In the past, the practice of accumulating backorders over the day or week to place a master purchase order was the norm. Manually matching up the backorders when stock arrived was a time consuming and error-prone process. Orders sitting on the dock were held up waiting for that one last item to arrive. Those are not the processes that work in today’s world of immediacy.
The right answer
We’ve come a long way, and technology fuels those advances. A fully integrated ERP system synchs the order and purchasing processes to optimize inventory and fulfillment.
The process should go something like this:
- The sales rep sees the out of stock status when the order is placed so they can set expectations with the customer.
- A purchase order request is automatically created and linked to the customer’s order.
- Depending on urgency, the purchasing agent can combine the request into a master PO, choose a preferred vendor or request drop ship of the item.
- In the case of special orders, it should be easy to enter detailed information that will flow with the order.
- At receiving, the item is immediately matched with the original order.
The bottom line
Through smart application of technology’s potential, you can make huge leaps in both efficiency and accuracy. True productivity gains will allow you to grow the business without added headcount.
With Microsoft Dynamics GP the answer is YES.
Next steps:
- Download the full white paper “10 Questions Every Distribution Company Needs to Ask Before Buying Accounting Software” to get all 10 questions (and the answers).
- Get more information about Microsoft Dynamics GP for Distribution at www.calszone.com/distribution
- Schedule a Discovery call www.calszone.com/discovery
If you are a small or mid-sized distribution company evaluating accounting software, contact CAL Business Solutions to determine if Microsoft Dynamics GP is right for you. sales@calszone.com 860-485-0910×4.
