Profile

Auction Plus started in Kansas with plans to provide an auction management service to individuals and corporations to manage the EBAY auctioning process. Auction Plus’ philosophy is geared towards simplifying this process for its clients by taking care of every aspect of the auction process from uploading the item to EBAY to shipping the item and distributing payments. The company now services two locations for customers to drop off, list, and sell items on EBAY: Deer Creek Hen House in Kansas and Lee’s Summit Hen House in Missouri. Auction Plus needed a web based system to track items through the auction process. They, therefore, contacted AllofE to develop a Web Auction Manager that would directly integrate with EBAY, PayPal, and UPS and include complex business logic to meet all backend integration requirements. It will enable customers to drop off auction items and let AuctionPlus manage the entire auctioning, invoicing, and payment processes for them.

Challenge

• Create an enterprise level system that serves as the basis of operation.
• Increase process efficiency to eliminate manual functions and reduce required human resources.
• Ability to scale system with evolving organizational requirements.
• Workflow engine to track EBAY item listings and payments to customers.
• Track payment installations from the buyer to Auction Plus and from Auction Plus to the seller.
• Track shipping schedules: for Regular Customers - from Auction Plus to the buyer, and for Commercial Customers - from seller to buyer.
• Time frame for full implementation that is less than six weeks from the start of the project.
• Automate manual functions for customer support, accounts receivable, and accounts payable.

Response

AllofE developed a web based auction management system for AuctionPlus to manage item listings on EBAY. The application will allow AuctionPlus to track corporate and individual auction items that have been listed through them. Designers added a workflow engine to manage all system processes so that AuctionPlus, EBAY, and clientele would know at any given time the location and status of the item. The system directly integrates with PayPal, UPS, and EBAY and includes complex business logic to meet EBAY and PayPal backend integration requirements. It will enable customers to drop off auction items and let AuctionPlus manage the entire auctioning, invoicing, and payment processes for them. The implementation timeframe including requirements gathering, design, development, testing and implementation was less than six weeks.

Effects

With AllofE’s Web Auction Manager, AuctionPlus can efficiently run the company and effectively track all business processes. The web based system keeps the company updated with item listing statuses as well as provides customer relationship management and support by automatically generating email notifications and tracking information. While AuctionPlus simplifies the auction management process for its customers, the new online system simplifies all internal and business processes for AuctionPlus’ management and employees.