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MEDBRUSfor Distribution

An example for a distribution business.

Seven manual jobs at a distributor, and how each could be automated.

Each example shows a manual job after the tools are connected, with how it works before beside it. On a phone, swipe to see before.

01Order intake

After

Every order lands in one queue

Whatever the channel, each order is matched to products and prices. Only the unclear ones wait for a person.

  • One queue for every channel
  • Matched to products, packs and tier prices
  • Only unclear items wait for a person
After
Order queueEvery channel in one list
Ivy Lane PharmacySO-2041 · Message €338.24 Needs a look
Rowan Health ClinicSO-2042 · Phone note €548.51 Needs a look
Petal & Stone WholefoodsSO-2043 · Email €199.30 Ready
North Lane PhysioSO-2044 · Web shop €373.07 Ready
Ember FitnessSO-2045 · Message €516.40 Ready

Oh and the vitamin C one, 1 box. Thanks!

Needs a lookTwo products match. A person picks one, everything else is already matched.

Illustration. An example business, not a real company.

Before

Orders arrive in four places

Messages, emails, phone calls and the web shop all bring in orders, and none of them reach the order system on their own.

  • Every order is retyped by hand
  • Each customer’s price tier is looked up
  • Unclear items mean a call back
Before
Messages

Ivy Lane Pharmacy

Morning! Could we get 2 boxes of the magnesium and 6 fish oil please

Oh and the vitamin C one, 1 box. Thanks!

Email

Order for next week

nadia@petalandstone.example

1 box Elderberry Syrup

1 box Turmeric & Black Pepper

2 ashwagandha

Phone note

Rowan Clinic, Dr Hale rang. 1 case vitamin D drops 3 probiotics CoQ10 x 6

Web shop

Order WEB-5518

OST-MGBox 6 × 1

MLK-TURBox 6 × 1

BRV-OMBox 6 × 2

Dana retypes each one

Illustration. An example business, not a real company.

02Stock, expiry and lots

After

Stock tracked by lot, in one place

Every lot carries its best-before date, the earliest one ships first, and low stock becomes a suggested order.

  • Stock held by lot, with best-before dates
  • The earliest best-before ships first
  • A reorder list with a suggested supplier order
After
Stock by lotEarliest best-before ships first
Vitamin D3 2000 IU Drops114
L-4410 24 Dec 2026 Near expiryShips first 18
L-4518 27 Dec 2027 96
Turmeric & Black Pepper48
L-7088 10 Dec 2026 Near expiryShips first 4
L-7131 5 Apr 2028 44
Magnesium Bisglycinate34
L-4402 31 May 2027 Ships first 10
L-4490 15 Feb 2028 24
Creatine MonohydrateBelow reorder8
L-9007 25 Apr 2028 Ships first 8
ReorderSuggested supplier order
  • Zinc Picolinate 25mgOstrel Health · 9 left48
  • Marine Collagen ShotsBrivane Lab · 5 left24
  • Creatine MonohydrateTessaly Sport · 8 left24

Draft only. Sent when someone approves it.

Illustration. An example business, not a real company.

Before

Stock lives in two spreadsheets

Counts in one file, lots and best-before dates in another, and reorders decided from memory.

  • Both files updated by hand after each sale
  • The other file checked to pick a lot
  • Reorders placed when something feels low
Before
Stock sheet
AB
1ProductIn stock
2Vitamin D3 Drops114
3Magnesium34
4Fish oil 100084 78?
5Turmeric + pepper48
6Creatine8
Expiry file
ABC
1LotItemBest before
2L-4410Vit D drops24 Dec
3L-2207Omega 3 fish17 Dec send first
4L-7088Turmeric caps10 Dec
5L-7099Valerian??

low on creatine?? ask Elena first

Viktor updates both after each sale

Illustration. An example business, not a real company.

03Invoicing and delivery

After

Typed once, invoiced and shipped

The invoice and the shipment are created from the order itself, and the customer’s tracking message is ready.

  • The invoice is created from the order
  • The shipment is booked from the same details
  • The tracking message is ready to send
After
Order SO-2043Petal & Stone Wholefoods · €199.30
Invoice INV-1043€199.30 · due 2 DecCreated
Shipment3 items · ref 7D-4471Label ready

To Nadia at Petal & Stone WholefoodsReady to send

Hi Nadia, your order SO-2043 is on its way. Tracking ref 7D-4471. Thanks, the team

Illustration. An example business, not a real company.

Before

One order, typed three times

Into the order system, again into accounting for the invoice, and again into the courier’s website.

  • The order is retyped into accounting
  • The address is retyped on the courier’s site
  • The tracking number is copied into an email
Before
Order SO-2043

Petal & Stone Wholefoods

Elderberry Syrup

Turmeric & Black Pepper

Ashwagandha Root

€199.30

Accounting tool

CustomerPetal & Sto

Amount

Due date

Courier website

Deliver to

Address

Parcels

Illustration. An example business, not a real company.

04Getting paid

After

Payments match themselves

Bank payments are matched to invoices, reminders go out on schedule, and only the stubborn ones need a call.

  • Payments matched to invoices automatically
  • Reminders before, on and after the due date
  • A short list of the ones worth a call
After
InvoicesPayments matched from the bank feed
Ivy Lane PharmacyINV-1031 €412.30 Paid · matched
North Lane PhysioINV-1034 €649.24 Paid · matched
Ember FitnessINV-1036 €516.40 Due in 3 days
Opaline PharmacyINV-1038 €391.37 Due today
Salt & Grain MarketINV-1029 €187.60 3 days overdue
Bloom House HealthINV-1022 €274.10 Needs a call
Verdant Strength GymINV-1019 €332.90 Needs a call

SentScheduledStopped Reminders 3 days before, on the day and 7 days after

Needs a callOverdue more than two weeks
  • Bloom House Health15 days overdue · €274.10
  • Verdant Strength Gym21 days overdue · €332.90

Illustration. An example business, not a real company.

Before

Payments matched by hand

Someone reads the bank statement line by line, ticks off invoices, and tries to remember who to chase.

  • The statement is checked against every invoice
  • Vague payment references are guessed
  • Late payers are chased when there’s time
Before
Bank statement

TRF IVY LANE PHARMACY 1031€412.30

NORTH LANE PHYSIO INV1034€649.24

PAYMENT REF 5519€96.00 ?

TRF SALT GRAIN MKT€100.00

Invoice list
ABC
1CustomerAmount
2Ivy Lane Pharmacy€412.30✓
3North Lane Physio€649.24✓
4Ember Fitness€516.40
5Opaline Pharmacy€391.37
6Salt & Grain Market€187.60chase?
Elena matches and chases by phone

Illustration. An example business, not a real company.

05Repeat business

After

Reorders that prompt themselves

When a customer is due, they get a one-reply message with their usual order, and the reply becomes the order.

  • Each customer’s usual order saved
  • A one-reply reorder message when they’re due
  • Their reply becomes an order
After
Ember FitnessUsual order
Whey Protein VanillaBox of 6
Creatine MonohydrateBox of 6
Electrolyte SticksCase of 24

Hi Leah, time for your usual order? Reply YES and it goes out with the next delivery.

YES please

Order SO-2050 created from the usual order

Due a nudgePast their usual reorder time
  • The Quiet LarderUsually every 3 weeks · last order 24 days agoNudge queued
  • Linden ClinicUsually every 4 weeks · last order 33 days agoNudge queued
  • Salt & Grain MarketUsually every 2 weeks · last order 19 days agoNudge queued

Illustration. An example business, not a real company.

Before

Reorders depend on memory

Customers reorder when they remember, or when Elena finds time to ring round.

  • A list of who to call, kept on paper
  • Calls happen on a quiet afternoon
  • Customers nobody calls drift away
Before
Notebook

call Ember? last order 3 wks ago? Quiet Larder, the usual? Linden, ask about D3 Salt & Grain ??

Elena calls when there’s time

Illustration. An example business, not a real company.

06Customer and partner admin

After

One customer, one record

Tier, special prices, minimum order and brand access live together, and every tool reads from the same record.

  • One record per customer
  • Tier, prices, minimums and brands together
  • Every tool reads from it
After
Opaline PharmacyPharmacy · one record
Price tier
Preferred
Minimum order
€150.00
Brands
Ostrel HealthBrivane LabMelkwood BotanicsTessaly Sport
Special prices
Probiotic 20 Billion€19.90Marine Collagen Shots€27.50

Feeds

Web shopOrder queueInvoicesPrice list

Illustration. An example business, not a real company.

Before

One customer, set up three times

A new account is typed into the web shop and accounting, and special prices live in a spreadsheet.

  • The customer is created in each tool
  • Special prices sit in a separate sheet
  • Minimums and brand access are remembered
Before
Web shop account

NameOpaline Pharmacy

Email

Price tier?

Accounting contact

NameOpaline Pharmacy

VAT number

Payment terms

Special prices
AB
1OpalinePrice
2Probiotic€19.90
3Marine€27.50
4min order?
Typed into each tool by hand

Illustration. An example business, not a real company.

07Reporting

After

Numbers that stay current

Sales, slow stock and customers ordering less are always up to date, with nobody copying figures.

  • Sales by customer, brand and product, always current
  • Slow-moving stock flagged
  • Customers ordering less than usual
After
Sales by brandAlways current
Ostrel Health
Brivane Lab
Melkwood Botanics
Tessaly Sport
Slow stock
  • Valerian Night DropsNo sale in 47 days
  • BCAA Powder CitrusNo sale in 39 days
Ordering has dropped
  • Bloom House HealthUsually every 3 weeks · last order 7 weeks ago
  • Verdant Strength GymUsually every 2 weeks · last order 5 weeks ago

Illustration. An example business, not a real company.

Before

The weekly numbers, copied by hand

Every week someone pulls figures from the shop, accounting and stock sheet into one spreadsheet.

  • Exports from each tool, one by one
  • Pasted into a weekly sheet
  • Out of date by the time it’s done
Before
Web shopAccountingStock sheet
Weekly numbers
ABC
1This weekNotes
2Web shop salesexport, paste
3Phone and email ordersask Dana
4Stock on handViktor’s sheet
5Unpaid invoicescheck bank
Copied together every week

Illustration. An example business, not a real company.

Every business is a little different.

These are examples of how it could work, not a fixed product. A real setup starts from the tools and people a business already has.

Examples of how it could work. Illustrative businesses, not clients.

Ready to get it all in one place?

Tell me how your business runs today. Together we'll work out how to save you time and keep everything in view.

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