A New Sales Order Entry System for a New Era in Sales
In today’s wholesale environment, manufacturers and distributors are witnessing an innovation boom. With the advent of eCommerce, mobile sales applications, and other B2B technologies, retailers are beginning to expect a much more seamless ordering experience than that of years past.
Many sales reps in wholesale distribution are still writing orders using paper order forms and other old-school order entry systems like fillable PDFs and Excel Spreadsheets. Reliance on these manual order writing methods is becoming increasingly problematic in today’s digital, on-demand environment.
These traditional order entry systems invariably run the risk of human-error. Typos, illegibility, and misplaced order forms are just some of the risks inherent to manual order entry. Moreover, these order entry methods cost an enormous amount of time and money. When sales reps are in the field or at a trade show, handwriting orders on a form can be a tedious and time-consuming task; printing paper product catalogs is expensive, and they often quickly become outdated. These shortcomings preclude sales reps from providing superior customer service, which is a key differentiator for B2B companies.
Luckily, manufacturers and distributors now have access to a suite of new order entry systems for this new era of wholesale sales.
Mobile order writing software empowers sales reps in the field to enter type orders on smartphones and tablets, eliminating the need for manual order entry and re-entry. An ideal order entry system for today’s sales rep can not only enable sales reps to write orders faster, but also have those orders synced directly with back office systems once they’re written…
The syncing of information is not just an outbound action. Data from the back office––like product or pricing updates, new customer details, and inventory levels can by synced to sales reps’ mobile devices in the field. Mobile order writing software ensure sales reps have all the relevant information they need to go into a sales meeting.
These new order entry systems transcend traditional order writing methods through digital product catalogs that beautifully display products in high res images. Without a modern order entry system, sales reps usually have to rely on dull paper catalogs and a suitcase filled with samples to showcase their products. Now, sales reps in wholesale distribution can present their products as effectively as the retailers themselves. Leading order entry systems help deliver a branded experience that is consistent with other marketing channels, and custom branding features can allow sales reps to show off their brand’s logos and colors.
The adoption of mobile order writing software tells customers and competition alike that your brand is relevant and modern. Sales reps using new mobile sales order entry systems can take orders faster and more efficiently, while also reducing order processing costs. For manufacturers and distributors looking to maximize business on the road or at a trade show, new order entry systems can completely revolutionize the way they sell to customers.
This article was written by Taylor Link from Business2Community and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.
###
The Panasonic Solutions for Business blog occasionally posts licensed third-party content we believe is relevant to our audience.
For more information on Panasonic Toughbook and Toughpad mobility solutions, click here.
