D&H Launches iOS App To Place, Track Orders

The app provides pretty much the full functionality that resellers can get through D&H's website, said Michael Schwab, co-president of D&H, from the distributor's New England Technology Show in Quincy, Mass., Tuesday, where the app was introduced.

"Our goal was to give our resellers the same user experience they get when they log into our website. It's a microcosm of our website for a phone, without losing any functionality," Schwab said. "You get crisp, clear images, product descriptions. You can create a watch list of products you're looking for. You get your own negotiated pricing that you get when you talk to a sales rep on the phone or through the website."

[Related: D&H Arms Resellers With MDM Solutions For SMBs ]

The app also includes real-time inventory information by warehouse for each product and includes a bar-code scanning feature that allows VARs to more quickly look up a product if they're in the field, Schwab added. Also, it features quick, one-touch windows to narrow searches by manufacturer or product category and the ability to view new products or previous invoices,

"It gives you the capability as if you're in front of a PC but on the phone," Schwab said.

"If you're onsite and you need a new router or a customer has run out of ports on a switch, you can go right on and search by Cisco or D-Link or whoever and drop-ship a product from there. We're very excited for it, and we'll be able to monitor its usage and continue to make enhancements," Schwab said.

D&H plans to add a similar app for Android and Windows mobile platforms, but Schwab couldn't say when those might be available to VARs. The distributor will add more features based on user feedback, he said. One example of that in action is the bar-code scanning feature, which was added after beta-testing feedback, Schwab said.

Richard Trahant, president of Land Computer, a Peabody, Mass.-based VAR attending the New England Show, is not an iOS user, but he said an Android version would help his business.

"The app has to really scale to that device format. Up to this date, they've had some problems doing that. You have to scroll the whole website. It has to be easy enough to use or people aren't going to use it. But, that [ability] would be a big plus," Trahant said.

Greg Cassista, an account executive at Systems Integration, a Wethersfield, Conn.-based VAR, said being able to access more data from his iPhone will benefit him in his job.

"As a reseller, the more mobile you can be, the more valuable you can be. The way business operates today, I'm always on that road, and having that information will be a valuable tool," Cassista said.

PUBLISHED ON AUG. 14, 2012