For small and medium-sized businesses, QuickBooks is the go-to accounting software. For a manufacturer, wholesaler, or distributor, QuickBooks doesn’t entirely cover all your needs when you have customers, sales reps, and inside staff who need to place and manage orders and access customer and product information. While you want to limit access to QuickBooks to your back office, adding order management software lets you easily share information with everyone.
Here are ten tips on what to look for when choosing QuickBooks-integrated order management software.
One of the most essential requirements of a QuickBooks order management software system is that it syncs flawlessly with QuickBooks. The real power of a system is that it leverages the work you are already doing in QuickBooks, so there is no need to manage a separate database. A system should provide continuous synchronization with your QuickBooks item list, pricing, inventory levels, customer list, and complete customer transaction history.
You'll want to create dynamic, rich, and powerful web order forms that make ordering fast, easy, and attractive to your wholesale customers and sales reps. When order forms are customizable, customers see only the products that they normally order, making placing reorders much faster.
Using QuickBooks price levels, you can offer customized prices to customers and set up special discounts. With this type of automation, customers and independent sales reps never have to pick up the phone or send an email asking about their specific pricing. It’s all right there.
Ensuring that your software syncs with QuickBooks inventory greatly benefits customers and reps placing orders. With real-time inventory status, they will immediately see what is available and can order accordingly. No more calls telling them their items are out of stock after placing an order. If they order an out-of-stock item, you can enter a message to inform them of availability.
Communicate electronically with warehouse integration to 3rd-party warehouse systems. Transmit your orders directly to the warehouse and eliminate warehouse data entry and data entry fees. Get shipment confirmation and tracking information as it happens. And it will be instantly available to your customers and sales reps too.
One of the biggest benefits of order software is that wholesale customers and sales reps can place orders at any time, day or night, and on their smartphone, tablet, or computer. The convenience of finding immediate answers to simple questions themselves and placing orders directly into the system without having to rekey the order will speed up the order process.
Looking at past orders and shipment history can give your sales reps a leg up. When they meet with their customers, it is a great way to recommend new orders right on the spot. Customers can go ahead and reorder based on past orders with minimal work.
Those mundane calls from customers or sales reps to your back office about customer payments or credits can be eliminated, enabling them to focus on their work. It’s all in the system.
Customers and sales reps always have the latest updates to where shipments are after they’ve placed their orders. This gives customers the power to plan for their products' arrival. This can really be a bonus when inventory levels are low.
Finding a system with excellent reporting capabilities is a must. Customizable sales reports can be helpful for wholesalers planning their next orders or checking sales reps' progress in the field. Reports for the customer who wants to see what is in their pipeline and for the sales rep’s performance review, there should be a report for everyone.
Implementing an order management system will save time and money by delivering orders in real-time to your QuickBooks company file. It will also keep your online information accurate and up-to-date. Help your customers and sales reps with tools that empower them to help themselves and streamline processes at the same time.