Webinar Description
Whether you have a single warehouse or a large multi-national distribution network, Infor has solutions to fit your needs. As business gains in complexity, your organization can grow into the solution that addresses your challenges that increase your ability to offer and perform essential value-added services.
Hosted by Rob Dallas, this webinar will address why more building material distributors choose Infor CloudSuite Distribution ERP to run their business. At the conclusion of his presentation and demo of CloudSuite, Rob will be available to answer questions.
Webinar Description
Hosted by Rob Dallas, this webinar will address why Distributors using Quickbooks are moving to Infor CloudSuite Distribution to run their business.
While QuickBooks was the standard for most back-end accounting and inventory management departments, it just doesn’t have the advanced analytics and reporting capabilities needed for data-driven decisions that are so important for distributors today.
Infor CloudSuite Distribution comes out-of-the-box ready to use and offers benefits such as:
Your future success hinges on the decisions you make today. Register Today for our next webinar on Wednesday, November 13th at 12:00 pm EST with Distribution Industry expert, Rob Dallas, and get a closer look at how Infor CloudSuite Distribution can revolutionize your operations.
In today’s fast-paced distribution landscape, staying competitive requires not only meeting customer demands but also doing so with speed, accuracy, and efficiency. The key to achieving this lies in leveraging cutting-edge technology like Infor CloudSuite Distribution and artificial intelligence (AI). Together, these tools are revolutionizing how distributors process orders, reduce errors, and improve customer satisfaction. Here’s how they can make a difference for your business.
1. Automated Order Entry and Processing
Manual order entry is time-consuming and error-prone, often resulting in bottlenecks that slow down fulfillment and increase operational costs. With Infor CloudSuite Distribution, AI-powered automation can streamline this process by capturing data from multiple channels—whether it’s through EDI, email, or web-based portals—and automatically inputting it into the system. AI ensures that orders are categorized, processed, and assigned to the right teams without human intervention, significantly reducing errors and saving valuable time.
2. Improved Demand Forecasting
Distributors often struggle with maintaining the right inventory levels. Stock-outs lead to lost sales, while overstocking ties up capital and storage space. AI integrated into Infor CloudSuite Distribution offers advanced demand forecasting capabilities, analyzing historical sales data, market trends, and customer behavior to predict future demand. This helps distributors maintain optimal inventory levels, ensuring orders are fulfilled on time without overburdening warehouse space or budget.
3. Faster Fulfillment with Optimized Routing
AI can transform the way distributors handle logistics. By analyzing multiple variables such as customer location, order urgency, and shipping costs, AI algorithms within Infor CloudSuite Distribution can recommend the most efficient shipping routes and methods. This leads to faster delivery times, reduced shipping costs, and enhanced customer satisfaction.
4. Reduced Order Errors
Errors in order fulfillment—whether due to incorrect product selection, quantity mismatch, or wrong shipping addresses—can have costly repercussions. AI-driven quality checks within Infor CloudSuite Distribution help reduce these errors by identifying discrepancies in real-time. These automated checks ensure that orders are accurate before they leave the warehouse, leading to fewer returns, happier customers, and improved profitability.
5. Enhanced Customer Communication
In the age of instant gratification, customers expect real-time updates on their orders. AI-powered systems can automatically send notifications about order status, delays, or issues, ensuring transparency and proactive communication. This not only builds trust with customers but also reduces the workload on customer service teams.
6. Data-Driven Decision Making
Infor CloudSuite Distribution provides distributors with a wealth of data, from sales trends to operational performance. AI enhances this by analyzing large datasets to provide actionable insights, such as identifying inefficiencies in the order processing workflow, predicting future bottlenecks, or highlighting opportunities for improvement. These insights empower distributors to make informed decisions that can streamline operations and improve overall business performance.
7. Scalability and Flexibility
As your distribution business grows, so do the complexities of managing orders. AI within Infor CloudSuite Distribution offers scalable solutions that can handle increasing order volumes without a corresponding increase in manual labor. The flexibility of cloud-based systems also means that you can access and manage your order processing workflows from anywhere, ensuring business continuity in any situation.
Conclusion
Leveraging the powerful combination of Infor CloudSuite Distribution and AI can streamline your order processing from start to finish. By automating routine tasks, improving accuracy, and offering valuable insights, these technologies enable distributors to operate more efficiently, reduce costs, and improve customer satisfaction. In an industry where margins are tight and customer expectations are high, adopting these tools can provide a significant competitive edge.
Is your distribution business ready to take the next step in operational efficiency? Explore how Infor CloudSuite Distribution and AI can revolutionize your order processing today!
In an era where digital transformation dictates the pace of business evolution, the distribution industry is catching up, albeit at a measured pace. The unforeseen challenges introduced by the global pandemic have underscored the necessity for distributors to adopt more sophisticated digital tools. This need is not just about survival; it’s about leveraging technology to gain a competitive edge and deliver unparalleled customer experiences. Enter Infor CloudSuite Distribution—a comprehensive cloud-based solution designed to empower distributors with the tools and insights needed to excel in today’s dynamic market.
Understanding the Digital Lag in Distribution
Historically, the distribution sector has been slow on the uptake of digital tools. Many businesses operate under traditional models, with minimal reliance on advanced technology for customer interaction or operational management. However, the pandemic has been a pivotal point, accelerating the adoption of digital strategies to meet changing consumer demands and operational challenges head-on.
The Shift Towards Technology-Driven Distribution
In an increasingly competitive landscape, distributors are recognizing the importance of integrating technology into their processes. The goal is to achieve greater visibility into customer behaviors, trends, and patterns. This shift is not merely about data collection; it’s about analyzing this data to craft comprehensive customer profiles, enabling distributors to offer personalized experiences that resonate with their target audience.
The Role of Infor CloudSuite Distribution
Infor CloudSuite Distribution stands at the forefront of this technological evolution, offering a robust platform tailored for the distribution industry. Its cloud-based nature ensures scalability, flexibility, and accessibility—key attributes that modern businesses need to stay agile and responsive to market dynamics. Here are several ways Infor CloudSuite Distribution can transform the way distributors operate:
Enhanced Visibility and Insights
The solution provides deep insights into customer data, enabling businesses to understand and anticipate customer needs more effectively. This level of visibility facilitates informed decision-making, allowing distributors to tailor their offerings and services for maximum impact.
Personalized Customer Experiences
Armed with comprehensive customer profiles, distributors can customize their interactions and solutions to meet the specific needs and preferences of their audience. Infor CloudSuite Distribution supports this personalization at scale, ensuring that each customer feels valued and understood.
Streamlined Operations
Efficiency is key to maintaining competitiveness in the distribution industry. Infor CloudSuite Distribution automates and optimizes various operational processes, from inventory management to order fulfillment, reducing manual errors and enhancing productivity.
Competitive Advantage
By harnessing the power of Infor CloudSuite Distribution, distributors can not only meet but exceed customer expectations, setting themselves apart from competitors. The ability to quickly adapt to market changes and customer needs is invaluable in today’s fast-paced business environment.
The Path Forward
The integration of technology in distribution strategies is no longer optional; it’s imperative for those looking to thrive in the post-pandemic world. Infor CloudSuite Distribution offers a comprehensive solution that addresses the unique challenges and opportunities within the distribution industry. By leveraging this powerful tool, distributors can enhance their customer experience, streamline their operations, and secure a competitive advantage.
In an age where customer expectations are constantly evolving, the ability to deliver personalized, efficient, and responsive service is paramount. Infor CloudSuite Distribution equips businesses with the necessary tools to achieve these objectives, promising a brighter future for distributors ready to embrace the digital revolution.
For distributors, supply chain managers, ERP managers, CIOs, and CFOs looking to redefine their operational models and elevate their customer service, the message is clear: the time to act is now. Adopting Infor CloudSuite Distribution is not just about keeping pace; it’s about setting the pace and transforming challenges into opportunities for growth and innovation.
In conclusion, the digital transformation within the distribution industry offers a path to not only recover from the disruptions caused by the pandemic but to emerge stronger, more agile, and more customer-centric. Infor CloudSuite Distribution stands ready to lead this charge, providing the tools, insights, and capabilities necessary to achieve success in the new normal.
Aktion is here to support your ERP choice – to upgrade and extend FACTS, or help you migrate to what is next.
FACTS users have learned that as we move into a digital landscape the need to constantly adapt is paramount. There are many challenges including new customer expectations, complex order fulfillment challenges, the need for big data insight and adjusting to a more technologically familiar workforce and their expanding expectations.
Meet Infor CloudSuite™ Distribution, a complete distribution solution that combines the benefits of the cloud with functionality that’s designed specifically for wholesale distributors.
Find out more. Register for the free, 30-minute webinar hosted by Aktion Associates’ own Rob Dallas.
In today’s digital age, the way we work has changed significantly. The new generation of digital natives, who have grown up with technology, want tools and systems that are user-friendly, have seamless integrations, and accessible from anywhere. This shift is why businesses are turning to cloud-based software to streamline their operations and stay competitive. Cloud-based software is user-friendly and supports the way the new generation likes to work. In this blog post, we will explore the four key benefits of Infor CloudSuite Distribution, the cloud-based software that makes growing your business in a digital age such an important asset.
Modern User Interface (UI)
One of the significant benefits of cloud-based software is its User Interface (UI). The modern UI makes the software easy to navigate, with colorful charts, graphs, and dashboards that make it easy to view and understand your data. If constructed properly, it can be highly intuitive and user-friendly. This ease of use encourages users to seek out more information and engage in the decision-making process actively.
Embedded Business Intelligence (BI)
Many cloud-based software interfaces allow businesses to leverage embedded Business Intelligence to extract insights from data. BI helps users make informed decisions and identify trends, making it easier to adapt to market changes and stay competitive. The data analysis and reporting capabilities of cloud-based systems are more effortless and faster than traditional methods, as the data is stored on the cloud and can be accessed in real-time.
Accessible from Any Device
Remote access is becoming the norm and cloud-based software allows users to access the system from any device with internet connectivity. This feature is vital for the new generation of the workforce as it eliminates the need to be tied to a desktop or office, providing users with the flexibility to work from any device.
Easy to Scale
Scalability is vital to manage changes in business needs. As businesses grow, need to add new users, and functionality, cloud-based software can easily be expanded to support those needs. This scalability reduces the overhead costs associated with purchasing and implementing new software.
In conclusion, with its modern UI, embedded BI, device accessibility, and scalability, cloud-based software, Infor CloudSuite Distribution provides businesses with the tools they need to stay competitive.
This platform particularly resonates with the new generation of workers who seek tools that make their jobs more accessible and efficient. Infor CloudSuite Distribution, with its intuitive interface and comprehensive capabilities, embodies this trend. By adopting such cloud-based software, businesses benefit from increased efficiency, greater productivity, and reduced costs. This is especially crucial for IT managers, CFOs, warehouse managers, and B2B businesses who are looking to streamline their operations and stay ahead of the competition. Infor CloudSuite Distribution, with its specialized focus on the distribution industry, offers a tailor-made solution that aligns with the dynamic needs of modern businesses.
As a distributor, the challenges you face today, force you to rethink how you do business. Challenges that can include new customer expectations, the need for big data insight as well as adjusting to a more technologically familiar workforce and their expanding expectations. Old processes and approaches just don’t cut it anymore.
You need a solution that drives the rest of your business to be even more agile than the people and processes it supports. We are here to help prepare and to assist you in transitioning to Infor CloudSuite Distribution.
Register and reserve your place today.
Infor CloudSuite Distribution (CSD) has over 200 pre-built events that can provide email notifications to a single user or a group of users in real-time. These notifications are a useful alternative to remembering to run ad-hoc queries or to a colleague telling you on their way to get coffee. The intent is to see the smoke before the fire has started. Don’t leave discovering these important events to chance. Below we’ll discuss some of the available events and best practices for implementing them into your instance of CSD.
Example Events:
CloudSuite Distribution defines an event as something that has happened in the system that is not part of normal day-to-day procedures. There are thousands of activities that happen daily in any given business. CSD gives administrators the ability to focus on the few activities that serve as major pain points and notify the proper user(s) the second it happens.
Some popular event examples include, but are not limited to:
Best Practices:
Just because over 200 events exist in CloudSuite Distribution, doesn’t mean a business should implement all of them. An administrator should weigh the severity of the impact that the event will have on the business with the likelihood that the event will occur. In other words, a sales order that is canceled with a tied PO might only occur twice a month, but when it does happen it can cause 6 plus hours of work to clean it up if the event wasn’t caught prior to the order shipping.
Another important consideration is making sure the event goes to the right person to prevent “event fatigue”. Event fatigue is the result of a user receiving so many email events that the importance of an event begins to lose its urgency. CSD can accomplish this, for example, by setting up events to go to the buyer that wrote the purchase order instead of all buyers in the company.
Companies can maximize the value of CloudSuite Distribution events and notifications when they take a surgical approach. Events should be complementary to existing processes and tailored to specific business problems which the company is trying to solve.
Aktion has a team of qualified consultants with deep industry knowledge in applying CloudSuite Distribution events/notifications to specific business problems. Contact us to be put in touch with an Aktion expert consultant to help you put out fires with the use of events before they get started.
Infor CloudSuite Distribution users enjoy the ability to personalize and customize what data and information each role within the company can see and how they see it. Based on my experience with CSD, below you’ll find a couple of unique tips and tricks for personalizing the user interface in Infor CloudSuite Distribution to improve efficiency and ease of use within the software.
How Personalizing the User Interface in Infor CloudSuite Distribution Works.
Personalization allows for customizing the screen displays to meet a company’s individual business requirements. This is a great way to tailor the screen layout to be more user-friendly and to optimize efficiency while using Infor CloudSuite Distribution. By personalizing the user interface in Infor CloudSuite Distribution, the user can adjust fields, columns, buttons, toolbars, and grids to be hidden, unhidden, highlighted, renamed, resized, and sequenced – anything to fit the user’s unique business style and workflows. Infor CloudSuite Distribution also allows users to change the user interface to a lighter display, a darker display or higher contrast that is easier to read, based on personal preferences.
Can We Have Different Personalizations for Different Departments?
YES! Personalization can be done on a user, profile, or company level. It is possible to create unique profiles per user or department. You can have customized profiles for Customer Service, Purchasing, Accounting and all departments. This personalized layout per department is great because it results in an efficient and uniform workflow for that department or even companywide.
Who Can Personalize in CSD?
Most companies only want to allow access to personalize their screen based on those users who have the experience and knowledge of the system and to keep to corporate branding and appearance standards for the organization. With Infor CloudSuite Distribution’s comprehensive security system, it is possible to allow personalization to be only limited to specific users. Additionally, the security measures will allow and/or prevent users from performing specific tasks based on role and accessibility. Administrators can easily assign who can and can’t personalize.
Can Personalization Be Reversed or Reset?
YES! The System Administrator can view, allow, prevent, or reset all personalizations. Access changes can be made, and roles can be changed easily.
Can Aktion Help Me Personalize My CloudSuite Solution?
YES! Aktion Associates has an entire team of Infor CSD Application Consultants who can guide you through the Personalization process. Aktion can also provide complete training and solutions for all roles and applications needed. Please contact Aktion Associates at 1-800-AKTION (800-425-8466), info@aktion.com or contact your Account Manager to schedule a personalization consultation.
All accounting professionals dread month-end reconciliation. Between the ticking and the inevitable hunt for a needle in a haystack, this can be a time-consuming and mind-numbing experience. I come from an accounting background and know this all too well. That’s why I’d like to offer you three ways to keep your Infor CloudSuite Distribution (CSD) chart of accounts balanced to simplify the process and save you time.
1: Trial Balance Reports
Out of the box, CSD offers a wide array of trial balance reports. These reports compare the subsidiary total to the general ledger and calculate if they are in balance or not. The reports can be used for reconciliation when in balance.
Popular Reporting Acronyms & Descriptions Inside CSD:
Other accounts:
These easy-to-use reports inside of CSD can help with reconciliation documentation as well as pinpoint any discrepancies.
2: Scheduled Reports & Balance History
Another one of my favorite time-saving features inside of CSD is the ability to set up the trial balance reports to run on a schedule. Trial balance report scheduling allows you to print, email, or even save a file of the report. Then when the report is run, it creates a record inside the general ledger. An example that comes to mind is when the AP trial balance runs, the results are stored in the general ledger account inquiry screen under the tab of balance history.
Below you’ll see a variance comparison report showing the difference between the last time it was run and the current report. You’ll notice it also includes crucial data like report total, GL total, and the difference. By running this report daily, you gain the ability to isolate down to the day when reports went out of balance.
3: CSD Events
Topping out our list is a must-use, time-saving feature in CSD called, event manager. Events are basically notifications that specific actions took place. The nice thing about CSD is that it comes with over 100 prebuilt event types that can be configured to fit your business needs.
Suspense postings are made in the general ledger when CSD does not know where to make a specific posting. This can happen for many different reasons, but normally it is related to a GL mapping issue. My go-to event to keep the general ledger clean and balanced is an alert when a suspense posting occurs, which can be emailed or printed at the time of the event. Through the use of events, you can isolate the problem and correct the discrepancy before it muddies your data and creates extra work for you.
Month-end reconciliation may never be a fun process. But if you use these tips inside CSD, you can significantly simplify the process and save yourself quite a bit of time too.
At Aktion, we have an entire team of Infor CSD experts who understand your software inside and out. We know keeping your chart of accounts balanced in CSD can be stressful and time-consuming, that’s why we’re here to help. Contact us to be connected to a qualified CSD consultant to review your current process and provide insight into how you can streamline your processes.
