Smooth Operators--Hard Working Furniture Manufacturers

For new entrepreneurs – and for those who have experience with retail or furniture suppliers – the biggest issue at times isn’t finding the high quality manufacturers, but everything that comes after! Billing, delivery, and inventory storage are all essential parts of this process.

 

Most of us assume that inventory is a breeze! If there are reasonable inventory counts, then manufacturing should be simple! Well, this is not always true. Holding a bigger inventory brings new worries to the business including theft, keeping inventory counts, and damaged inventory. Theft can occur from outside the company, but it might also come from the employees. Inventory counts are essential to keep the warehouse in working order. You need to know what you have to sell, and how much. If the warehouse is a victim of poor management, inventory previously tagged “stolen” could appear much later. This not only throws off inventory counts, but it upsets accounting, where stolen items are often written off. Additionally, damages are an issue. Whether the product arrives damaged or becomes damaged in house, these are still products purchased by you that you now cannot resell.

 

Yes, there are many different carriers available right now who all do what they can to be the best. Mistakes still happen however; such as wrong addresses, late deliveries, or damages during shipping. Many companies will take credit for these issues, but some will charge you to redirect the items to the correct address. These mistakes are in addition to those that happen in house. These include delivered items in the incorrect color or size, items sent out that were not meant to be sent, etc. Of course, you will do everything you can to ensure accuracy, but mistakes still pop up sometimes. Figuring out issues after shipping eats up a lot of time. Of course, many of you will recall the three-way conversations between carrier, client and business that took forever.

 

Once the shipping and inventory are where they should be, work out the billing then you will be set! Or so you think… When items are invoiced wrong, discounts to customers undocumented, partial payments are made, late payments come in, credit is issued for returned items, it seems to never end! In billing, honestly, it never does end. This process certainly involves many go betweens for your client and for you – and you must complete this for each billing cycle.

There is a better option for you, one which will save some money and time for you, and let you move forward with your business. That option is to discover that manufacturer who will offer a full array of services for you!