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5 Benefits of Customer Order Automation in Food and Beverage

In today’s fast-paced world, businesses must be efficient to keep up with the competition. One way to achieve this is by going paperless. We believe that this is a trend that has picked up pace in the last decade. While some companies try to avoid to this trend, others have realised the many benefits of sales order processing.

In this blog post, we will discuss its main benefits.

 

5 Benefits of Customer Order Automation in the Food and Beverage Industry:

  1. Improved efficiency.
  2. Cost savings.
  3. Enhanced customer experience.
  4. Increased security.
  5. Environmental sustainability.
Benefits of Paperless Order Processing in Food and Beverage

Improved Efficiency.

The first and most obvious advantage of Customer Order Automation is improved efficiency.

With this system, food and beverage businesses can process orders faster and more accurately than with a paper-based system. Orders can be entered into the system electronically, reducing the need for manual data entry. This not only reduces the risk of errors but also increases the speed of order processing.

Additionally, with a digital system, orders can be tracked in real-time, providing better visibility and control over the order process. This ensures that orders are delivered on time and with greater accuracy.

Furthermore, sales order processing provides accessible information. With hybrid or fully remote workers, it’s essential to have a system that allows employees to work together seamlessly, regardless of their location. Cloud technologies make this possible by providing a single source of truth for your team.

benefits of paperless order processing is improved efficiency

For instance, with our Customer Order Automation, you can ensure that everyone on your team has access to the latest customer order details. The solution also allows you to control data input, ensuring that only accurate information is entered. By integrating this software with your ERP, you can improve your efficiency, save time, and cut costs.

Cost Savings.

Following the previous benefit, a digital solution allows your teams to update all data without printing any information. As a result, sales order processing can save costs.

Money doesn’t grow on trees, but it’s certainly wasted on paper. With a paper-based system, businesses incur costs for paper, printing, and storage. Based on companies with 200 employees, teams spend at least £80,000 on paper and printing every year! By eliminating the need for paper, businesses can save on these expenses.

Benefits of Paperless Order Processing in Food and Beverage cost saving

Going paperless in food and beverage can help you save money in more ways than one. A paperless system can reduce labour costs by eliminating the need for manual data entry. This frees up time for employees to focus on more critical tasks, such as customer service.

In addition, automation solutions can help you avoid errors and ensure 99% data entry accuracy, avoiding costly mistakes down the line. This benefit translates into savings for your business and a better experience for your customers.

One of our food and beverage customers has gone digital and now saves money and time using paperless order processing!

“The recent update has brought so much joy to our team. Our staff is delighted with digitised receipts! Because of it, we are now saving one hour each day. We could not be happier and more excited to work further with Allsop.”

Enhanced Customer Experience.

A sales order processing system can enhance customer experience. With a digital system, customers can place orders online, reducing the need for phone or in-person orders. This can improve the speed and accuracy of order processing, leading to faster delivery times and fewer errors. However, outdated systems cannot provide this.

According to a McKinsey report, employees spend nearly 10 hours per week searching for information. This time can be better spent on productive tasks that add value to your business, especially when a paperless order processing system allows you to have all information in one place.

For instance, departments across the organisation can access the platform to upload any relevant information, improving the ease and speed of cross-departmental collaboration.

Benefits of Paperless Order Processing in Food and Beverage improved customer service

Additionally, with real-time tracking, customers can track their orders and receive updates on the status of their delivery. This improves transparency and builds trust between the business and its customers.

Increased Security.

Using paper-based systems carries the risk of documents being lost or damaged, which can compromise sensitive information.

A Customer Order Automation system can mitigate these risks by storing data electronically, ensuring that data is secure and accessible only to authorised personnel. Allsop’s order processing system provides you with the ability to control which data your team can access!

Especially, when we have found that many ERP systems lack proper data privacy measures, with everyone having access to the same data and various users using a single dashboard, leading to potential data breaches.

As a software company, we understand the importance of having a platform that can not only collect orders but also protect sensitive customer data. That’s why our dashboards allow you to specify who can access the data, filter information for specific users, and create personalised dashboards for each department.

Benefits of Paperless Order Processing in Food and Beverage security

Additionally, we are proud to announce that Allsop has been awarded ISO 27001 certification!

This certification is widely recognised as an internationally accepted information security standard. It identifies requirements for a comprehensive Information Security Management System (ISMS) and defines how organisations should manage and handle information securely, including appropriate security controls.

What does this mean for you as our potential customer?

Our team works hard to ensure the security and protection of your and your customer’s information. Our digital systems are regularly backed up to keep your data up-to-date, and we continuously improve our platform to make it even more secure and efficient.

Environmental Sustainability.

Finally, sales order processing is environmentally sustainable. The food and beverage industry is one of the largest contributors to paper waste, which has a significant environmental impact. On average, paper-based businesses with teams of 200 employees printing customers’ orders produce the same amount of CO2 emissions as 10 international Boeing flights.

benefits of paperless order processing sustainability

By going paperless, businesses can reduce their carbon footprint and contribute to a more sustainable future. This is not only good for the environment but also for the business’s reputation, as more consumers are becoming environmentally conscious.

Conclusion.

In conclusion, Customer Order Automation offers several benefits for the food and beverage industry. By improving efficiency, reducing costs, enhancing the customer experience, increasing security, and promoting environmental sustainability, businesses can gain a competitive advantage in the market.

If you’re interested in implementing a Customer Order Automation system in your business, please subscribe to our newsletter below!

If you want to know the latest technologies that help companies just like yours, we created a newsletter to provide the latest industry news, tips, and resources to help you succeed in your business endeavours.

Subscribe to it below, and stay up to date with the latest trends and tips to make sure you’re always ahead of the curve. 

Continuous Improvement at Vegetarian Express with the help of Allsop solutions

Continuous Improvement at Vegetarian Express with the help of Allsop solutions

Vegetarian Express Continuous Improvement programme drives £139,430 cost reduction with the help of Allsop.

Allsop assisted Vegetarian Express by automating 130,821 internal processes across 6 workflows, saving the Customer Service team approximately 12,188 hours.

Vegetarian Express is the leading specialist distributor of vegetarian and vegan products in the UK foodservice industry. As the company expanded, they identified bottlenecks in their Operational Workflows. To address this, they partnered with AllSop to develop an AI powered automated workflow that could fully automate a previously time-consuming, cross departmental process, connecting their Customer Orders, Inventory, Pricing, Credit Control, Mobile Warehouse and Delivery.

Company

Vegetarian Express

Website

vegetarianexpress.co.uk

Country

United Kingdom

Solution Used

Order Management

Allsop IPA

Download PDF

Vegetarian Express PDF

130,821

Automated Orders

12,188

Saved Hours

3000+

Happy customers and chefs

Allsop Solution

Order Management Solution and how it works

Using the latest AI and digital innovation technology, Allsop developed a fully automated workflow engine. By utilising Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Document Process Automation (DPA), Allsop Intelligent Process Automation (IPA) scans all incoming email/docs/integrated data points and automatically extracts and parses the required data, such as stock availability, credit control, pricing, order picking/delivery on mobile device in adherence to best practice guidelines.

Additionally, the base configuration of Allsop IPA can also incorporate a wide range of custom business logic to automatically process the most time consuming internal tasks and complex workflows.

Results 

The Continuous Improvement project resulted in significant cost reduction and operational efficiency gains for Vegetarian Express, reducing the workload for their administrative team by 12,188 hours.

“The ability to grow and expand the Order Management Solution has been a tremendous benefit for us. Working closely with AllSop, we have been able to build upon our initial requirements and develop a system that will support our future needs.”

Head of Programme Management

Vegetarian Express

Request a live demo

Grow Your Business with Automation

Book your demo with Allsop Software now and we will contact you right away to arrange a call at a convenient time

Sysco partner with Allsop to digitally transform its most time consuming, business critical processes and workflows.

Sysco partner with Allsop to digitally transform its most time consuming, business critical processes and workflows.

While many in the market have struggled with soaring food and fuel costs, strikes, and availability challenges, Sysco Ireland has had a strong 2023, with healthy customer demand and sales.

Sysco are the world’s largest food distributor, with annual sales exceeding $76bn, supporting more than 725,000 client locations in over 170 countries.  Sysco partnered with Allsop to digitally transform its most time consuming, business critical processes and workflows.

Allsop successfully implemented its award winning Intelligent Process Automation, accompanied by Dynamic Pricing and Master Data Management Software, to provide Sysco employees and customers with a fully automated Order Management System, AI powered Dynamic Pricing accompanied with Machine Learning Master Data Management to support its Continuous Improvement and Digital Transformation strategies.

Company

Sysco Ireland

Website

syscoireland.com

Country

Ireland

Solution Used

Order Management
Allsop Pricing Tool

Download PDF

Sysco PDF

230,000

Automated Orders

2,166,800+

Order Lines

4000+

Happy customers

Allsop Automation

The Allsop IPA Platform works 24/7 to instantly process over 230,000 customer orders, from multiple 3rd party + internal systems, with over 2,166,800 individual product, pricing, and delivery options, all with 80% less staff.

AI Insights in the Allsop MDM Platform, which uses the latest Machine Learning to identify patterns and anomalies in the data, pinpoints areas of your business which are most likely to be suffering from value leakage, and benefit from continuous improvement, or digital process automation.

According to Sysco

 

“The Allsop Software solution ensures all product data is 100% accurate, and each department has access to this at the touch of a button. The platform is resilient, supporting our growth, and ensuring we can continually improve our service to customers.”

Request a live demo

Grow Your Business with Automation

Book your demo with Allsop Software now and we will contact you right away to arrange a call at a convenient time

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5 Benefits of Customer Order Automation in Food and Beverage

5 Benefits of Customer Order Automation in Food and Beverage

In today’s fast-paced world, businesses must be efficient to keep up with the competition. One way to achieve this is by going paperless. We believe that this is a trend that has picked up pace in the last decade. While some companies try to avoid to this trend, others have realised the many benefits of sales order processing.

In this blog post, we will discuss its main benefits.

 

5 Benefits of Customer Order Automation in the Food and Beverage Industry:

  1. Improved efficiency.
  2. Cost savings.
  3. Enhanced customer experience.
  4. Increased security.
  5. Environmental sustainability.
Benefits of Paperless Order Processing in Food and Beverage

Improved Efficiency.

The first and most obvious advantage of Customer Order Automation is improved efficiency.

With this system, food and beverage businesses can process orders faster and more accurately than with a paper-based system. Orders can be entered into the system electronically, reducing the need for manual data entry. This not only reduces the risk of errors but also increases the speed of order processing.

Additionally, with a digital system, orders can be tracked in real-time, providing better visibility and control over the order process. This ensures that orders are delivered on time and with greater accuracy.

Furthermore, sales order processing provides accessible information. With hybrid or fully remote workers, it’s essential to have a system that allows employees to work together seamlessly, regardless of their location. Cloud technologies make this possible by providing a single source of truth for your team.

benefits of paperless order processing is improved efficiency

For instance, with our Customer Order Automation, you can ensure that everyone on your team has access to the latest customer order details. The solution also allows you to control data input, ensuring that only accurate information is entered. By integrating this software with your ERP, you can improve your efficiency, save time, and cut costs.

Cost Savings.

Following the previous benefit, a digital solution allows your teams to update all data without printing any information. As a result, sales order processing can save costs.

Money doesn’t grow on trees, but it’s certainly wasted on paper. With a paper-based system, businesses incur costs for paper, printing, and storage. Based on companies with 200 employees, teams spend at least £80,000 on paper and printing every year! By eliminating the need for paper, businesses can save on these expenses.

Benefits of Paperless Order Processing in Food and Beverage cost saving

Going paperless in food and beverage can help you save money in more ways than one. A paperless system can reduce labour costs by eliminating the need for manual data entry. This frees up time for employees to focus on more critical tasks, such as customer service.

In addition, automation solutions can help you avoid errors and ensure 99% data entry accuracy, avoiding costly mistakes down the line. This benefit translates into savings for your business and a better experience for your customers.

One of our food and beverage customers has gone digital and now saves money and time using paperless order processing!

“The recent update has brought so much joy to our team. Our staff is delighted with digitised receipts! Because of it, we are now saving one hour each day. We could not be happier and more excited to work further with Allsop.”

Enhanced Customer Experience.

A sales order processing system can enhance customer experience. With a digital system, customers can place orders online, reducing the need for phone or in-person orders. This can improve the speed and accuracy of order processing, leading to faster delivery times and fewer errors. However, outdated systems cannot provide this.

According to a McKinsey report, employees spend nearly 10 hours per week searching for information. This time can be better spent on productive tasks that add value to your business, especially when a paperless order processing system allows you to have all information in one place.

For instance, departments across the organisation can access the platform to upload any relevant information, improving the ease and speed of cross-departmental collaboration.

Benefits of Paperless Order Processing in Food and Beverage improved customer service

Additionally, with real-time tracking, customers can track their orders and receive updates on the status of their delivery. This improves transparency and builds trust between the business and its customers.

Increased Security.

Using paper-based systems carries the risk of documents being lost or damaged, which can compromise sensitive information.

A Customer Order Automation system can mitigate these risks by storing data electronically, ensuring that data is secure and accessible only to authorised personnel. Allsop’s order processing system provides you with the ability to control which data your team can access!

Especially, when we have found that many ERP systems lack proper data privacy measures, with everyone having access to the same data and various users using a single dashboard, leading to potential data breaches.

As a software company, we understand the importance of having a platform that can not only collect orders but also protect sensitive customer data. That’s why our dashboards allow you to specify who can access the data, filter information for specific users, and create personalised dashboards for each department.

Benefits of Paperless Order Processing in Food and Beverage security

Additionally, we are proud to announce that Allsop has been awarded ISO 27001 certification!

This certification is widely recognised as an internationally accepted information security standard. It identifies requirements for a comprehensive Information Security Management System (ISMS) and defines how organisations should manage and handle information securely, including appropriate security controls.

What does this mean for you as our potential customer?

Our team works hard to ensure the security and protection of your and your customer’s information. Our digital systems are regularly backed up to keep your data up-to-date, and we continuously improve our platform to make it even more secure and efficient.

Environmental Sustainability.

Finally, sales order processing is environmentally sustainable. The food and beverage industry is one of the largest contributors to paper waste, which has a significant environmental impact. On average, paper-based businesses with teams of 200 employees printing customers’ orders produce the same amount of CO2 emissions as 10 international Boeing flights.

benefits of paperless order processing sustainability

By going paperless, businesses can reduce their carbon footprint and contribute to a more sustainable future. This is not only good for the environment but also for the business’s reputation, as more consumers are becoming environmentally conscious.

Conclusion.

In conclusion, Customer Order Automation offers several benefits for the food and beverage industry. By improving efficiency, reducing costs, enhancing the customer experience, increasing security, and promoting environmental sustainability, businesses can gain a competitive advantage in the market.

If you’re interested in implementing a Customer Order Automation system in your business, please subscribe to our newsletter below!

If you want to know the latest technologies that help companies just like yours, we created a newsletter to provide the latest industry news, tips, and resources to help you succeed in your business endeavours.

Subscribe to it below, and stay up to date with the latest trends and tips to make sure you’re always ahead of the curve. 

3 Steps to Automate Customer Service Team

3 Steps to Automate Customer Service Team

3 Steps to Automate Customer Service Team

When communicating with potential clients, one of the most common questions we receive is, “My Customer Service team is too small. They cannot provide a sufficient level of support to our wide client base. What can I do?”

We understand this concern and would like to provide you with a more detailed analysis to help you find a solution. The past few years have brought many changes to the labour market, with contact centres being hit particularly hard. Many telesales employees left the UK, while others had to change occupations due to the lack of work for two years. As a result, companies are struggling to fill open Customer Service positions, which can lead to a decrease in customer satisfaction and retention.

According to Food and Engineering magazine, the UK’s labour productivity in the food and drink industry is unremarkable compared to other developed markets in Western Europe. “Food and drink supply chains in peer countries have seen better labour productivity gains over the last decade, leaving the UK behind. This has created a second productivity ‘gap,’ and the UK supply chain may continue to lose ground.”

If you are facing issues with your Contact Centre, it is important to understand that you are not alone in this struggle. However, you need more than this information to improve your business. We can work together to find a solution that fits your unique needs and improves your Customer Service team’s productivity. Let’s explore a few options in this article.

 

3 Steps to Automate Customer Service Team:

  1. Robotic Process Automation Strategy (RPA).
  2. Training Programmes.
  3. Technology Investments.

Robotic Process Automation Strategy.

We are currently living through the 4th industrial revolution, which is primarily focused on digitisation of manual processes. This transformation is rapidly changing the way technology, industries, and processes operate in the 21st century. One of the key areas of focus is a robotic process automation (RPA) strategy.

Robotic process automation strategy is an essential plan that outlines how a business can streamline its processes and increase productivity through the use of technology. It involves identifying areas within the business that can benefit from RPA and implementing tools and systems to improve efficiency.

RPA strategy is becoming increasingly important for businesses, particularly those with small customer service teams. By automating tasks such as data entry and order processing, businesses can reduce the workload of their customer service team and improve the overall customer experience. Process automation also provides businesses with valuable insights into customer behaviour, enabling them to make data-driven decisions and improve their offerings.

It is essential to recognise that relying solely on traditional methods can result in unexpected drops in demand for your products, or even worse, a decrease in the number of accounts. Such a decline could have a severe impact on your business, especially if your customer service team is ill-equipped to handle the influx of customers who are prepared to leave.

However, with the latest RPA technology, companies can implement AI tools like the Declining Account feature created by Allsop. This feature enables businesses to gain access to a drilled-down dashboard with their customers’ order history, receive notifications when customer behaviour changes, and check the overall trend of their latest products. By tracking customers who are purchasing less this week than their average purchase over the past 13 weeks, businesses can retain customers who are ready to leave.

Moreover, process automation technology provides businesses with better customer service and gives them a competitive advantage. By having a customer portal, businesses can automatically fill and update orders, allowing their team to focus on high-value tasks and re-engage salespeople in other aspects of the business.

This is exactly how businesses can adopt an RPA strategy to improve their overall customer experience and streamline their operations. This technology provides valuable insights into customer behaviour, enables data-driven decision-making, and helps businesses retain customers who are ready to leave. Therefore, it is essential for businesses to embrace change and adopt innovative solutions to remain competitive in the market.

Training Programmes.

Implementing an RPA strategy can significantly improve a business’s overall efficiency, particularly in customer service. However, it’s essential to understand that the strategy’s success depends on whether your team has the necessary skills and knowledge to operate the new technology. For this reason, training programmes are vital and should be a top priority when implementing a process automation strategy.

Training programmes can help bridge the gaps in your team’s expertise and ensure they can effectively use the new tools and systems. By providing training, your team can learn how to collect order information in one place, proceed with orders automatically within seconds, and provide the latest data to your clients. This can significantly reduce your customer service team’s workload and improve the overall customer experience.

Another significant advantage of training programmes is that they can help your team adapt to changes in customer behaviour and provide tailored support. As we mentioned earlier, one of the biggest challenges faced by businesses today is the shortage of employees in customer service teams. This shortage can have an adverse impact on business operations.

For example, Pret had 40% of its personnel as Europeans. After Brexit, the employees left the country, and the remaining employees were laid off due to the pandemic. As a result, the company now has limited resources, and providing customer service on the same level has become challenging.

However, with the latest technology available, businesses can gain insights into customer behaviour, enabling them to make data-driven decisions and improve their offerings. Customer service teams that are trained to understand and interpret customer behaviour can provide more personalised support, leading to higher customer satisfaction rates.

Moreover, training programmes can also help reduce the learning curve and minimise the time it takes for your team to become proficient in using the new technology. This can lead to faster adoption and implementation of the automation strategy, ultimately resulting in faster ROI.

It’s important to note that training programmes should not be a one-time event. Instead, they should be an ongoing process to ensure your team is up-to-date with the latest technology and trends. Regular training can help your team stay ahead of the curve and provide better customer service.

Especially when leveraging the latest technology, you can provide an extraordinary experience to your customers, even with a limited workforce. This way, the number of people in your team will no longer be a differentiator between good and bad service, and you will be able to provide excellent customer service, irrespective of your team’s size.

Technology Investments.

While we mentioned the need to automate processes, it is essential to do so only when your teams are equipped with modern technologies. Blaming software tools is easy when you have a limited number of team members and want to increase productivity. However, it is unlikely to succeed if they store all customer data in Excel, have poor visibility of orders, and lack an analytics dashboard to make data-driven decisions.

We discovered that 74% of FMCG companies receive orders by phone and email, manually processing incoming requests, and entering 50 to 100 lines in each order form, leaving them with tedious tasks.

During our research, companies mentioned various issues with collecting orders by phone or email. For example, the main problem was data mistakes.

Due to a high turnover rate in the Customer Service industry, many employees do not have enough experience or have never been trained to input information onto the platform correctly. Therefore, they process orders with errors.

On the other hand, due to the high volume of work, Operation Specialists key in data mistakes, leading to customers receiving incorrect products or a wrong number of goods.

Moreover, poor internal software is likely to be slower, more glitchy, and less reliable than the industry standard, resulting in more instances of customers being placed on hold, and a subsequent increase in overall call times.

This is where technology investments come into play.

With a third of businesses processing orders manually, only 26% of companies use a platform for order management. This automation provides them with better customer service and gives them a competitive advantage.

“We have a customer portal, and we couldn’t imagine our working life without it! Customers place orders that are automatically filled and updated accordingly in our system. It takes almost no time for the platform to fill the form when our orders have between 50 to 100 lines! Our team now deals only with exceptions or orders coming via phone. It allows us to reengage salespeople in other aspects of the business and allows them to take part in high-value tasks.” – Sales Coordinator.

Conclusion.

In conclusion, small customer service teams can pose a threat to Food and Beverage businesses, but with the right strategies in place, they can also be an opportunity.

It is important to understand the challenges facing small customer service teams, such as employee shortages in the industry, and to find solutions that fit your unique needs. Adopting an RPA strategy, implementing training programs, and investing in technology can significantly improve the efficiency of your customer service team and enhance the overall customer experience.

By embracing change and adopting innovative solutions, businesses can remain competitive in the market and provide excellent customer service, regardless of the size of their team.

Do you want to improve customer satisfaction and take your small team to new heights? We have great news for you! We understand that implementing new technology can be daunting, so we offer a free process audit. Reach out to us for more information here.

If you want to know the latest technologies that help companies just like yours, we created a newsletter to provide the latest industry news, tips, and resources to help you succeed in your business endeavours.

Subscribe to it below, and stay up to date with the latest trends and tips to make sure you’re always ahead of the curve.