How data-driven software improves your dispatch process
Efficiency and accuracy
Implementing a system to keep track of dispatch data is essential to ensure that your company operates at peak productivity. For example, by keeping track of everything by scanning a barcode on a box instead of checking it off on a piece of paper, you eliminate the risk of counting a product twice. Moreover, not having to write everything down and transcribe it later makes the process dramatically faster.
Software also enables you to send the order information to accounting software to improve the efficiency of invoicing. In addition, you can send shipping information out as an automated shipment notification for the destination.
Traceability
With a software-controlled dispatch process, you can scan product or pallet barcodes and assigning them to the order. This ensures that you can quickly and easily perform a backwards trace if there is any issue with the final product once it arrives to the customer, or a forward trace in the case of a recall situation.
As CEO of Hazeldenes Mark Heintz explains, having this capability with Innova software plays a vital role in preventing recalls. “There was this one event that we stopped the product while it was still on the truck before going actually to the retailer. Without having that functionality within the software and without having full traceability through the system, it would have got to the customer and we would have been in a much different territory. We would have been in recall territory rather than in withdrawal territory.”
Maintain inventory
Software makes it easy to record shipments as dispatched, so you can remove products from inventory. This enables you to maintain the inventory levels, so you always know exactly what’s available for sale.
Accurate invoicing
Software helps you to generate order fulfillments and send that information to the ERP system, so that you can properly bill the customer. Processors need to know exactly what was assigned to each order so that the bill of lading matches exactly to what was picked.
Go paperless
Digitalizing your dispatch process eliminates the need for slow, wasteful, and inefficient paper-based systems.
Centralized control
Processors need a single source of accurate, up-to-the-minute information. Instead of having multiple systems, good software can simplify and integrate them into a single source of truth. Moy Park’s David Anderson explains that with Innova, “We have been able to reduce the number of these systems by some 80% over four years.”