When You Absolutely Must 'Take It On The Road'

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Not long ago someone Emailed me asking my opinion about 'mobile route sales' that worked with QuickBooks and I responded back that I thought I had covered the topic in an earlier article. When they said they couldn't find it, I realized that I never really finished that article, so I thought I should probably 'rehash' it since a lot has changed in the years since I first started it.

What I did do was write a review back in 2018 of one specific App, OIS Mobile Sales, that can still be found within the Intuit App Center and is now called, OIS Connect. 

We will list other software alternatives near the end of this article.

So, you might ask, "What are Route Sales" solutions and how do they differ from an in-office mobile sales solution? To understand Route Sales Solutions, you must first understand 'Route Sales'.

Route/DSD Sales have been around for years. Some of the major stores for which this type of vendor supply-chain sales are essential include food & grocery, bread & bakery, beer, wine & liquor, soft drinks and bottled water products, bulk ice, frozen foods, dairy products and ice cream, propane & LP gas, industrial & welding supplies, fire extinguishers & safety supplies, etc. Direct Store Delivery (DSD) is the process whereby a vendor supplies product directly to the stores with whom they do business typically within a market area or along a route. The DSD methodology may involve pre-sale/order fulfillment, or it may involve store-based inventory restock fulfillment.

Route/DSD sales accounting encompasses vendors operating within DSD, Van Sales, Mobile Sales, Pre-Sell and Point of Sale businesses. Regardless of specialization, each vendor requires a reliable route accounting system to efficiently load, ship and deliver products to customers with speed and accuracy. So, a Route/DSD Sales Solution is one that will handle each of these various configurations (in singular fashion or collectively), for essentially any industry specialization (the various markets listed above), working in one or more geographic areas (or any size), and integrating with the vendor's chosen accounting software (which provides their general ledger and other essential components not performed by the Route/DSD software itself.

Normally, a couple of other 'accessory features' are integrated into or come with the Route/DSD solution. First, a CRM that provides enhanced 'customer management' and which may integrate with email or marketing tools that gives the vendor the opportunity to maximize sales to customers. Second, a Route/Journey Plan tool for the development of the most timely and economical route/delivery plans associated with customer orders, both regular and special. Route or Journey Plans are the actual routing of one or more mobile sales or delivery vehicle that fulfill orders by providing specific customer coverage and/or making designated customer stops along their designated route(s). These plans are critical to the efficient delivery of Route/DSD services by a vendor to their customers.

bMobileSales is a Route/DSD Solution that works with QuickBooks Online, you will also find it at their Intuit App Center (bMobileSales landing page). This solution is designed to use  Android phones or tablets. They also offer an alternative that works with QuickBooks Desktop.

inSitu Sales is another 'all-in-one mobile solution' for field sales, distribution and B2B e-commerce that can be found at their Intuit App Center (inSitut Sales landing page). They are designed to work on either Android or iOS.

There very well could be others, but the three we have mentioned in this article are the ones we found upon searching for 'Route Sales' in the Intuit App Store. You will undoubtedly find countless others on the internet, so if you are looking for 'route sales' just make sure you find a solution that meets the specifics of your requirements and integrates with the accounting software you are using.

Best of luck.