Running a wholesale business with minimal staff is particularly challenging when things get really busy. Identifying pieces of your process that can be automated will save time and help you get through those peak times. Your staff doesn’t want to skip lunch or stay late, and you don’t want to miss deadlines. Order entry software in the form of sales rep and B2B customer portals can be a huge help.
If you use a 3PL to do your order fulfillment, you are faced with the daily challenge of sending them your orders before the shipping deadline. Software that allows you to send your shipment requests to your 3PL in a batch without any data entry can be the key to speeding up the fulfillment process.
Does your 3PL (third-party logistics provider, aka bonded warehouse or public warehouse) require you to perform order entry into their portal, create an order file that matches their specification, or email them individual PDF packing lists?
A system that integrates your accounting software (such as QuickBooks) with your warehouse can save you time and money by speeding up the fulfillment process and by reducing re-ships and returns.
Customer retention is an important aspect of any business, including companies that sell B2B. Acquiring a new customer may cost more than keeping an existing one. On top of that, existing customers tend to spend more than new ones do. The math is easy. If it costs less to retain a customer who will spend more, then at least some resources should be spent on improving customer loyalty.
A comprehensive order management system improves customer satisfaction and decreases costs by increasing communication among all company departments. Whether you are a wholesaler with many different departments or where a few people wear various hats, every wholesale company can benefit from the increased communication of a well-designed order management system.
Order processing is one of the most important functions of any business, and good order entry, processing, and fulfillment software can save you time and eliminate errors. If you give your customers and reps convenient 24/7 access to the information they need, they will feel confident that their orders are being processed, delivered, and invoiced quickly and accurately. Sales Rep Portals and B2B Customer Portals that integrate with your back-room accounting software are an easy and affordable way to free up your inside and outside staff’s time and win customer loyalty.
If your staff is spending more than an hour or two a day entering orders or answering routine questions from sales reps and wholesale customers, then you should consider getting them some order management software with an online sales rep and wholesale customer portal. The more time your employees spend on mundane tasks, the less time they spend on activities that will help the business thrive.
B2B portals that let your reps and customers place orders and answer their own questions 24/7 will save you time and increase customer satisfaction by giving them instant access to the info they need.
Utilizing the right order entry software is one of the most important decisions you can make to reduce data entry, customer service questions, errors, and returns and make your order processing more efficient. Did you know it can help you go paperless as well? While many small business owners are a bit intimidated by the thought of "going paperless", doing so is not only much more efficient for your salespeople, your customers, your warehouse, your managers, and your customer service reps, but it can save you an abundance of hard earned cash as well.
The effort it takes to fulfill wholesale orders can be challenging and time-consuming. By employing the proper order fulfillment strategies, however, you can meet these challenges head-on, saving your company time and money.
If you are like most wholesalers and manufacturers, you know how important accuracy can be when it comes to order processing. One simple error can become a massive nightmare Regardless of how small. It is truly amazing how humans can cause problems with order processing. While nobody wants to end up with incorrect orders, inaccurate delivery instructions, short orders, or delivery delays, it used to be that an error here and there was just inevitable.
Smaller manufacturing or wholesale businesses face the daily challenge of trying to streamline processes across all their departments. Helping your devoted and diligent sales reps provide great service to their accounts can be difficult.
