Because their products are highly perishable and require weekly or even daily replenishment, bakery companies have a keen interest in any technology that can improve route efficiency and order accuracy. Route accounting solutions for bakeries can accomplish both of those goals with the help of mobile computers and real-time wireless communication.
Store managers, sales managers, and delivery personnel spend hundreds of hours trying to resolve invoice discrepancies. Route accounting solutions can eliminate this unproductive work by providing real-time, accurate order and invoice data to all parties, along with fast route audit and settlement processes.
Real-time order management helps improve production. Better inventory information also helps reduce out of stocks and returns. With a better idea of how fast inventory is moving at each customer site, bakeries can also reduce stales rates, which not only improves customer relationships, but also saves money.
A More Efficient Sales force
Route accounting solutions for bakeries put valuable customer, order, and inventory data right in the sales reps’ hands. This reduces manual data entry, paper shuffling, and phone calls that were required to complete deliveries or answer customer questions. Taking shelf inventory is a snap using a barcode scanner, and saves even more time.
Sales representatives can quickly complete the delivery and order taking process, which gives them more time to spend upselling customers or re-working displays to improve sales. This also helps the reps save time for the customers (who can reduce receiving time), and allows them to complete more stops on their own routes.
Increased Sales
Route accounting software for bakeries provides real-time customer data to sales reps, who can then use that sales history and promotional data to more effectively engage with customers at the point of transaction. They can immediately take advantage of potential add-on or upsell opportunities, provide more competitive pricing and discounts, generate quotes on the spot, and accept payment using their mobile computers.
Reduced Paperwork
Using a mobile route accounting solution for bakeries, you can let customers check their sales information right on the mobile device and collect electronic signatures on the screen. Reps can issue invoices and receipts via e-mail or with mobile printers as soon as the delivery is made or payment is collected. All sales orders can be viewed on screen, which eliminates the need for bundles of paper order sheets. Removing paper and manual data collection also reduces errors.
This not only saves printing time and paper costs, but also eliminates problems associated with lost documents. All of the information can immediately be uploaded into billing, accounting, and inventory systems. If there is a question about an order or delivery later, sales reps can easily call up that information electronically. The billing cycle is also accelerated because invoices can be generated instantaneously.
Route accounting solutions for bakeries can make your sales representatives and delivery drivers more informed, effective and efficient. This saves time and reduces costs, while also enabling the entire team to provide better customer service and boost sales.
