Replacing manual order placement with a purpose-built ordering app

Custom Application
Order Process Automation
B2B Supply
Forecourt Equipment

A forecourt equipment supplier taking orders by hand needed a faster, more reliable way for customers to order and for staff to manage those orders.

The client supplies equipment to forecourts. Orders were placed manually, which meant phone calls, messages and re-keying, so each order took longer to process and mistakes were easy to make. As the customer base grew, the manual process became a bottleneck.

Objectives

Speed up the order pipeline from request to fulfilment
Reduce errors caused by manual order entry
Give the business a clear view of orders and their status
Make ordering simple for customers

Outcomes

Orders move through a defined, faster pipeline instead of ad hoc messages
The business manages and tracks orders in one place
Customers can place orders more easily
Staff spend less time on data entry and follow-up

The opportunity

The supplier's customers order regularly and repeatedly, which is exactly the kind of work a purpose-built system handles well. The opportunity was to turn a manual, person-dependent process into a structured one that is faster for customers and easier for the business to run.

Approach

We mapped how orders arrived, who handled them and where they stalled. We then designed an app around that flow, keeping the steps familiar to staff and customers while removing the manual work. The result was a system the business could use from day one.

Overview of the solution

Custom ordering app: a purpose-built tool for placing and processing orders
Order pipeline: clear stages from request through to fulfilment
Order management view: a single place to track and manage orders
Streamlined customer experience: a simpler way for customers to place orders