Aug 6, 2024
Hugo Walker
What sets successful businesses apart in today's competitive market? The answer is simple: a relentless focus on the customer. Customer-focused organisations go beyond just selling products or services; they deeply understand their customers' needs, anticipate future demands and adapt their strategies accordingly. So, is your business truly customer-focused, or are you happy to deliver a mediocre service?
For food manufacturers, efficiency, precision and seamless operations are critical to success. While many businesses have traditionally relied on add-ons from Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) providers to handle their B2B online ordering needs, these solutions often fall short of meeting the specific demands of the Food Manufacturing industry.
Imagine, for example, the difference between preparing a meal with a chef's knife and a Swiss Army knife. While the all-rounder is versatile, it's not designed for precision or efficiency in any particular area. In contrast, a chef's knife is specifically crafted for cooking, offering superior performance and precision for slicing, dicing and chopping. If you want to excel at a specific task, using a purpose-built tool will always deliver better results than a generalist option that tries to do it all but excels at none.
Investing in an industry-specific B2B online ordering platform offers numerous advantages that can significantly enhance your operations. After all, it will be the primary landing point for your customers to place orders, check their order status, view new products and promotions, access invoices and more. Here’s why food manufacturers should consider this specialised approach.
Best-In-Class
Industry-specific functionalities
ERP add-ons are usually an afterthought, developed by teams that lack expertise in customer experience or ordering processes. These add-ons are often created simply to ensure that the ERP solution can check off certain features to remain competitive against other ERPs. As a result, these offerings tend to be extremely basic and fail to provide the seamless and intuitive experience that truly delights customers.
An industry-specific B2B online ordering platform, however, is built with the unique needs of food manufacturers (and their customers) in mind. This includes features like cut-off and lead time management, date-led ordering and tiered pricing, ensuring that your business runs smoothly and maximises revenue potential.
Enhanced efficiency and accuracy
Streamlined order processing
Industry-specific platforms are designed to streamline order processing with features tailored to the Food Manufacturing workflow. Automated order confirmations, credit requests and error handling are just a few examples of how these platforms can reduce manual work and minimise errors, freeing up your Customer Service team to do more valuable tasks.
Like off-the-shelf ordering solutions, ERP add-ons often require significant customisation to achieve similar efficiencies, leading to higher costs and longer implementation times.
Better Customer Experience
Customised Ordering Options
Food manufacturers often deal with a diverse customer base, each with unique ordering preferences and requirements. Industry-specific platforms allow for customised ordering options, such as standing orders and customer-specific pricing.
This level of customisation is difficult to achieve with generic ERP add-ons, which are not designed to cater to such specialised needs.
User-friendly interface
A user-friendly interface is essential for providing a seamless ordering experience. Industry-specific platforms are designed with the end-user in mind, offering intuitive navigation and easy access to important information. Mezze, for example, provides a custom-branded, Amazon-like customer interface that makes ordering as simple as a weekly Tesco shop.
This contrasts with many ERP add-ons, which are clunky, complex and difficult to navigate, leading to frustration and inefficiencies.
Scalability and Flexibility
Adaptable to business growth
As your Food Manufacturing business grows, your ordering platform needs to scale with you. Industry-specific B2B platforms are built to be scalable, allowing you to add or request new features and expand your operations without significant disruptions. ERP add-ons can be rigid and costly to scale, limiting your ability to adapt to changing market demands.
Customisable workflows
Every food manufacturer has unique workflows and processes. Industry-specific platforms offer customisable workflows that can be tailored to fit your specific needs. This flexibility ensures the platform works in harmony with your existing processes, rather than forcing you to adapt to a one-size-fits-all solution offered by ERP add-ons.
Cost-effectiveness
Lower implementation and maintenance costs
While an ERP add-on might seem like a cost-effective (even free!) alternative to a specialist ordering platform, it's important to remember that this comparison isn't exactly apples to apples. An ERP add-on typically lacks the advanced functionality and user experience that a dedicated ordering platform offers.
Moreover, the expense of attempting to match those features with an ERP add-on, assuming it's even possible, can be prohibitive. Ultimately, investing in a specialised solution will provide far more value and efficiency in the long run.
Transparent pricing
Industry-specific platforms often offer transparent pricing models with clear, predictable costs, such as a % cost based on orders going through the platform. This transparency allows you to budget more effectively and avoid the hidden fees associated with ERP add-ons. Knowing exactly what you’re paying for helps make informed financial decisions.
Superior support
Dedicated industry support
Food manufacturers face unique challenges and regulatory requirements. Industry-specific platforms offer dedicated support teams with expertise in the food industry, ensuring that you receive relevant and timely assistance. ERP add-ons, on the other hand, may not provide the same level of specialised support, leaving you to navigate complex issues on your own.
Continuous improvement tailored to your business
Since ordering functionality is not a core focus of an ERP system, updates are infrequent, if they happen at all. In contrast, an industry-specific B2B online ordering platform consistently evolves with the market, offering new features that address emerging problems and meet customer demands.
As experts in this field at Mezze, we prioritise being the most advanced, constantly enhancing our platform with features like support ticket integration, AI reminders, EDI capabilities and more. This focus ensures you always have access to cutting-edge tools that enhance your business operations and help you grow.
If you'd like to discuss how your food manufacturing business could optimise resources and boost revenue with Mezze’s industry-specific solution, contact us today.
