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Actual for You - Proofs of Delivery and Logistics: Speeding Throughput and Avoiding Pitfalls
Many years ago I had a friend who was extremely intelligent, had a photographic memory, and finished university with top marks in business administration. He had all the credentials to get a great job.Sounds good for the most part, wouldn’t you say!! Maybe even a nice boy who you would want to marry your daughter!! Shortly after finishing school he landed a job working for the owner of this large company, whose business did millions a year in revenue.The person he worked for was old world, very little formal business education, and built a wonderful business from scratch. He was shrewd person with tons of business experience under his belt. After working there awhile my friend decides that he can really make a difference in this man’s business.
The process is further complicated because customers use different product codes for goods delivered, and documents are returned at different times. The system automatically consolidates this process and matches the different documents and line items to the original order. All documents relating to an order are stored alongside one another within a single delivery folder at the data centre.
Where a discrepancy arises, a customer service agent is automatically alerted and instructed to investigate the situation and amend the invoice. Other documents, including claims from customers for damaged goods, are also scanned into the relevant delivery folder.
Converting the paper chase into an online document flow
TokOpen’s Workflow is used to manage the transaction and make adjustments on the company’s system. This cuts out the need for printed documents, and converts the traditional paper chase into a controlled online document flow.
TokOpen highlights relevant deliveries
One of the recurring themes in Dilbert cartoon strips is the situation where management has set an impossible deadline for something that probably couldn't be done in the first place. It usually results in large numbers of people working overtime to produce something they know isn't likely to work. Unfortunately, this scene is also being played out between advertisers and their Web developers, where it's far less amusing, and considerably more expensive.Sure, it might be a great idea to put up a special Website for a weekend sale, but is it really possible to have all the art, content, and programming completed, and working reliably, by the time it's needed? Maybe not. Unfortunately, most marketing people don't know the right questions to ask engineers to
However life is rarely straightforward, and if problems do arise, order completion times and cash flow will inevitably suffer as a result.
Making the paperwork match
Documents involved typically include delivery notes generated by the product supplier or logistics provider. The Customer takes delivery and confirms the goods are received by signing the delivery note, which becomes a proof of delivery (PoD). When the goods being delivered are accepted customers can also use their own delivery documentation, referred to as Goods Received Notes (GRN).
The key issue is to match the customers’ GRNs and the suppliers’ delivery notes. This ensures that suppliers can raise an accurate and timely invoice for the goods delivered and accepted.
This is vital to the completion of the whole process. Raising an incorrect invoice for goods shipped that may differ from the description of the goods accepted by the customer, will result in payment delay – extended debtor days – and adversely affected cash flow.
Take a typical example. A customer takes an order from his supplier that is then dispatched with the supplier’s delivery note. The customer takes delivery and confirms that the goods have been received by signing the delivery note. This note then becomes a PoD. In this case, the transaction has been straightforward.
However problems arise if the following complications are added to the equation:
• The goods being delivered are discovered to be damaged. The customer will only take delivery of goods in a satisfactory condition, and this is annotated in the PoD.
• The goods being delivered are accepted by the customer, but he uses his own internal delivery documentation or GRN. This needs to be matched against the supplier’s delivery note. The situation is complicated further when the customer uses his own internal product codes, and/or the goods are dispatched in multiple deliveries.
In both these cases the actual delivery needs to be matched up with the outgoing sales invoice. Where there is a disparity, a normal 30-day credit period can drag out into a lengthy debtor cycle in which customers will not pay for goods delivered until the correct invoice has been raised. This can turn the normal 30-day period into 90 days or more.
How a computerised system can make the process trouble free
TokOpen is a program used by a major UK supplier of dairy products. Reduced reliance on physical pieces of paper allows more flexibility and a reduction in delivery problems.
When sales orders are received from customers, despatch notes are printed and automatically captured and uploaded to the company’s TokOpen data centre. Here they are printed from the AS400 Warehouse Management System. A unique folder is automatically created in TokOpen, where the document is stored and indexed by its delivery details.
The ordered goods are delivered either on one vehicle or in multiple deliveries, as applicable. Delivery notes are signed, with handwritten comments inserted if a discrepancy has arisen.
These signed documents are then returned to any one of the company’s 20 depots across the country, where they are scanned by depot staff. At this point the documents are automatically indexed and uploaded to a TokOpen data centre where they are stored alongside the corresponding original despatch note in the appropriate folder. If a discrepancy is indicated on the scanned delivery note, this automatically triggers a warning for a customer service agent distribution to investigate.
If necessary the invoice can be amended before the sales invoice is issued. This has to take place within 72 hours of delivery. All document access, workflow and investigations are performed using a standard Web browser, which ensures that the system can be quickly deployed with minimal administrative overheads.
Where customers’ own GRNs are received, these are scanned and read automatically, matching the delivery line items with corresponding items from the despatch notes. The system is flexible and allows a ‘many to many’ relationship – more than one delivery note relating to more than one GRN for a single customer order.
The process is further complicated because customers use different product codes for goods delivered, and documents are returned at different times. The system automatically consolidates this process and matches the different documents and line items to the original order. All documents relating to an order are stored alongside one another within a single delivery folder at the data centre.
Where a discrepancy arises, a customer service agent is automatically alerted and instructed to investigate the situation and amend the invoice. Other documents, including claims from customers for damaged goods, are also scanned into the relevant delivery folder.
Converting the paper chase into an online document flow
TokOpen’s Workflow is used to manage the transaction and make adjustments on the company’s system. This cuts out the need for printed documents, and converts the traditional paper chase into a controlled online document flow.
TokOpen highlights relevant deliveries
You know it’s time to make a move.Your employer is a pain. The organization sucks. Your job is boring . . . and it doesn’t pay what you deserve. You know you could do much better somewhere else.So, why aren’t you outta there?The most common reason is that it’s easier to put off making a decision. Shifting focus and upsetting what we’re used to contributes to our procrastination. It seems we can always find justification for putting off a decision. So we wind up staying right where we are.The good news is there are positive steps you can take right now to break the pattern of job search procrastination.1. Prioritize your tasks. If everything seems like a priority, you'll feel overwhelmed and get nothing done. For example,
Take a typical example. A customer takes an order from his supplier that is then dispatched with the supplier’s delivery note. The customer takes delivery and confirms that the goods have been received by signing the delivery note. This note then becomes a PoD. In this case, the transaction has been straightforward.
However problems arise if the following complications are added to the equation:
• The goods being delivered are discovered to be damaged. The customer will only take delivery of goods in a satisfactory condition, and this is annotated in the PoD.
• The goods being delivered are accepted by the customer, but he uses his own internal delivery documentation or GRN. This needs to be matched against the supplier’s delivery note. The situation is complicated further when the customer uses his own internal product codes, and/or the goods are dispatched in multiple deliveries.
In both these cases the actual delivery needs to be matched up with the outgoing sales invoice. Where there is a disparity, a normal 30-day credit period can drag out into a lengthy debtor cycle in which customers will not pay for goods delivered until the correct invoice has been raised. This can turn the normal 30-day period into 90 days or more.
How a computerised system can make the process trouble free
TokOpen is a program used by a major UK supplier of dairy products. Reduced reliance on physical pieces of paper allows more flexibility and a reduction in delivery problems.
When sales orders are received from customers, despatch notes are printed and automatically captured and uploaded to the company’s TokOpen data centre. Here they are printed from the AS400 Warehouse Management System. A unique folder is automatically created in TokOpen, where the document is stored and indexed by its delivery details.
The ordered goods are delivered either on one vehicle or in multiple deliveries, as applicable. Delivery notes are signed, with handwritten comments inserted if a discrepancy has arisen.
These signed documents are then returned to any one of the company’s 20 depots across the country, where they are scanned by depot staff. At this point the documents are automatically indexed and uploaded to a TokOpen data centre where they are stored alongside the corresponding original despatch note in the appropriate folder. If a discrepancy is indicated on the scanned delivery note, this automatically triggers a warning for a customer service agent distribution to investigate.
If necessary the invoice can be amended before the sales invoice is issued. This has to take place within 72 hours of delivery. All document access, workflow and investigations are performed using a standard Web browser, which ensures that the system can be quickly deployed with minimal administrative overheads.
Where customers’ own GRNs are received, these are scanned and read automatically, matching the delivery line items with corresponding items from the despatch notes. The system is flexible and allows a ‘many to many’ relationship – more than one delivery note relating to more than one GRN for a single customer order.
The process is further complicated because customers use different product codes for goods delivered, and documents are returned at different times. The system automatically consolidates this process and matches the different documents and line items to the original order. All documents relating to an order are stored alongside one another within a single delivery folder at the data centre.
Where a discrepancy arises, a customer service agent is automatically alerted and instructed to investigate the situation and amend the invoice. Other documents, including claims from customers for damaged goods, are also scanned into the relevant delivery folder.
Converting the paper chase into an online document flow
TokOpen’s Workflow is used to manage the transaction and make adjustments on the company’s system. This cuts out the need for printed documents, and converts the traditional paper chase into a controlled online document flow.
TokOpen highlights relevant deliveries
Call centers are created by organizations to receive inbound calls for varied day-to-day business reasons. Since companies invest tremendous amounts of money into customer- care relationships, they carefully monitor customer perceptions of their efforts to serve them. There’s a growing awareness in the business community that customers are unhappy dealing with computerized message delivery systems. Callers tend to perceive interactive voice response systems (IVR), voicemail, and even a standalone answering machine as too formal and not user friendly. Call centers and answering services that feature live phone operators are viewed much more positively by callers, and give companies a more personal, caring and relaxed image.Inbound calls to
How a computerised system can make the process trouble free
TokOpen is a program used by a major UK supplier of dairy products. Reduced reliance on physical pieces of paper allows more flexibility and a reduction in delivery problems.
When sales orders are received from customers, despatch notes are printed and automatically captured and uploaded to the company’s TokOpen data centre. Here they are printed from the AS400 Warehouse Management System. A unique folder is automatically created in TokOpen, where the document is stored and indexed by its delivery details.
The ordered goods are delivered either on one vehicle or in multiple deliveries, as applicable. Delivery notes are signed, with handwritten comments inserted if a discrepancy has arisen.
These signed documents are then returned to any one of the company’s 20 depots across the country, where they are scanned by depot staff. At this point the documents are automatically indexed and uploaded to a TokOpen data centre where they are stored alongside the corresponding original despatch note in the appropriate folder. If a discrepancy is indicated on the scanned delivery note, this automatically triggers a warning for a customer service agent distribution to investigate.
If necessary the invoice can be amended before the sales invoice is issued. This has to take place within 72 hours of delivery. All document access, workflow and investigations are performed using a standard Web browser, which ensures that the system can be quickly deployed with minimal administrative overheads.
Where customers’ own GRNs are received, these are scanned and read automatically, matching the delivery line items with corresponding items from the despatch notes. The system is flexible and allows a ‘many to many’ relationship – more than one delivery note relating to more than one GRN for a single customer order.
The process is further complicated because customers use different product codes for goods delivered, and documents are returned at different times. The system automatically consolidates this process and matches the different documents and line items to the original order. All documents relating to an order are stored alongside one another within a single delivery folder at the data centre.
Where a discrepancy arises, a customer service agent is automatically alerted and instructed to investigate the situation and amend the invoice. Other documents, including claims from customers for damaged goods, are also scanned into the relevant delivery folder.
Converting the paper chase into an online document flow
TokOpen’s Workflow is used to manage the transaction and make adjustments on the company’s system. This cuts out the need for printed documents, and converts the traditional paper chase into a controlled online document flow.
TokOpen highlights relevant deliveries
We all make mistakes in business. The important issue is that we learn from them and apply the lessons in both our online and off-line business activities. One of my most costly mistakes happened about twelve years ago in the off-line business world. However, the lessons I learnt are just as applicable online as they are off-line.Having established a small mail order business part-time, I decided to expand the business using direct mail techniques. I had read all the books and attended a course and it seemed like the best approach to achieve my goals. After approaching various mailing list providers, I decided I had found the perfect list to reach my target market.Pricing was obtained from the list owner and he was happy to provide me with small qu
These signed documents are then returned to any one of the company’s 20 depots across the country, where they are scanned by depot staff. At this point the documents are automatically indexed and uploaded to a TokOpen data centre where they are stored alongside the corresponding original despatch note in the appropriate folder. If a discrepancy is indicated on the scanned delivery note, this automatically triggers a warning for a customer service agent distribution to investigate.
If necessary the invoice can be amended before the sales invoice is issued. This has to take place within 72 hours of delivery. All document access, workflow and investigations are performed using a standard Web browser, which ensures that the system can be quickly deployed with minimal administrative overheads.
Where customers’ own GRNs are received, these are scanned and read automatically, matching the delivery line items with corresponding items from the despatch notes. The system is flexible and allows a ‘many to many’ relationship – more than one delivery note relating to more than one GRN for a single customer order.
The process is further complicated because customers use different product codes for goods delivered, and documents are returned at different times. The system automatically consolidates this process and matches the different documents and line items to the original order. All documents relating to an order are stored alongside one another within a single delivery folder at the data centre.
Where a discrepancy arises, a customer service agent is automatically alerted and instructed to investigate the situation and amend the invoice. Other documents, including claims from customers for damaged goods, are also scanned into the relevant delivery folder.
Converting the paper chase into an online document flow
TokOpen’s Workflow is used to manage the transaction and make adjustments on the company’s system. This cuts out the need for printed documents, and converts the traditional paper chase into a controlled online document flow.
TokOpen highlights relevant deliveries
Why Thermal Binders Instead of Comb Binders?Thermal Binders vs. Comb Binders– Integrity & StrengthLet’s start with the pages themselves. With comb binders, the page’s integrity is compromised by the holes you have to punch. Even if you order them pre-punched, that part of the paper has only half the strength of the rest of the page. If you expect your documents to last for any length of time, then thermal binders are the way to go. The pages are held with a simple strip of glue and nothing more.Unibind’s thermal binders are unique, in that they use a patented resign that doesn’t even require you to score the page ends. It’s truly the strongest thermal binding system today. And each of the spines has a strip of steel in them to strengt
The process is further complicated because customers use different product codes for goods delivered, and documents are returned at different times. The system automatically consolidates this process and matches the different documents and line items to the original order. All documents relating to an order are stored alongside one another within a single delivery folder at the data centre.
Where a discrepancy arises, a customer service agent is automatically alerted and instructed to investigate the situation and amend the invoice. Other documents, including claims from customers for damaged goods, are also scanned into the relevant delivery folder.
Converting the paper chase into an online document flow
TokOpen’s Workflow is used to manage the transaction and make adjustments on the company’s system. This cuts out the need for printed documents, and converts the traditional paper chase into a controlled online document flow.
TokOpen highlights relevant deliveries to the appropriate customer service staff managing that customer account. This ensures that when the invoice is issued it is correct, and will not be contested by the customer, resulting in late or non-payment.
TokOpen also ensures that all delivery documents are available online across the whole enterprise. If an invoice is contested, authorised members of staff anywhere across the country can retrieve all information about the transaction using a standard Web browser.
Additional benefits delivered by the TokOpen system include:
• Improved management and monitoring of hauliers’ performance
• Faster response times for customer service enquiries
• More time for customer service staff to be deployed on other duties
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