The Cat's Pajamas SOFTWARE SYSTEMS FOR PUBLISHERS     To print, click on File—Print in your     browser.     Return to Cat's home page. 12559 Pulver Road, Burlington, WA 98233 Phone: 800-827-2287 Fax: 360-707-5400 Email: info@tcpj.com    To return to the previous page, click the Back button in your browser. All information (c) Copyright  2007, 2008   The Media Services Group, Ltd.

Customizing and Installing

The first step comes before you decide whether it's right for you. We'll ask you a lot of detailed questions about your business. 

You should ask a lot of questions, too:

• How does the system handle consignments, or standing orders, or oddball royalty contracts, or internet orders?

• What about efficient workflow?

• Customer service?

• How fast are the processing steps?

• What reports do I need?

• Is there an adequate audit trail? Will my accountant approve?

• Will Cat's Pajamas really save labor? Enough to justify its cost?

We have a lot of experience—we're publishing people, and we've been doing this for more than twenty years. Let's assume that both you and CPJ feel there is a good fit.

When you decide to install The Cat's Pajamas, we'll assign a systems designer to work with you -- you'll always have someone to call who can answer your questions and help you over the rough spots. Our systems designers have publishing backgrounds and a wide range of experience in planning systems that work. And, we'll send you a Customization Planner -- it's a booklet that helps you plan your system. It explains how coded information about books and customers is set up, with examples of how other publishers have planned their systems. The planner also helps you work out the custom information that we will program into your system—your unique discount rules, sales tax requirements, shipping charges, commissions, royalties, and more. You'll appreciate the timelines and step-by-step checklists that help ease the path to that day when you "go live".

Your systems designer may suggest that we write conversion programs to move your data from a previous system.

We'll help you plan for any new equipment you will need -- see the hardware and environment section for more about that.

Before you go live, we'll set up a "play" system on your network, to give everybody a chance to look at the programs and get used to the "look and feel". Also, you'll send one or more of your staff to Burlington, Washington for a three-day training.

Shortly before you go live, your systems designer will dial into your network and set up the programs necessary for you to begin entering books and customers, open backorders, and open accounts receivable.

When you are ready, your systems designer will dial into your network and set up your full customized Cat's system. And after you are using the system, your systems designer will still be available to make sure everything is going smoothly. Some free telephone support is included with your new system. How much free support you'll receive varies with the complexity of your system—for extensively customized systems, it is as much as three months.