Is increased efficiency within your grasp, but a stubborn tenacity to existing methods and systems keeping you from grabbing hold and making needed changes? If so, you are in good company. It’s been said that the greatest human fear is that of change, followed in a close second by fear of failure. (Rejection is number three in case you’re wondering!) It’s no wonder most of us keep doing things the hard way!
If you are tired of your company doing things the hard way, and willing to risk a little change, consider these ideas for your business.
Paperless Customer Service – Whether you sell hats, computers or landscape services, having your order takers jotting handwritten orders is highly inefficient and typically error-laden. The better solution is computer-assisted order taking. The customer service rep has access to your computer system at their desk and simply brings up the customer’s screen as soon as she knows they want to order. The order history appears on her screen. She can simply duplicate the last order, modify the last order, or create a new order. Can you imagine your CSR during her next customer order saying, “Mr. Customer, I see you ordered a case of ________ and two cases of ________ on your last order? Do you need those today too?” Screen prompted order-taking is a terrific service for your customers and a moneymaker for you.
Paperless Order to Dispatch – Once you have paperless ordering mastered, the next step is for that order to go directly via your computer network to dispatch. In the most elementary system, the order simply goes to a printer located in the dispatcher’s work area. In a more sophisticated system, the order may not be printed until PC-based dispatch is complete with driver and truck.
Best Buy/Best Rack Automated Decisions – If your company’s delivery geography is such that you consistently have multiple rack and vendor choices, you can’t afford to be without a Best Buy module for your software. This module, coupled with automatic pricing downloads, makes foolproof profit-maximizing rack choices, simplifying your dispatcher’s day. More sophisticated modules can track volumes by vendor for min/max purposes and have user-friendly manual overrides for outages or allocations. Again, check with your current software provider for their capabilities. Most vendors have generic modules and can also customize them to your exact requirements without a large expenditure. How much time would your dispatcher gain if he or she did not have to struggle with rack choices?
If you need motivation to make these changes, just pencil into the margin your guess about how much money your company could save by implementing each idea. Then, pick up the phone. Ideas are good, but action is better. You will never know what you can save until you try.
