The Company

Plumbers Supply Co stands as a leading distributor in the HVAC industry, where success hinges on cultivating strong relationships and strategic partnerships. Billy Hoyland, Strategic Pricing Specialist at Plumbers Supply Co, captures this philosophy perfectly: "Our company is based off of relationships and the bonds we have with our manufacturers. Rebates develop that bond, so we can work towards a common goal together, and it enhances our profitability by using them."

Billy's unique position spans multiple departments, requiring him to collaborate closely with sales, purchasing, finance, and executive leadership teams. This cross-functional role places him at the strategic center of the company's efforts to optimize supplier relationships while maximizing profitability through effective rebate management.

The Challenges

Excel's Growing Limitations

As Plumbers Supply Co expanded, their rebate management capabilities struggled to keep pace, creating a cascade of operational challenges. The company had grown dependent on Excel spreadsheets for tracking and managing rebate programs—a solution that handled basic organizational tasks adequately but revealed critical weaknesses in strategic planning and complex program management.

"Forecasting was a big issue with spreadsheets," Billy explains. "Spreadsheets are great for organizing and staying on top of things, but as far as projecting out and forecasting out, they don't provide much for that." This fundamental limitation prevented the company from making informed decisions about purchasing strategies and rebate tier optimization, leaving money on the table.

Navigating Complex Rebate Structures

The challenges extended far beyond forecasting limitations. While Billy's team could manage simple base rebates effectively, tiered rebate structures presented significant operational hurdles. These sophisticated programs demanded constant monitoring of purchasing levels, tier thresholds, and critical deadlines—tasks that proved increasingly difficult to manage efficiently within spreadsheet constraints.

"When you're dealing with multiple tiers and complex agreements, spreadsheets just can't keep up," Billy notes. "You're constantly worried about missing deadlines or not hitting the right purchasing levels to maximize your rebates."

Revenue Leakage and Communication Breakdowns

Perhaps most alarming was the discovery that valuable rebate agreements were slipping through the cracks entirely. The manual tracking system had created dangerous blind spots where profitable rebate opportunities went unnoticed for extended periods. Communication barriers between departments compounded these issues, as critical rebate information remained trapped in departmental silos rather than flowing freely across the organization.

"There were agreements we had in place that we just weren't collecting on," Billy recalls. "The lack of visibility meant we were essentially leaving money on the table without even knowing it."

Time-Intensive Manual Processes

Time management emerged as another critical pain point, particularly around quarterly and monthly rebate deadlines. Billy found himself dedicating substantial time to tracking down rebate statuses and ensuring collections were completed on schedule—time that could have been redirected toward strategic growth activities.

"I was spending way too much time just trying to keep track of where we stood with each rebate program," Billy explains. "It was reactive management instead of strategic planning."

The Solution

Sophisticated Tiered Rebate Management

Enable's rebate management platform delivered the comprehensive solution Plumbers Supply Co needed to address their operational challenges head-on. The centralized system fundamentally transformed the company's approach, shifting from reactive spreadsheet maintenance to proactive rebate program optimization.

The platform's sophisticated handling of tiered rebate structures immediately addressed one of their most pressing pain points. "The tiered rebates especially—Enable is great on that," Billy emphasizes. "When it comes to important dates and things like that, Enable keeps me aware of it. I can look at projections and where we are, which ones I need to up my buying power on, which ones I can drop back on." This unprecedented visibility enabled strategic decision-making that had been impossible with their previous manual system.

Proactive Intelligence and Alerts

Enable's automated alert system proved transformative for both time management and revenue protection. The platform proactively notifies users when rebate tiers are approaching and provides timely reminders for monthly and quarterly deadlines, eliminating the guesswork that had previously plagued their operations.

"Enable keeps me on my toes," Billy explains. "It alerts me when we're hitting certain tiers and reminds me about the rebates that I manage on a monthly and quarterly basis. Instead of scrambling to check everything manually, the system tells me exactly what needs to be done."

50% Time Savings

The efficiency gains proved substantial, with Billy reporting an approximate 50% reduction in rebate management activities. "It probably cuts the time that I have to spend on that kind of stuff in half," he explains, referring to the hours previously consumed by manually tracking quarterly and monthly rebate deadlines.

"Now I can focus on strategy instead of just trying to keep up with administrative tasks," Billy adds. "That's time I can reinvest into building stronger relationships with our manufacturers and identifying new opportunities."

Revenue Recovery Through Enhanced Visibility

One of the most significant immediate benefits came from Enable's comprehensive reporting capabilities, which identified missing rebate agreements that had been overlooked for years. The impact was both immediate and substantial.

"There were a couple of agreements that were falling through the cracks that had been for a couple years," Billy recalls. "When I run the reports in Enable, they would point out, 'Hey, you don't have an agreement with these people.' And turns out we did have an agreement; we just weren't collecting on it. So, several thousand dollars we were able to track down because of that."

This revenue recovery represented more than just found money—it demonstrated the platform's ability to provide visibility into blind spots that had existed for years. "It's not just about the money we recovered," Billy notes. "It's about knowing we won't miss opportunities like that going forward."

Enhanced Cross-Department Collaboration

The centralized repository eliminated the information silos that had previously hindered cross-departmental collaboration. Teams could now access the same real-time data, leading to better coordination and more informed decision-making across the organization.

"Once we have everything set up in Enable, it's allowed us to communicate effectively more efficiently between departments," Billy explains. "Everyone's working from the same information, which eliminates a lot of confusion and miscommunication we used to have."

The improved collaboration extended beyond internal operations to manufacturer relationships as well. "When we're talking to our manufacturers about rebate programs, we can pull up real-time data and have meaningful conversations about optimization," Billy adds.

Exceptional Partnership Experience

Beyond the functional benefits, Plumbers Supply Co discovered that Enable represented an exceptional business partnership. The relationship extended far beyond software implementation to genuine business collaboration.

"Enable is by far the best third-party business that I've worked with," Billy emphasizes. "They're friendly, they're on top of things. They're very responsive when we have issues and they're empathetic, too. And that goes a long way with our company. So, I would highly recommend them."

This partnership approach aligns perfectly with Plumbers Supply Co's relationship-focused business philosophy. "They understand that we're not just looking for software—we're looking for a partner who can help us grow our business," Billy notes.

Future-Ready Growth

Looking ahead, Plumbers Supply Co continues to explore Enable's advanced capabilities, including forecasting and accrual features that promise to further enhance their rebate management sophistication. The company is also considering how AI integration might provide additional decision-making support, viewing it as a natural evolution in their partnership-focused approach to business growth.

"We're just scratching the surface of what's possible," Billy concludes. "As our business continues to grow, we know Enable will be there to support that growth with new capabilities and continued partnership."