Truck Routing software

Let’s take a brief journey into the past. Not so long ago, companies relied on large, over-worked sales teams, a cumbersome amount of phone calls, and error-ridden paper processes to operate their distribution businesses. And let’s talk about customer service. Clients were never sure if their orders would be accurate, when they would arrive, or if they would even arrive. The only way to check was to call in to distribution offices and hope you reached someone who knew what they were doing. Thankfully, this is not the case anymore.

The end game for any successful food distribution, wholesale, and manufacturing operation is simple: how do I increase efficiency and make more money so I can expand my business? Well, many companies seeking to reduce human-error and cut costs are turning to the latest online ordering software – especially since these new tools act more like online concierge services for customers while streamlining production for the warehouse.

Here are 6 ways online ordering is transforming the food distribution industry:

1. Ease of use – With a simple ID and password login, clients can gain access to their order information from anywhere at any time. Organized, efficient dashboards make it easy to scan through and access the information they need. The whole ordering process can be done quicker and more accurately than ever.

2. Empowering your customers – Give your users never-before realized power over their orders and accounts. From tracking orders to viewed histories and confirmations of placed orders, clients now have the ability to gain instant, organized visibility into their work with your distribution company.

3. Lowered sales overhead – Orders can be processed and sent to shipping and packing almost instantly, eliminating the sales middle-man originally needed.

4. More efficient processes – By eliminating burdensome paper processes and phone, companies can expedite order picking, packing, and shipping.

5. Time savings – With more automation, distributors save time inputting and fulfilling orders, which means customers get their orders even

faster.

6. Happier customers –By making the entire ordering process more efficient, products get to customers faster with fewer errors, which – in turn – makes clients happy. And, we all know, a happy client is a returning client.

Discover how harnessing the latest online ordering capabilities can transform the productivity of your entire business, as well as dramatically increase client satisfaction ratings. Reach out to a Cornerstone Systems expert today to learn more!

Food distribution businesses provide a diverse array of products to an assortment of customers, and quick, accurate order fulfillments are the difference between a successful reputation and a poor reputation. A simple way to avoid errors – and the inevitable customer dissatisfaction when errors are made – is through barcoding. Barcoding technologies collect, report, track, and distribute data on products and packaging, and today’s barcoding systems can do more than ever.

With a simple hand-held, mobile device, warehouse workers can head out into a vast warehouse – filled with various items and products – and gain assistance when picking items for an order. These new barcode systems allow workers to gain a logistical point of view, which allows them to move around the warehouse more effectively.

With batch picking, warehouse workers can also see everything that needs to be picked for an entire order and where each item is located in the warehouse, so they can strategize more effective plans. This allows for orders to be picked faster than ever. New barcode systems even capture weights of products as they are being scanned, ensuring that the heaviest and lightest items are placed appropriately in shipping trucks. There are two reasons why this is ideal for distributers.

First, it eliminates the need to calculate the weights of an entire shipment after the batch has been picked and is about to be loaded into a shipping vessel. As products are scanned, the weight is automatically calculated, which allows the pallet of items to simply be taken right onto the transport vessel. This saves a great deal of time in the packing and shipping process, and optimizes work staffs so more shipments can be made per day. Secondly, with more organized packing directions result in fewer damaged products. This means happier customers and a substantial cost savings for distributers.

At SR²Software, we offer affordable technology to our clients to quicken their fulfillment processes. Our barcoding solutions are built for supporting small and medium food distributers. We can work with your business to develop flexible solutions based on your business and customer needs.

Do you know how these modern barcoding systems can transform your company’s shipping processes and make your entire warehouse more efficient? Visit our website to learn more, and reach out to the Cornerstone Systems team today!