Distributors face an ever challenging market that transforms overnight. The best solution for resilience, adaptation, and end-to-end management is Infor systems. Distributors have made the shift from clipboards and timeclocks to Infor systems to manage daily tasks, revenue tracking, inventory systems, and more.
5 Challenges Distributors Face When Adapting in New and Existing Markets
Distributors face an extra set of challenges compared to “traditional” industries.
Distributors juggle a challenging list of consumer desire, vendor schedules, seasonal shifts, and global communication – inside and outside of the distribution warehouse. Here is a list of the top 5 challenges distributors have expressed they face when adapting is part of daily operations.
1. Inventory Shifts
‘Inventory’ is a word that seems simple to most but carries a great deal of weight for all distributors and their respective partners and business relationships. Inventory is a multi-faceted aspect of the business that requires materials and tools, it must move and be classified, it must be accurate, at times it requires maintenance and repair, and it must make it to the client on time. Infor systems are what keep inventory in perspective for distributors. Infor systems give personnel a realistic and real-time look at what is in, what is out, what is waiting, and what is sitting, feeding data about transactions and orders, and then classifying them appropriately.
2. Cost Control
No meeting happens in the industry without the two words – cost control – rolling of the tongue and making the presentation discussion every time. Cost control relies on many factors; the first being the all-mighty ‘inventory,’ but there’s more. Cost control is about efficiency, effective order processing and turnaround, purchasing, asset management and utilization, and supplier network, and new customer demand. SX.e Infor management systems is a common way distributors tackle every angle of cost control without compromising customer and vendor relations, providing more accurate and present financial insight, advances order control features to name a few.
3. Warehouse Management
The warehouse itself makes an entire shift once the new demands and protocols trickle down to the warehouse floor. Infor systems rely on workflow data, logistics, and analytical data to heighten warehouse operations. SX.e systems implement methods and express data that allows for delivery accuracy, accurate and affordable shipping solutions, and improving the time it takes to move stock from the receiving docks to the clients front door.
Accompanying warehouse management concerns and efficiency is supply chain management. An efficient distribution operation is one that can keep the right amount of supplies, at the right times, and for the appropriate costs. It has to keep moving to be profitable and for the company to remain productive. Infor systems permit large-scale and modest distribution warehouses to communicate faster and more efficiently for better results not only at the warehouse itself but for the client as well.
4. Client Satisfaction
Without client satisfaction, the rest of the list doesn’t matter because there is no one to explore the inventory, place the orders, receive the shipments, and pay the bills. Client satisfaction is a feature that any market demands, regardless of the shifts in expectations and inventory demands. SX.e Infor systems provide distributors with the tools that not only streamline the customer experience, but tackle the end-to-end requirements of each order and future shifts. Infor system management tools automate order entry processes, make inventory and ordering services 24/7, and to communicate personally with each and every customer. Infor systems enable accurate and targeted marketing practices, automated tools for ordering, packaging and shipping, tracking, and service management functions.
Infor SX.e solutions also provide warehouse managers and personnel with insightful tools to create thorough profiles for each customer with whom they do business on a daily business. This is possible with CRM – or Customer Relationship Management – tools that permit users to manage a customer relationship lifecycle, match customers to their individual orders, maintain dialogue between each customer through each phase of the ordering process, and ultimately deliver unparalleled customer service, regardless of the new market and its conditions.
Distributors face the brunt of a shifting economy and consumer demands, as well as technology changes and privacy requirements. SX.e solves many of the issues distributors face in any market – new, seasonal, and existing – with Infor system management tools that tackle service and distribution at every angle of circulation and profit.
5. Expansion
Every company wants to expand, but it cannot do so without critical market insight, as well as internal insight about its operations and relationships. As mentioned before, Infor systems provide automated and accurate tools to improve the customer experience, capture current market demands, and roll over profitable inventory, all while maintaining a constant 24/7 online and catalog presence, reducing supply chain costs, packaging, marketing, and connecting the warehouse.
Infor systems are logistical tools and applications that make distribution warehouses work smarter and more profitable with Infor SX.e solutions. It allows warehouses to handle hundreds to thousands of transactions day in and day out, regardless of where the orders come from and where the warehouse is located, so that essential personnel and management can tackle the expansion and operation concerns that matter the most.
Contact NSA Computer Exchange for help optimizing your Infor System or upgrading to Infor.