One order platform replaces email and spreadsheets

The challenge

What was going wrong

1. 1

   Map the real workflow

   We sat with dispatchers and sales staff and followed an order from request to delivery. We wrote down every rule that people carried in their heads.

2. 2

   Design the core model

   We agreed on one order model that fits customers, products, stock and delivery slots, and sketched screens with the people who would use them daily.

3. 3

   Build in small releases

   We delivered in short sprints, starting with order entry. Dispatchers tried each release and told us what felt wrong before we moved on.

4. 4

   Launch and improve

   We moved customers across in groups, kept the old process as a fallback at first, and fixed issues quickly as real orders flowed through.

• Single order queue

  Orders from email, phone entry and the customer portal land in one list.

• Stock and slot checks

  The system checks availability and delivery windows as the order is entered.

• Finance integration

  An API sends confirmed orders and invoices to the finance system automatically.

• Customer portal

  Customers place repeat orders and track delivery status themselves.

• Manual re-keying removed

  Dispatchers stopped copying order details between inboxes and spreadsheets.

• Fewer delivery mistakes

  Orders carry the right product and address from entry to dispatch, so errors drop.

• Customers serve themselves

  Repeat customers order and check status online instead of phoning the office.

• Laravel PHP framework for quick, well-structured web applications.
• PostgreSQL Dependable database for complex business data.
• AWS Amazon cloud hosting and services.
• Docker Packages software so it runs the same everywhere.
• Vue.js Approachable framework for interactive interfaces.