If you are a consumer goods brand or wholesaler, you may already be running an online sales solution. Or perhaps you’re looking at setting one up for the first time. Either way, one of the biggest challenges you will face is managing the large amounts of data that will be generated. If you use a business tool such as QuickBooks, the easiest way to stay in control of all the information is a QuickBooks eCommerce integration.
Why should you integrate both solutions?
QuickBooks is advanced accounting software that helps you manage the operational side of your business, from payments to stock control. Your B2B ecommerce solution is customer facing and the two systems are two parts of one whole sales process. If the two systems work independently and don’t share their data, you will create a headache for your company that is completely avoidable.
How will your business benefit from integration?
1. Improved customer experience
The main difference for B2B customers when using an eCommerce solution is they can make online purchases 24/7, whenever and wherever it suits them.
But this is only the case if your eCommerce platform has all the relevant and up-to-date information they need. If you are reliant upon manual inputting from QuickBooks into your eCommerce site, this is not only time-consuming but can lead to manual errors.
QuickBooks eCommerce integration however, enables customers to manage their purchases and order history accurately and efficiently. They can easily place orders, get refunds, check invoices, estimates, sales receipts, credit memos and more.
2. Stay in control of your business
Investing in an eCommerce solution is a great decision for any small or medium sized business, but it brings with it a huge amount of data of which to keep track. It’s vital to bear in mind the special requirements of your B2B customers.
B2B commerce is different from B2C commerce in many ways, but one of the main differences between the two is regarding payment terms. Buying shoes online necessitates paying immediately upfront, but B2B companies are given credit and offered either 30, 60, or 90 days in which to pay, dependent upon what has been agreed.
Integration can help. It reduces manual processes, saving time and money, but also provides improved visibility across the entire order-to-cash process, allowing you to identify credit issues easier and address them before they affect customer satisfaction or the bottom line.
3. Improved experience for sales reps too
One of the main aims of integration is a better customer experience, but sales reps can also benefit from automation.
Although you should be encouraging your customers to use your online sales portal, there will still be times they want a visit from your sales rep. It’s important during these calls that your sales reps have real-time information to hand, so they can answer customer queries immediately.
They can make educated selling decisions by suggesting new products based on previous customer history and real-time data. This results in higher sales for them and higher revenue for you.
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