Businesses in the distribution industry are feeling the brunt of fast-paced innovation, that is threatening their very existence if they do not move fast enough in their digital empowerment journey. The legacy systems are getting obsolete at a maddening pace, and new technological advances are rewriting rules of conducting business.
There is an order within this seeming chaos, for sure. The white paper describes how digital streamlining opportunities for the distribution sector can, in fact, open the doors to new business growth.
Connectivity is the key
Of course, companies have been using software across various departments and systems that have been traditionally considered individual. Today, connectivity and seamless flow of information are reversing this paradigm and data needs to flow from one system to another to boost automated workflows.
This can result in nightmarish perceptions as the individual systems may be running on various tools and seemingly incompatible platforms. This is where new-aged practical solutions in intelligent software come into play.
Microsoft Dynamics suite, for instance, creates a layer of transparency over and above the various tools within your systems, so that interoperability is no longer an issue. The product supports many versions of multiple tools that may be running within an enterprise. The unified layer on top will ensure that a consolidated view is available that solidifies the different systems as per the needs of the business.
Unified it is
A distribution enterprise is sure to have a global outreach. Its partners and associates as well as various branches of the company may be running their software systems on multiple platforms for supporting their day-to-day processes and operations. Today, the flexibility of cloud solutions like Azure have the capacity to work with multiple platforms and adopt a unified picture. This also includes support for multiple currencies and multiple languages.
Hence, remote access at a single control point is possible, tracking operations and data in real-time for a business to monitor its on-ground locations simultaneously from all over the world. This translates into increased visibility and thereby promotes lean systems and increased efficiency.
Promotes collaboration
The power of connected services that run into various units and wings of your organization creates a feeling of cohesion and reduces internal conflicts due to erroneous data duplication. The lean systems further empower mobility of people, operations, and services. Obviously, this can herald faster response times, and lead to better customer responses, thereby increasing customer satisfaction.
Intelligence all the way
With data flows, the power of data analytics is a powerful by-product. Data analytics can give deep insights, help you to recognize patterns and make predictions based on past trends. Such forecasting is closer to actual and dynamically changing scenarios and helps you adjust your systems and flows quickly or even in advance. This results in reduced costs, higher motivational levels, and better productivity.
Control the inventory like never before
Streamlining order fulfillment is an inherent part of a distribution business. With increased communication within your business, based on accuracy of data, solutions like Dynamics CRM and NAV are well-poised to integrate the data from customers, inventory, and orders into a single repository for a 360-degree view. This is automatically updated with shipping and delivery tracking information. Such real-time streamlining across the distribution chain reduces wastage and ensures a smooth connectivity for higher efficiency.
Inventory systems are at the heart of distribution networks. Dynamics NAV solutions keep up-to-date tracking of inventory and sales, based on accurate and on-demand planning, thereby giving detailed insights into the profits. A fine balance between the investments and the returns can be maintained with digital analysis. Models can be built to show how a tweak in the processes can impact the entire inventory management system, so as to assist in making better decisions, thereby making informed choices.
Consolidation is unparalleled
Microsoft solutions operate across many platforms and bring on a consolidated view that works on a customer-centric approach for the entire business operations. Collaborative tools can be integrated as per the specific need to drive business productivity via cloud computing and app integration as well.
Enjoy this white paper that helps you discover the plethora of options for empowering your distribution business. Do give us, at Techminds, a call if you would like to explore flexible, affordable and customized solutions that can open up a world of opportunities for you