Smaller wholesale businesses don’t have the considerable staff or the seemingly endless resources that larger suppliers have at their disposal. Every customer and every sale is essential for the small business to grow and prosper. A typical small business tends to require a lot of manual data entry. This can lead to disorganization, duplication, and a lack of information sharing. This can result in customer dissatisfaction and the loss of sales. Order entry software that automates data entry and order processing and integrates with your existing QuickBooks software can help.
Humans are going to make mistakes. When data is manually entered and re-entered repeatedly, the odds of mistakes being made in billing information or shipping addresses increase. Names will be misspelled, numbers will be entered incorrectly, and inventory counts will be off. Software that automatically re-enters and updates information greatly reduces the chances of errors. Software that tracks inventory keeps customers from ordering non-existing products. Allowing customers and sales reps to enter their orders online removes several steps where mistakes in data entry could have been made.
Where order entry software is not used, orders could originate on everything from scraps of paper to emails. Handwriting can be misinterpreted. Sales reps may have their own styles of recording and keeping customer data. Customer information could be located in several different places. Time is spent pulling data from one source to combine it with other sources to make reports. Customers may call in, and nobody knows who talked to them last or where to find the information to answer the customer's questions. Data changes in one place but not another, so questions arise about which information is correct and up-to-date. Having a centralized, automated way to enter and keep information helps everyone do his or her job quickly and efficiently. Changes are automatically updated where they are needed. Information is easily located, especially when the order entry software has search capabilities. Cloud-based order entry systems can be accessed anywhere, allowing sales reps and customers to find the answers to questions rather than calling into the office.
The time manual entry and processing takes is always going to be an issue. People are going to have bad days where everything takes longer than usual. Today, we live in an instant gratification society, and B2B eCommerce is no exception. Customers expect answers to questions immediately and orders to be filled promptly, without mistakes, and on time. Order entry software that automatically populates fields in order forms and invoices is going to be faster and more consistent.
Cutting down on mistakes and improving communications creates a more efficient order process. Customer service improves without increasing staff and payroll. Generating reports and viewing order histories allows you to see sales trends and identify strengths and weaknesses in your business. A cloud-based automated ordering system that integrates with your existing QuickBooks software will eliminate many of the problems you now face. It will give you the tools you need to continue to grow sales, provide for your customers, and give you an edge over your competition.