RTO Plus for Windows Press Release

April 1, 2004


Another first! RTO Plus for Windows announces real-time internet distributed application technology for Rent to Own Stores! The new name for our software....

RTO Plus.Net for Windows

The first commercially available Windows based store management software for the Rental Purchase industry now runs across the web!

Susan Yarbrough, in association with Blue Ridge Programming and Services based in North Carolina, distributors for the RTO Plus for Windows rent to own store management software package, announced today that the RTO Plus.Net for Windows internet software version is available for immediate distribution. RTO Plus.Net for Windows uses "distributed application technology" along with VPN (virtual private networking) technology, Microsoft Server 2003, and Microsoft Terminal Services to allow multiple rent to own stores up to the minute, real-time access of shared store information such as inventory, customers, and reference databases located on the central server thereby eliminating the need of downloading files.

A customer wanting to make a payment on an account located at store A can pay at store B. Store B's end of day cash is increased, the customer's payment history and other agreement information is updated, and if the customer is still late, store B can take a commitment for the customer's next payment. All information will then be reflected in store A's delinquency/customer/inventory information databases immediately. There is no data download involved!

Likewise, an agreement created in store B can be picked up/paid off/charged off from another location. For example, a customer rented a VCR at store B. He stops by store A on the way home from work and drops off the VCR for a pickup. Store A pulls up the customer's information and decides that a payment/late fee or whatever is due on the agreement. Store A can then post the payment and give the customer a receipt with the full agreement information, even though the agreement was created and maintained at store B. Store A can then terminate the agreement and give the customer a complete payment history, even though the agreement was created at store B. The VCR then becomes an available item for store A.

Store A can even rent or sell items that are physically located at store B and on store B's local inventory. Even though each store's available inventory report shows only the inventory that is physically located at the store, when an agreement is created or an item sale is initiated, all available inventory in all locations are displayed along with the location of the inventory.

First available to the Rental Purchase industry in March of 1996, RTO Plus for Windows was the first commercially available rental purchase software designed specifically for the Windows operating system. It was developed to meet the needs of businesses using older, outdated character based programs whose wishes were to upgrade their software to current, state of the art software running on Pentium based systems. RTO Plus for Windows has been in continual use in the earlier MS-DOS version since 1987. It was originally designed for a chain of 33 Rental Purchase stores and has seen extensive enhancements since it's inception.

The newest version of RTO Plus.Net for Windows uses similar logic of prior versions, but now allows multiple store locations the ability to access shared data on a central server while maintaining individual store location profiles (such as store name, address, phone number, results, depreciation, local inventory, and end of day recaps). Another feature of RTO Plus.Net for Windows allows each local store the ability to operate independently of the internet server should web access go down.

This version of RTO Plus.Net for Windows uses the same intuitive visual screens our clients have become accustomed to and that are used in other Windows based software. Data can also be retrieved using standard Windows programs such as Microsoft Access, Word, and Excel should custom reports or information be desired.

RTO Plus.Net for Windows uses the Microsoft Server 2003 engine along with the Microsoft Terminal Server to distribute unique desktops to each client over the internet. Security is maintained within Server 2003 regarding internet and user access and a vast array of access levels may be set up. Each store location has control of its own local printers and local disk drives and all may be allocated as shared devices to be used across the WAN (wide area network) should the need arise. Local intranets or LANS are also maintained. Rather than sending data requests over the internet to retrieve records, all data collation activity is handled within the central server and only the screen shots, key strokes, and mouse activity are transmitted via the internet, thereby increasing throughput and response times amazingly!

RTO Plus.Net for Windows is very easy to learn and use, and is priced to be affordable even for small rental purchase businesses. It is available for purchase with no perpetual monthly fees. On-site setup and employee training is available at reasonable rates. If on-site training is desired, only one day or less per location should be required. Data conversion from older software and custom reports are available as well.

RTO Plus.Net for Windows is totally network ready and is available for single store operations or multi-store operations with home office reporting requirements. The home office version allows for either off hour polling of individual store information or for real-time data acquisition.

A test drive demo is available for "FREE". The test drive demo allows the use of all the features of RTO Plus for Windows on a Windows compatible computer for 30 days. At the end of 30 days, the data is simply unavailable for use but remains intact should a client purchase a registered version of RTO Plus for Windows. Please click here to download the test drive demo.

If you would like to Test Drive the .Net version of RTO Plus, please click here to review the procedures.

For additional information, pricing, and system requirements, please contact Bob at Blue Ridge Programming and Services, 1240 Maxwell St., Salisbury, NC  28144 or call (704) 645-8320 or email us at support@rtoplus.com .