A recent analysis of supply chain professionals in a variety of industries and business sizes, business software consulting firm Software Advice discovered a staggering 34% of them still rely on manual methods and legacy systems for their supply chain management (SCM) needs.
Software Buyers’ Current Solutions for Supply Chain Management
If your wholesale business only has a handful of suppliers, distribution channels, and team members, you may be able to get away with time-consuming pen and paper or clunky spreadsheet methods.
But as your business continues to grow, the limitations of these manual methods will quickly become a pain, standing in the way of the efficiency you’ll need to expand.
That’s where modern SCM software comes in.
3 Reasons Your Current SCM Solution Needs Replacement
Whether you’re stuck using manual systems or outdated SCM software, a few key reasons you’ll want to consider upgrading include:
- It’s Too Much – you don’t need all the bells and whistles.
- It’s Not Enough – spreadsheets and outdated software are costing you time.
- Its Support is Lacking – the best software in the world is useless if it constantly breaks and you’re left without help.
How the Right SCM Software Can Improve Your Business
Software Advice also found that the key factor driving the switch to a new SCM solution was “modernization”, meaning two things:
- Increased automation of business processes
- Closer integration of business systems
Software Buyers’ Pain Points With Existing Solutions
Automation may be the buzzword of the day in the supply chain management world, but that’s for good reason – being able to quickly and efficiently manage your production from component purchasing to sale fulfillment can make or break a growing wholesale business.
And with the increasing move to software-based business systems, integrating everything from sales portals to fulfillment systems, production lines to accounting software is key to maintaining your business’ ability to expand.
Ultimately, the goal of upgrading to modern, fully automated, completely integrated supply chain management software is to support the growth of your wholesale business – both now and in the future.
3 Questions to Ask When Choosing New SCM Software
So how do you know which SCM software system is right for your wholesale business?
Ask yourself these three questions as you begin your search:
- What do we need it for?
- How compatible is it with our business?
- How reliable is the vendor?
Grow Your Business with the Right SCM Software
Hopefully now you’re better prepared to choose the right new SCM software for your wholesale business – including a better understanding of why it’s a worthwhile investment and essential questions to consider when choosing an SCM software solution.
But to learn even more about the what, why, and how of finding the right SCM vendor, check out the full version of this article on DEAR’s blog!