Businesses are built on relationships and as a business owner, maintaining a great relationship with your customers as well as your suppliers can make growth a habit rather than an exception. A good distribution software allows you focus on growing your business instead of spending time on micro managing each process and every employee.
This means that every process in your business should map into your software so that you can quickly monitor what is going on in your business with a quick glance at relavant reports.
Here are a few tips to help you choose the right software :
Data is the new oil
From the credit terms of your customers to the special offers given by you, your entire business runs completely on the data in your software. This means, it is extremely important that this data remains safe and impervious to unauthorized access or theft. It is also equally important that your data is safely backed up and protected against ransomware virus attacks or physical damage to your server / hard disk.
Your software should keep your data very secure and at the same time it should provide a great real-time cloud backup so that you can run your business with peace of mind.
Give your customers the best experience
The experience you give your customers will ultimately decide your growth. Give this utmost importance. Make sure that they are given a portal to order online so that they never run out of items or depend on your reps. Send them a thank you SMS / email for each transaction / collection and see the improvement in customer retention. This gives your customers a reason to never go to another distributor.
Another way to add a special touch is to give each customer personalized offers. This will make them feel special and valued. A software with an advanced scheme / offer generator can make the difference between cutting into your profits by giving huge discounts to retain customers and keeping your customers very happy while enjoying a healthy profit.
Your software should set you free, not tie you down.
As a business owner, you need to travel the world and learn the latest tricks in the trade, adopt new technologies, meet new potential customers, look at the bigger picture and spend time with your family as well. Your business can run well only as long as you are relaxed and worry free.
Your software should give you the freedom to monitor your business from anywhere in the world. Ensure that your software never ties you down to your office chair. You should not be dependent on your vendor’s working hours for support. These days, a 24/7 support system is absolutely essential. Be free from your vendor by serving yourself with self help videos. This gives you complete independence.
It is also important that you don’t spend time micro managing your own employees. Don’t over staff and instead, invest in the right tools to empower your employees to perform better. For example, give your sales reps an order taking app and eliminate the need for a phone operator.
Accuracy in accounting and reports
No two businesses have the same needs. You should be able to create customizable reports to see what is relevant. Make sure you software allows you to export your report into common formats and lets you mail your suppliers directly as well. This will save you a lot of time and effort.
Most B2B businesses operate on credit. Financial accounts are probably the most important part of your software. Make sure you are able to create the right checks and balances like credit limits and due dates.Your software should also be able to send you and your customer notifications when credit terms have been breached. This ensures profitability for you business. Also check if the software helps you keep track of theft and physical stock mismatches.
