Wholesale Distributors
Flexible automation lets you keep on adding more efficiency and capability to your workflow
We’ll put a system in place that pays for itself quickly, while it grows with you and supports the way you want to work
Distribution Company Case Study: Softland International
Learn how Softland International worked with AIS to continuously adapt their AccountMate system for 20 years, to support their growth and meet their changing business needs.
View or download the PDF—Distributor Case Study: Softland International
It's about staying competitive
“The bottom line is that our highly customized software lets us offer more value to our customers faster than our competition.”
–Patrick Nugent, CEO
As wholesale distributors respond to new customer and marketplace needs, their technology ought to easily respond to these changes
3 distributors who turned to AIS when their systems became unreliable
1. Rapid growth caused $100K per year in new inefficiencies
A distributor supplies materials to residential building contractors.
Their increased sales led to customer service failures. Quotes got lost. Customer service reps didn’t know what sales reps had promised to customers. Items were delivered, installed and serviced with multiple touches, drawing down profits. Customers unhappy with their jobs delayed their payments.
AIS set up automation and quality controls to prevent these failures and their costs, while consolidating all customer and item information into one system that all departments share.
2. The failure of an old system nearly shut down the business
A wholesale distributor supplies housewares to big retailers.
One day their longtime system failed, stopping order entry, shipping, inventory management and more. But their software was no longer supported and the vendor was no longer taking support calls.
AIS got them up and running on a new system in a few days, just in time to prevent them from going out of business.
2. Employees had to prod their legacy software at every step
A regional distributor of machine tools and parts had outdated financial management software that was no longer keeping up.
Employees were spending more and more time processing orders, invoicing, monitoring status, and communicating updates. But they had less and less time to do so. These things needed to happen automatically so the users didn’t have to initiate processes in the software.
AIS automated many of their communications, allowing them to run a $12M company and keep growing with the same five salespeople and no new hires.
If your order fulfillment is slowing down, get an automated system to increase your agility and accuracy as your company grows.
Don’t spread your software budget evenly across your workflow
Your high-value process is the place to address problems and really tailor your system. That’s where it pays to remove all constraints, optimize things, and bolster your ability to innovate and iterate.
In the other areas of your workflow, stick with the standard choices that come with the software. Save larger changes for later, or add smaller software tweaks just in the places where it will make people’s jobs a lot easier. And for any functions you don’t need, don’t buy them.
Start by assessing which is most critical to you:
1. Handle a high volume without workflow blockages
OR
2. Maintain a high level of quality control to ensure accuracy
Then, prioritize your technology budget on the appropriate software and expertise to help you optimize your workflow.
We’d look forward to walking your warehouses with you to understand your business. We’ll bring you ideas and recommendations based on our experience with hundreds of other distributors.
Contact Us with what’s on your mind or give us a call at (410) 561-0778.