Encompass Technologies, a comprehensive cloud-based ERP software technology provider for the food and beverage industry, and the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) announced yesterday a first-of-its-kind app integration to empower BevAlc distribution industry workers to report human trafficking sightings while on the job.
Launched at the 2022 Connect Conference, the updated NBWA Pack includes the Beer First toolkit which has resources to help drive growth in the beer category. An additional feature is access to the National Human Trafficking Hotline to help sales reps quickly and easily report suspected trafficking activity and concerns as part of the NBWA Distributors Against Human Trafficking initiative.
The Encompass human trafficking reporting function is integrated into the NBWA’s Pack platform, which is used by one-third of sales reps in the BevAlc industry. When members log into the platform, they can easily click on the Encompass anti-human trafficking icon and quickly report sightings to the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
With approximately more than 140,000 beer distribution employees who make sales calls and on-site visits, the industry is uniquely positioned to join this fight and combat a crime that can happen in any community – and often does so in plain sight.
In fact, the 2020 National Human Trafficking Hotline Data Report revealed that during 2020, the organization received 51,667 substantive phone calls, text messages, webchats, or online tip reports nationwide, with the majority (84.7 percent) identifying female victims and more than a quarter (28 percent) being minors.
“Human trafficking is a horrific crime and we need to do whatever we can to protect the health and safety of those in our communities,” said Bill Kraich, VP of eCommerce at Encompass Technologies. “We are proud of our partnership with the NBWA and our joint commitment to empowering BevAlc employees to ‘do the right thing’ when encountering these situations. This was a no-brainer and our way to make a positive impact within the communities we serve.”
Encompass Technologies is the industry change-maker in the beverage and food industry with cloud-based ERP, CRM, eCommerce, and data solutions for manufacturers, distributors, and retailers. The platform integration announcement at Connect Conference comes on the heels of the recent release of its Connect for Distributors solution that enables a 24×7 supercharged sales and marketing engine. It includes DSDLink for ordering and Paylink for cashless payments, as well as Retail Insights offering retail inventory and sales data between distributors and retailers.
Commenting on the collaboration and the mission at 2022 Connect Conference, Kim McKinnish, SVP and COO of NBWA said, “As the first-of-its-kind, this integration demonstrates the power of collaboration on both the business-to-business and company-wide levels.” McKinnish continued, “It’s a call to our industry colleagues to work together and to be the eyes and ears of the vulnerable. We are making it simple for them to accomplish that mission through just a few taps in an app they are already using.”
Learn more about the Encompass reporting function here. To learn more about NBWA’s Distributors Against Human Trafficking initiative, click here. To view the NBWA Beer First tools, click here.
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