Automated handling of purchase orders, sales orders, and order matching can accelerate your business forward: knowing what is on order and when it will arrive is key to making sales; knowing what is sold and when it needs to be delivered is key to placing orders; and, the ability to match sales orders to purchase orders is key to lowering inventory and raising its turn.
Purchase Orders
Companies can no longer afford to only sell on-hand inventory. To compete, companies need to be able to sell product that is on order in advance of delivery. Knowing what is on order and when it will arrive is an absolute necessity, and an automated system could put that information in the hands of sales people.
Sales Orders
Companies can no longer afford to only order when inventory is low or out-of-stock. To complete, companies need a system in place to view and analyze sales and anticipate when orders need to be placed. Knowing what has sold and when it need to be delivered is key to tying purchasing to sales trends, and an automated system could put that information in the hands of purchasing people.
Order Matching
With both automated purchasing and sales systems in place, additional options become available: Deliveries of sales could be timed to coincide with the arrival of orders, reducing or even eliminating the need to warehouse product. In some circumstances, your suppliers could even fulfill your sales orders directly.
Conclusion
In today's business climate, inventory can move rapidly through your business. However, to do so, your business needs to the tools in place let your sales people see your purchases and your purchasers see your sales and tools in between to optimize fulfillment.