At DSD Assist we often find ourselves working with customers who are using manual systems and processes. This can range from firms who are performing “spreadsheet Olympics” to customers with legacy systems that were never really designed to handle the multi-channel needs of a modern Food and Beverage firm.
An order management system, purpose designed for Food and Beverage, and being aware of multiple sales channels, will help eliminate these manual tasks while also helping grow sales.
In principle, order management hasn’t really changed in decades. However what has changed are expectations, the sales landscape and technology.
In Food and Beverage order management requires a multi-dimensional perspective that touches many facets of how your business operates. Order management in Food and Beverage firms actually begins with the delivery plan. If you know which suburbs or areas you are delivering to tomorrow then we can determine who should be ordering today. These customers could be sent a text message at the start of the day reminding them that today is their order day and that the order cut off time is at, say, 3pm. If the customer had a standing order then they would be reminded they had until the cut off time to change their order.
During the day sales reps might generate orders, and customers might place their own orders on the web or via EDI. Some orders may be telephoned or faxed into the office. The Order Management System captures all these orders as they are received and logistics can begin to get a sense of the delivery workload for the next day.
Importantly, because the Order Management System knows who we are expecting to receive orders from a list of who has not ordered can be generated. These customers might get an outbound telephone call or a further text message. After all, we want to gather as many orders as possible as this is the revenue engine of the business.
After cut-off time the orders gathered might be sent to the ERP or Accounting system, or the warehouse for picking, or be converted to delivery orders and optimised before picking. In some Food and Beverage categories the orders need to update manufacturing as bread and milk is made fresh before delivery the next morning.
So a well-designed Order Management System, optimised for Food and Beverage will not only save time and cost, it will also help your business grow using a modern multi-channel sales model.
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