Over the last few weeks I’ve realized that the distributors are becoming increasingly more focused on adopting route dsd software technology in order to gain an edge in their respective markets. This newly found technological focus is centered on replacing computers that run Windows XP with Windows 8, or updating to the newest version of QuickBooks. Although these changes are marginally better and often necessary, it has become clear that most distributors aren’t really thinking about technology as a means to solve real problems for their business. Right now is the best time to start leveraging technology as a way to automate medial tasks, free up employee time, and maximize company profits.

 

Many of the distributors we work with initially view the term “automation” as both complicated and expensive. In reality, this opinion is based on truths formulated ten years ago when companies had to purchase both hardware and software. Today all you need is a smartphone, an internet connection, and an application to automate the jobs of multiple people in your organization. Tasks that can be cheaply automated include:

 

  1. Order & Payment Entry– All collected payments and created orders can be sent directly to your accounting system. This means that your team no longer has to input stacks of invoices or payments by hand.
  2. Inventory Management – All truck and route inventory can be managed via mobile device. As the orders are created, the inventory is updated automatically so inventory can be reconciled at the end of the day.
  3. Data Access – Salesmen can view client information, client order history and product data on the fly. This means that you no longer have to print product lists, price guides, or client information.

 

A month ago we installed the LaceUp system for the a local distributor to determine the actual benefit automating the above tasks. I went to work with their route (DSD) sales representatives during the day, and overlooked end of day reconciliation in the evening. After a week I found that each route (DSD) sales representative was able to complete their day in seven hours instead of eight on average. The salesmen were able to make the same amount of stops in less time due to the information available on their devices. Moreover, the system freed up around two hours per day for the order desk team who no longer had to input 100 orders and 15 payments per day into their accounting system. In the warehouse, the manager was able to do inventory reconciliation thirty minutes faster each day due to inventory tracking and reporting. As a whole we estimated that each employee who touched LaceUp was able to create a $10.00 per day benefit for the company. Using this estimate, we designed to compute what a DSD system could save you (Download the DSD-Software-Profit-Calculator).

 

For instance, a distributor with six employees using the system will see a benefit of $15,800 in the first year. In the second year, the system would have already paid for itself and the distributor would see a $21,900 benefit. This increase in benefit grows proportionately as the size of the company increases. In the end, process automation turns out to be an immediate way to unlock profits for your organization. If you are still using paper and manual labor to do medial tasks, please make the leap to 2015 and look into a system.

 

Find out what your benefit could be. Download the DSD-Software-Profit-Calculator.