A local office supply company needs a faster way to fulfill customer orders and compete with the national retailers who are able to offer a lower price point without the use of a direct sales force. This company is locally owned, drives business with direct sales, personal connections to the customer, and is service-oriented.

On a regular schedule, each account manager visits their assigned accounts loaded with the company catalog and a paper order tablet. The account manager reviews her customers’ needs to determine required refills and offer potential new offerings. She hand writes each customer order on an order form and provides the customer with a copy at the end of the visit before heading off to the next customer. At the end of the day, the account manager drives back to headquarters and turns in the paper orders to be entered into their business system the following day.

The next morning, the order desk enters the orders and provides a confirmation report on any back-ordered items to the account manager via email. The account manager receives this update the next time she picks up her emails which may be anywhere from first thing the next morning to 24 hours later. After receiving this information the account manager needs to schedule a follow-up contact with her customers to notify them of the back-ordered items and re-establish expectations. Up to 36 hours may pass from the account manager’s visit and the follow-up contact with the customer.

What the account manager needs is a solution that allows her to set proper expectations during the initial customer visit and handle exceptions in a timelier, more direct manner.
 

The Solution

To answer these needs AND allow the local office supply company to expand their business, a form was created using Microsoft InfoPath that can be used to enter order information directly onto a laptop. What this means is that the account manager is able to create a sales order while still sitting in the customer’s office. She can see the current inventory status, as of the most recent synchronization. The form does all of this without requiring the account manager to be on-line.

The next time the account manager synchronizes her email, the order is sent to the office supply order desk and another updated “copy” of the inventory is applied to the account manager’s laptop. The inventory can be refreshed as often as it is feasible to connect to the internet. So whether it is at the local internet café, coffee shop or wireless access point in the customer’s office, the orders can flow directly back to the order desk and important backorder information can be emailed to the account manager. The account manager has an up-to-date inventory status as often as she connects to the internet and she can provide that critical information to the customer in hours instead of days.
 

The Benefit

By working with their local Solomon Partner and Plumbline Solutions, the office supply company was presented with a solution that allows the account manager much faster access to current inventory, which in turn provides better service to their customer base. The competitive advantage created by the solution, results in highly satisfied customers, produces an excellent ROI, and preserves customer retention.