Do You Need Specialized ERP Software for Wholesale Distributors?

Many small distributors chose Quickbooks as did many startup businesses. However, when you’re talking about specialized ERP software for wholesale distributors, Quickbooks is not the answer. It begins to slow down quickly as transaction volume rises. In addition to speed and performance issues, there are many other tell-tale signs that you need specialized ERP software for wholesale distributors. Operational efficiencies, inventory and warehouse problems and lack of 3rd party software integration are some of the compelling reasons to consider specialized ERP software for wholesale distributors like Accolent ERP.

Quickbooks was designed to be generic accounting and bookkeeping software for a wide variety of businesses. And maybe it does a good job at that. However, it lacks the features and functionality that ERP software for wholesale distributors must have.

Signs You Need Specialized ERP Software for Wholesale Distributors

Let’s take a look at some of the signs that your business might be outgrowing your current software:

1. Your Costs Are Skyrocketing Due to a Lack of Control

Feature

Sign

Profitability

You are leaving money on the table because you don’t have the complex pricing features that you would get with specialized ERP software for wholesale distributors. This would allow you to optimize pricing and get the highest prices.

Powerful pricing tools

ERP software for wholesale distributors allows multiple contracts and specified contract hierarchies, matrix pricing, quantity breaks, special pricing while minimizing your pricing maintenance. You need this.

Business Intelligence

You need industry-leading business intelligence and data analytics capabilities to make true data-driven decisions.

Inventory Tracking is Poor

Inventory management is the core requirement for ERP software for wholesale distributors. You must be able to closely manage inventory and replenishment. If you are experiencing frequent stock-outs, you are driving up shipping costs and degrading customer service.

Costly overhead of outdated systems

On a total cost of ownership basis, legacy on-premises systems are difficult and expensive to maintain compared to current Cloud-based ERP software for wholesale distributors.

Unnecessary write-offs

If your software is not designed for your specialized wholesale distributor workflows, it may be causing you many extra steps, lost sales, and unnecessary write-offs.

Cash Flow Issues

Moving to Cloud-based ERP software for wholesale distributors delivered through a SaaS subscription, avoids big upfront expenditure for software and servers and helps your cash flow.

High HR Costs

If your software isn’t optimized for your business, your staff will be inefficient, make unnecessary mistakes, and have to fumble around with paper systems and spreadsheets. This inevitably leads to high turnover and high HR costs.

2. Employees and Processes are Inefficient

Feature

Sign

Mobility and Access

Your on-premises system does not accommodate users in the field or employees working remotely. You cannot accommodate tablets or smart phones. This, is slowing your processes and reducing efficiency.

Month-End Closeouts Take Too Long

You struggle with inconsistent record keeping. You require one centralized data source, so month-end close-outs can take hours instead of days.

Employees Can’t Pull Reports

You’d benefit from libraries of pre-programmed reports as well as easy-to-use report builders that will allow team members to quickly and easily get the information they need.

Manual Methods

Your software does not support electronic payments, so everything has to be done by paper checks. An automated AP system can eliminate the need for paper in your accounting systems.

3. Badly Need Features Available in ERP software for wholesale distributors

Feature

Sign

BOM

You need a Bill of Materials that allows for unlimited levels of nested BOMs to track your processes and costs including labor.

CRM

You are losing sales because you don’t have an integrated CRM and/or the ability to integrate with a third-party CRM application that your salespersons like.

Customer Service

Customer service reps cannot easily look up orders statuses or customer accounts. Customer service reps don’t have access to customer dashboards.

eCommerce

You are losing traction because you are not selling online on established eCommerce platforms or marketplaces, and you cannot give your existing customers access to an online self-service portal.

EDI

You need EDI automation to reduce human error and allow you to serve multiple trading partners that require electronic transaction processing.

Landed Cost

You purchase goods overseas and need to keep track of multiple landed costs, insurance, sea freight, clearing and forwarding, import duties and tariffs, port demurrage, drayage costs, etc.

Lot Tracking

You need to comprehensively track lots, expiry dates and serial numbers.

Multiple Units of Measure

You need multiple units of measure because you buy in one unit and sell in others.

Alternates and Accessories

You do not have a good way of keeping track of all the alternates and accessories related to each product you sell.

3rd Party Carrier Billing

Your customers’ want to use their FedEx & UPS accounts not yours and you cannot accommodate this.

Multi-Carrier Shipping

You need to be able to rate shop multiple carriers for small parcel shipping and link to LTL, FTL, intermodal, air steamship lines for inbound and outbound freight.

4. You Cannot Manage Your Warehouses Effectively

Feature

Sign

Picking Efficiency

You need inventory by location, pick tickets generated based on location to increase picking efficiency, and packing and shipping. You need to be able to assign picking sequences to improve efficiency and throughput.

Warehouse Transfers

You need to account for warehouse transfers and/or set up discrete business units by warehouse.

Generate and Print Barcodes

You would like to scan and print barcodes to increase the efficiency of all your processes.

Wireless Scanning

You want to take advantage of wireless scanning devices for picking, packing, shipping PO receiving, put-away and physical inventory processes.

5. Lack of Integrated Systems

Feature

Sign

Visibility Across Departments

You need real-time inventory and GAAP-compliant accounting across your whole business.

Too Many Systems

You are trying to maintain data in multiple systems, and it is time-consuming and inaccurate. You require a database that updates in real time and keeps all your inventory and accounting current.

POS System Is Disconnected

You are spending way too much time reconciling POS systems. Automation can help you eliminate wasted time and increase the accuracy of your reporting.

6. Limited Flexibility

Feature

Sign

Integrations With Leading Solutions

You see many benefits to integrating with applications like Fiserv (Integrated Payments), Phocas Software (Business Intelligence), FreightPOP (Freight), EasyPost (Small Parcel), Avalara (Sales Tax), Tipalti (AP Automation), and more. However, your current software cannot integrate with them. You need a solution that has these and many more direct linkages already built-in.

Scalable, Load-Balanced, Secure Platform

Cloud applications are taking over; you see this in how Microsoft, Google, Adobe and others are migrating their products. You are concerned about future-proofing your business’ investment in software and systems.

7. Improved Processes

Feature

Sign

Batch Process Orders and Invoices

It’s taking too long to process orders, picking, packing shipping and invoices, one by one. You need robust batch processes.

Import from Prior Orders

Salespersons get bogged down because they cannot quickly create new orders from past orders or quotes.

Your Database is obsolete

Legacy databases do not adapt well to modern hardware – you need software built on SQL, which runs in the AWS platform, is stable, robust and the industry-standard.

Quick Customer Snapshots: Purchase History, Aging

You would love to be able to get quick dashboard summaries of customer accounts so your customer service people are always up to date.

Rapid Order Entry and Sales Processing

You are frustrating your customers because it takes too long to process orders. Accolent ERP is optimized for fast order entry!

Synonyms, Alternate Product Descriptions

You need to be able to quickly look up products by short names, vendor product codes or manufacturer product codes.

Now that you have a pretty good idea that you need specialized ERP software for wholesale distributors, don’t put a decision off. Doing nothing is not a solution! Your frustrations and problems will only mount over time and lost revenues due to inventory and warehousing problems quickly add up. As your transaction volume continues to increase, your system will only become slower.

Moving to Specialized ERP Software for Wholesale Distributors

OK. You have decided you need specialized ERP software for wholesale distributors. Contact us to learn more about Accolent ERP. Accolent ERP is specialized ERP software for wholesale distributors that will solve all the functionality problems you are facing and more. Accolent ERP is Cloud-based ERP software and runs completely end-to-end in the AWS public Cloud. Your software and data are more secure with AWS than on your own internal servers. Contact us today for a demo.