Digitalization is becoming a global trend in the development of all areas of human activity. It is no longer possible for an efficient and modern company to avoid automating some of its business processes. Sooner or later, every company comes to the conclusion that for digital transformation it needs the help of an software company. To remain competitive, at least the key processes must be automated.
A company’s supply chain is one of the most important aspects, which has a significant impact on its overall success. There are many problems associated with inefficient supply chains. For example, customer experiences can be negatively affected by long delivery times and delayed responses to customer inquiries. Out-of-stock goods, poor sales, and untimely deliveries lead to a loss of profits and a reduction in the quality of the product.
So, the automation of business processes in the goods supply chain reduces costs and improves the quality of services. The company is able to reach new heights through automation, analytics, forecasting and planning.
How automation can help supply chains
Despite advances in technology, there are still a large number of companies that rely on Excel-spreadsheets and paper calculations for planning and supply chain management. There is a lot of redundant and pointless work that can easily be automated. There are many effective tools and solutions available to help companies reach a new level of supply chain management. We are not just talking about Enterprise Resource Planning and Customer Relationship Management systems, but also artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud and edge computing, blockchain technology, and much more.
Let’s take a closer look at the various components of the supply chain, how they can be automated, and how it will help the entrepreneur.
Inventory management capabilities
A company’s inventory accounting involves the constant collection and processing of information regarding its resources. It would be impossible to entrust the organization of such important work to an Excel spreadsheet or a paper journal. They are difficult to analyze. And it is almost impossible to control the shelf life of products. It is easy to lose, delete, or corrupt important data. This is the reason why inventory control processes should be automated. Streamlining and speeding up the receipt, inventory, and movement of goods are necessary. It is more likely that there will be fewer errors if documents are filled out based on built-in templates and data is automatically loaded from the accounting system. Additionally, the use of accounting programs and online cash registers reduces the influence of the human factor. In special programs, the shelf life of products can be controlled more conveniently. The manager is also able to track information regarding the goods.
Warehouse Management
Warehouses play a critical role in the supply chain process. Inefficient organization of warehouse processes can lead to disruptions in the business. That always leads to losses. It is necessary to automate warehouse logistics to manage the work of the employees in a productive manner in order to avoid delays in the warehouse’s work. The Warehouse Management System, which controls and tracks the movement and storage of goods, can help.
Automation of the order process
It is important that a system of interaction with the customer does not lag behind production volumes. Otherwise, the customer moves slowly down the sales funnel and stays dissatisfied with the quality of services. That is why companies use Customer Relationship Management to control the sales funnel. It is software that helps automate customer interaction strategies. With CRM, a company can deliver a customized experience and create marketing campaigns that are relevant to its customers.
Automation of supplier relations
As long as all supplier information is stored in the head or on a piece of paper, the company will not be able to analyze purchase prices and monitor price changes over time. The use of electronic document management facilitates the automation of paperwork. The software eliminates the need for manual entry of certain data, thus eliminating the possibility of forgetting something or making a mistake.
Logistics
Blockchain technologies can be used to make the logistics process transparent and reliable. Blockchain helps to avoid discrepancies in documentation, and all data exchanges are recorded in blocks of information that cannot be deleted or modified. The result is that if there is a disagreement among the parties to the transaction, the source of the disagreement can easily be identified.
The supply chain automation is able to create a continuous warehouse operation, manage inventory rationally, improve the quality of work with customers and suppliers, and make logistics more transparent and reliable.
As the supply chain undergoes a digital transformation, a variety of technologies are emerging. AI, blockchain, IoT, software development, autonomous hardware, predictive analytics, and more make supply more open, manageable, and efficient. The result is a stable business environment. In today’s world, flexibility and openness to new IT solutions is the key to a successful business.
