover Zoom allows the user to see an enlarged view of any of the products by simply hovering over it. Power Purchase will allow groups to purchase products up to a specific date and group the discounts together to maximize purchasing power. The system has been designed for non-technical users to manage and control. The simplicity of administering the site is a tremendous advancement for the promotional products industry.
Folllow the link for more information on Web Stores features and pricing.
In recent years, Antera Software USA has specifically focused on custom software solutions for the promotional products vertical market. Most of the available offerings are now in their 5th and 6th version/release. Link CRM Advance starts with transferring leads from a company’s website into their CRM, and takes the salesperson all the way through quoting, ordering, order management, art proofing, and order tracking. The current product offering is stronger than ever and provides more options for customization and integration than ever before.
“Antera Software USA has helped streamline our business and
improve our order management process. Our three previously segmented
divisions can now work as a team.” – Melissa D – Client
Antera Software develops and implements business management software to specifically address the best practices for managing and distributing all of a company’s data. Antera’s core software modules address Accounts Payable Automation, Enterprise Content Management (ECM), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Optical Character Recognition (OCR), Intelligent Field Recognition (IFR) and the storage, manipulation and transfer of electronic data to and from all aspects and departments of any given company. Antera’
“Keeping the software flexible and affordable for our client is Antera’s top priority. We are able to customize our software specifically for each client’s needs, which gives us an edge over the competition.”
Antera’s Promotional Products Distributor Software
Link CRM: Antera’s CRM is a heavily customized version of Sugar CRM, an industry leading Customer Relationship Management Software. Antera’s training videos, hosting, support and module development services make it easy to implement and maintain for any sales organization.
Link CRM Advance: Link CRM Advance Order Management web-based software is designed for the promotional products industry and is a simple to use CRM and order form complimented with integration with Sage Online Product Search. Once products are selected, the data can be edited and proposals or quotes can be saved, printed, or directly emailed to the customer.
Products: The system will allow product “push” from Sage Online and can calculate margin on volume price breaks, includes a wearable matrix, and even allows you to add custom products. Quotes can be completely customized with templates. The templates can be locked and unlocked for different users or groups. The Quote List allows for easy editing, copying, or converting to an order. Order Form enables the user to manage every aspect of the order and eliminate manual steps through features like wearable matrix, split shipping, custom terms entry, order confirmations, and an order list. Quotes and Orders along with attached order artwork are saved to Link Cloud for easy retrieval and archive purposes. Vendor PO’s and Artwork After order processing, Antera’s order management system includes automated status updates throughout the entire process including vendor acknowledgement of order, proof approval by customer, shipping notification from vendor, and fulfillment of the order. Reports are readily available and can be customized to a client’s business processes. Users can customize dashlet reports to see live data in real time: total sales, order status, purchase order status, and commissions are some examples.
Customer Portal allows a user to connect with customers and suppliers. This portal can allow access for a customer to details regarding orders eliminating the need for phone calls or emails. Multiple portals can be set up for short term or long term access for various types of customers or even vendors as well.
Cutting Edge Technology Antera’s products have kept up with modern technology and include features like drag and drop, browse to cloud, mobile friendly and mobile accessible applications, and real time reporting and notifications.
Integration with other popular applications such as Authorize.net, VOIP and Asterisk Phone systems, QuickBooks Online, Sage, and more allows Antera’s clients to keep the applications they like and integrate them with Antera’s products. For more information, please email sales@anterasoftware.com or complete the inquiry form for either a demo or system pricing.
The orginal and complete press release can be found at press release can be found here.
“Our intent with Aether was to provide the promotional products industry with the most advanced tools to showcase their products. By leveraging the latest technology to build Aether, we have assured a competitive edge for the promotional products industry and a user interface that will delight and satisfy their customers. We were thrilled to be choose PPAI’s Direct 2 You event to share Aether with the world”, enthused Rick Peters, CEO.