Beyond AP Automation - Customer Order Automation - In an Amazon World

August 26, 2021

Beyond AP Automation - Customer Order Automation - In an Amazon World

HandsFree ERP is a dramatically different approach to the data capture and automation market for Microsoft Dynamics ERP solutions. It includes AP Automation but is so much more. In the following series of blogs we lay out these differences.

Beyond AP Automation

 In our previous blog, AP Automation – The Better Mousetrap, we discussed the data capture and automation industry and how there is a better approach than the existing architecture for AP Automation.  That fact can best be illustrated by looking at customer orders.
Consider the expectations of your average consumer with an Amazon Prime account. Disappointment is now measured by the failure to deliver the perfect product by the end of that day.


Not next week, not tomorrow, the end of the day.     

Beyond AP Automation

It is safe to assume that this need for immediate gratification on the part of consumers has to creep into the workplace. Maybe sub-consciously at first, but eventually, the speed of delivery may compete with price as the dominant decision criteria when selecting a vendor.
The expectation of immediate satisfaction must spill into the business world. Can you afford to get your products to your customers “next month or next week”?


If buying decisions are made on availability, price, and quality, can you afford to lag on delivery time?


THE BOTTLENECK   
Studies from industry groups show that a significant bottleneck in the sales order fulfillment process is the manual input of sales orders. Speed and accuracy are critical. Our webinar will focus on reducing the time it takes to enter sales orders while also improving data accuracy. The impact on your organization can be dramatic, with improvement in:


  • Delivery times
  • Customer satisfaction
  • Supply chain visibility
  • Cash in the bank!


The need for increased speed and data accuracy is compelling, but the cost for entering sales orders can also be dramatic.


In reviewing industry studies, The cost to enter and average vendor invoice has been calculated to be between $15 and $40 per invoice. Conversely, estimates for customer order data entry were estimated to vary between $50 and $1,000 per order. At first, that seemed impossible, but thinking through the size of some customer orders and the involved business process that I have seen at customers, it is easy to see how that is possible.


So while vendors in the ERP space continue to focus on AP automation, can your company afford this antiquated approach in the world of Amazonian expectations?


If you are interested in a simple solution to this set of limitations for current AP Automation solutions, check out our entire
blog series and be alerted to new entries here.




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