Notes / Trading and distribution
Questions distributors ask us
Orders in chat groups, supplier invoices keyed in more than once and stock that never quite matches: the questions trading businesses bring to us most.
Why is our month-end report always late?
Because the checking happens at the end. When each figure is checked on the day it is keyed in, month-end stops being a hunt and becomes a review.
Read the full answerHow do we stop losing orders in WhatsApp groups?
Turn each order into a record the moment it arrives, with its own status. Customers can keep messaging you; the order just stops living only in the chat.
Why do we key the same supplier invoice three times?
Because purchasing, the warehouse and accounts each keep their own copy. Key it once, at the point it arrives, and let the other two read the same record.
Why does our stock never match the system?
Usually because movements are recorded in batches, after the fact. Record each movement when it happens and the count and the system stop drifting apart.
When has a business outgrown its spreadsheets?
When the file needs a person to explain it, when two copies disagree, or when checking the sheet takes longer than filling it in. Keep spreadsheets for analysis; move the daily work out.
Read the full answerHow do we catch keying mistakes before they cost money?
Check each figure against its source when it is entered, not when the bank statement arrives. A mistake caught on the day costs minutes; one caught at month-end costs days.
Tell us where your days go.
A 30-minute call is enough to find the gap worth closing first.