How Vital Is Distribution Management Software To Your Business?

Creating a successful wholesale distribution company without powerful distribution management software is becoming more challenging. Demand for faster order fulfillment and excellent customer service can be a strain on any company, but especially on a distributor or manufacturer that requires a multifaceted ERP solution.

According to a blog post on the Wholesale Distribution Software website, an inefficient distribution management system means an even greater strain. Poor manual process oversight and/or low data-quality standards are a nightmare to operations managers. The automation provided by distribution management software will be paramount for any company seeking to thrive in this competitive environment.

Why is software the solution? For employees from the executive level to warehouse/product managers and salespeople, a distribution management system means greater visibility into supply chain and manufacturing as well as financial data, pricing and product availability. The benefits of greater control in these areas are numerous and have been proven to increase profitability and reduce cost.

According to the blog post, “although these solutions have been around for quite a while now, few business owners have actually implemented them. The others do not know that these solutions can be the perfect tools for expanding their business.”

Once the decision has been made to implement distribution management software to help run the business, there are many important questions to ask. For example, what kind of business do you have? Do you have warehouse management needs? If you’re in manufacturing, how are your assembly processes linked with your inventory management system?

The blog post says “different organizations have different needs, but there are several common requirements such as centralized purchasing and flexible order entry, distribution planning, managing the imports, managing customer relationships and improving customer satisfaction.” These along with assembly and warehouse management solutions are essential to a viable distribution management software package.

In our experience, a cloud-based solution that integrates ERP and CRM along with a strong e-commerce package is ideal. At this uncertain stage of the process, we also recommend bringing in an experienced solution partner to help map important business and data management processes.

Implementing the proper software for your company will lessen the burden of manual processes at all levels. Increased insight and more efficient processes will mean growth and prosperity for your wholesale distribution company.

Source: Wholesale Distribution Software, July 2013