FloristWare and FTD/FTD Mercury
How the FloristWare POS system for retail flower shops works with FTD when it comes to order relay, website integration and reporting.
How does the FloristWare POS software system integrate with FTD?
This is a question that some flower shops ask when they are in the process of signing up for FloristWare. The good news is that many of our florist clients are FTD members so we have lots of experience.
It is an important question for shops that are committed to FTD. It’s also a little bit complicated so it is generally best to approach it as a few different questions.
Can I Use FloristWare To Send/Receive FTD Orders?
FTD provides several services to florists, but most would agree that their core service is the wire service/clearing house that enables flower shops to relay orders back and forth, get paid, etc.
When it comes to sending and receiving FTD orders FloristWare is compatible. This is how it works.
If you are an FTD member taking an order from a retail customer for delivery to another city you would use all of the powerful features in FloristWare to make the order-taking process faster and more efficient, collect payment, gather marketing information and more.
When you have finished taking the order, FloristWare will then help you assign it, meaning FloristWare will help you choose a filling florist and then get the order details to them.
It does this by keeping track of the FTD florists in the destination city that you prefer to work with. FloristWare also keeps track of reciprocity – what you have sent to them vs. what they have sent you (order count and value). It also lets you assign a star rating to each florist, keep notes on them and more - all to help you choose the right filling flower shop for the order.
After you have selected a filling shop FloristWare is ready to help you send them the order. There are several different options for this.
The quickest and easiest options are to have FloristWare just fax or email the order directly to the filling shop – that just takes one click.
Some shops like to actually print the worksheet out and then fax that to the filling shop themselves. FloristWare can do that too, in fact it even prints a special version of the worksheet for the filling shop.
And there are still shops that like to send the order details over the phone. Here FloristWare helps by keeping all of the information on the screen while they talk to the filling shop, then lets them flag the order as being complete.
All this makes sending an order very quick and easy! Much better than the old days of digging through directories.
FloristWare also has features to help you take incoming wires. An efficient florist-to-florist order-taking process ensures that you get all of the information you need. FloristWare then prints the worksheet, enclosure card and delivery slip and adds the incoming order information to several important reports.
Most importantly, FloristWare will also automatically prepare the Report of Orders Filled to be sent to FTD so you can be compensated. This is a real time-saver!
Does FloristWare Integrate With The FTD Mercury Network?
The Dove Mercury network is a private network that allows FTD members to send and receive orders through FTD software. Unfortunately cannot access the Mercury Network.
FloristWare still provides tremendous benefit to FTD members. When it comes to outgoing FloristWare has marketing features that help you generate more outgoing wires, features that help you take the order from the retail customer, and features to help you select a filling shop and relay the details.
Alternatives To Mercury Integration
FloristWare still has tools to help florists that want to send orders over the Mercury network.
One option is to have FloristWare will print out a special worksheet that you use to enter the details into your Mercury terminal. FloristWare will still be faster and do more for you in terms of collecting marketing information than taking the order by hand, ringing it in on your cash register and then entering it into your Mercury terminal.
Incoming Mercury orders can be handled two ways. You can enter them into FloristWare if you wish, and it will generate the worksheet, enclosure card and delivery slip, and add the filled total to several different reports. You may also choose to just fill the orders as you do now - without entering them into FloristWare. It really depends on your incoming order volume – we have clients using both methods and reporting good results.
What About My FTD Website?
Orders generated on an FTD website cannot be automatically entered into FloristWare because of the issue with the Dove network mentioned above. Some florists choose to enter them into FloristWare manually, some do not. Most of our clients choose a website from one of our preferred integration partners as these websites give them more control over their business and online presence.
Looking for an alternative to FTD? Many of our clients send and receive orders through Flower Shop Network.
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We couldn't be happier with the ease and convenience that Floristware provides with wiring out our floral order through Flower Shop Network. We've always enjoyed working with both of them, but now that they interface, it's made our life so much easier. The transaction is now just a one step effort, and was very simple for all the staff to master.Owner, Taylor Made Florals | New Hampshire
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It is great sending through Flower Shop Network. With 1 Click and it is done!!!! Could not be easier! Thanks so much for your great program! I could not imagine not using Floristware… I would recommend it to anyone!!!!! Thanks Again!Owner, Tylertown Florist | Tylertown Mississipi
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We are very impressed with the FloristWare point of sale system. Mark and the staff at FloristWare provide a straight forward, easy to use point of sale to manage a retail flower shop at an affordable price. Their customer service and responsiveness meet the highest of standards.VP Operations/Owner | Flower Shop Network, Inc.
