QuickBooks allows you and your company to keep track of a wide variety of things, but it also has limitations, especially in wholesale order management. One of the biggest of these limitations is that it isn't normally accessible to everyone who needs it. Salespeople on the road, fulfillment center personnel, and others are forced to call or email the main office with updates and requests for information. This isn't just inefficient - it leaves many openings for errors to creep in.
Fortunately, combating this problem is far easier than it seems. It just takes integrating QuickBooks with an add-on made especially for wholesale order management. Here are some of the things such an integration can do for your operations:
Eliminate Redundant Data Handling
This is one of the biggest benefits of expanding QuickBooks. Without such an expansion, data from multiple sources must be delivered to a person who will enter it into your bookkeeping program. Under such circumstances, the same information must be handled at the point of origin, transferred to the data entry person, and then entered. That's three places where errors can creep in. Since one typo can cause you to have the wrong inventory, end up with orders for things that aren't in stock, or cause a shipment to be misdelivered, it's essential that you minimize the chance of that happening.
With the right QuickBooks expansion, the redundant handling of data is eliminated. It gets entered into the system right at the point of origin instead of going through one or more transcription phases. When you are no longer "playing Telephone" with essential information, accuracy increases dramatically. Not only that, there are no longer the delays associated with passing information around. Instead, everything gets entered as close to instantly as possible.
Improve Inventory Management
Have you ever gotten a big order only to check your shelves and find out that the item is out of stock? If so, you know the pain and frustration that goes along with having to refund the customer's money. Even worse, you know that feeling in the pit of your stomach that accompanies the realization that the customer will likely never return.
Preventing this problem is much easier with expanded QuickBooks-based inventory for wholesale order management. The proper integration will automatically adjust your records of stock levels as orders come in. Then, when something runs out, your system will let you know before you accept an order that you can't fulfill. Customers will find your company to be much more professional when you can inform them of stock levels in real time.
Allow Wholesale Customers Access to Suitable Online Ordering
Today's wholesale customers don't always want to wait until business hours to put their orders in. They also don't have time to wait for appointments with your salespeople, especially when they're placing repeat orders. With the right QuickBooks add-on, you can allow them to put their orders directly into your system through an online interface. You can set this interface up to give each account its own custom pricing and terms, so there's no need to worry about clients being charged incorrectly.
Standardize Product Descriptions
This is important for online ordering, but it's also essential for your phone and field salespeople. By giving everyone the ability to read the official description from wherever they are, you eliminate the confusion caused by misremembered facts. This will improve customer satisfaction and reduce product returns.
With all of these benefits, it's no wonder that wholesalers are turning to QuickBooks and add-ons for their wholesale order management. The streamlined process speeds up operations, gives customers the convenient ordering they expect, and reduces errors. To learn about Now Commerce, which is one of the best add-ons currently available, just give us a call or send us an e-mail. We'll be glad to tell you all about it.
