independent dealers ,consumer durable goods,digital forms,e-invoices,e-invoicing,digital order forms,file encryption,product catalogues,digital product catalogues,repair parts,serial numbers

 

Independent dealers in the consumer durable goods industry have been around for a long time, and many of them have been doing things the same way for generations. As we all know, however, change is inevitable. Technology can improve efficiency and eliminate headaches in day-to-day operations, and it can also greatly reduce the possibility for fraud. Lastly, it can help save the rain forests. Here are some of the ways in which going paperless can help independent dealers perform better.

 

Handwriting is what turned us from men who lived in caves to men who lived in condominiums, but its usefulness has been far overshadowed by digital means of recording data. Whenever an independent dealer submits a handwritten order form for products or parts (God forbid they use snail-mail) via fax there’s a good chance that the form contains a smudge, or a typo, or a duplicate order. You may think ‘big deal, that’s why whiteout was invented’ – but combing through file cabinets and altering even one miswritten number is time-consuming.

 

Another caveat to handwritten forms is that they are forge-able. When forms are handwritten, the only requirement for them to look genuine is… for them to look genuine. In other words, all a roguish employee would have to do to submit a fake order would be to get good at imitating their boss’ handwriting. Electronic invoice forms are coupled with exceedingly-complex encryption protocols, which make it much harder to submit fraudulent orders.

 

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E-invoicing is called the wave of the future for a reason: it’s faster, it’s easier, and it’s safer. The ordering process across many verticals within the consumer durable goods industry can even be automated, meaning you won’t have to do anything; next month, the perfect amount of items your operation needs to stay in the black will just arrive at your door.

 

But why stop there? Plenty other aspects of an independent dealer’s business are traditionally done on paper, which is hopefully soon to change. Product catalogues, for example, are going digital. No longer will you have to wait for a new catalogue in the mail to get the part numbers you need, simply because you spilled your coffee one day.

 

Digitization helps from the customer side of things, too. Product registration forms used to be little cards the customer found in the packaging for the product they bought, but now a lot of manufacturers are taking a page out of Wall-E’s book – they’ve built apps and landing pages for their customers to register their products online. Often, the registration process is as simple for the customer as taking a picture of the barcode for the product on their smartphone.

 

You may see digitization as the trumpet heralding the arrival of some Orwellian apocalypse, but trust us – that ain’t the case. Or, you may lack the confidence that you can make the transition. But, you can do it! Ones and zeros are as easy as ABC.