Common order management mistakes and how to avoid them

Why the same mistakes keep coming back

In distribution, mistakes are rarely random. They often repeat in the same place because two things are missing: nobody keeps a record of what happened, and nobody is responsible for a particular step. When a mistake is fixed and then forgotten, the same one soon happens again.

The mistakes below are in the order an order travels: receiving, picking, delivery, money, data and communication. Each has a sign you can spot it by, and a fix.

When receiving an order

Orders arrive through several channels (calls, chats, a notebook). Sign: one order is recorded twice or not at all. Fix: keep one list and move everything into it, however it reached you.
The shop gets no confirmation. Sign: it keeps phoning to ask whether you received the order. Fix: accept the order and confirm it at once.
The unit is unclear. Sign: the shop wrote "ten" and you understood ten pieces, while it meant ten cases. Fix: give every product in the catalog a clear unit (piece, case).

During picking and loading

Picking without a second check. Sign: the shop receives something different, or less, than it ordered. Fix: have two people compare the list together at loading.
The order status is not marked. Sign: the driver sets off with an order that is not yet picked. Fix: mark an order as picked only when it is really ready.
The loading order is not planned. Sign: at the first shop the driver sorts through the whole load. Fix: put the last shop on the vehicle first.

At delivery and with money

Delivery is confirmed in the evening. Sign: details are forgotten and the totals do not match. Fix: confirm it at the shop, on the spot.
The amount is not checked at delivery. Sign: the driver and the shop understand different amounts. Fix: keep the final amount of the order in front of the driver.
Cash is not compared with deliveries. Sign: a shortage appears days later. Fix: compare on the same day, at handover.

In data and prices

Old prices. Sign: the shop sees one price and you ask for another. Fix: change a price in one place and let it update for every shop at once.
Duplicated or outdated products in the catalog. Sign: the shop cannot tell which to choose, or orders something you no longer carry. Fix: review the catalog once a month.
Stock in the catalog does not reflect reality. Sign: a shop orders and the order changes just before delivery. Fix: mark in good time what you no longer have.

In communication

You tell the shop about a shortage at delivery. Sign: displeasure and an argument at the door. Fix: tell it in advance, before delivery, and offer an alternative.
There is no cut-off for changes. Sign: changes arrive after picking. Fix: set a cut-off and tell every shop in the same way.

One mistake from start to finish: an example

To see how a small mistake grows into a big problem, let us follow one example. It is an illustrative situation, but many distributors will recognise it.

A shop writes in a chat: "10 water". The order is entered in the system as 10 pieces, but the shop wanted 10 cases.
The warehouse picks 10 pieces and that quantity is handed to the driver.
At delivery the shop sees the load is ten times smaller than it expected. An argument starts, the driver disputes it and phones the office.
The result: an extra trip to bring the shortfall, the cost, the shop's displeasure and lost time on both sides.

The cause is not the driver or the warehouse, but that the unit was not defined. The fix is simple: every product in the catalog should have a clear unit, and the shop should pick it when ordering rather than write it as free text. Check that the order confirmation shows the quantity together with its unit. This one change protects the whole chain.

Which mistake to fix first

You cannot fix every mistake at once, so decide where to start. Two questions are enough for each mistake: how often does it happen, and what does it cost when it does?

Frequent and expensive: fix this first, for example cash that is not compared, or an unclear unit.
Frequent but cheap: these are the small things that eat time, so deal with them over time too.
Rare but expensive: write a rule for it, so everyone knows what to do when it happens.
Rare and cheap: leave it alone for now.

If you are unsure where to start, start with money and prices. Mistakes involving money become expensive fastest and do the most damage to the shop's trust.

How to prevent them systematically

Fixing a single mistake is one thing; making sure it does not come back is another. For that you need three simple habits.

A mistake log: write each case in a few words, what happened and why.
One person responsible per step: one person should answer for receiving, picking, delivery and money.
A monthly review: look in the log for which mistake repeats, and fix only that one first.

In Strelf orders, statuses, deliveries and amounts are collected in one place, so many of the mistakes above simply do not arise: the order is in one list, a price changes in one place and delivery is confirmed on the spot.

Checklist

Orders are collected in one list and confirmed to the shop.
Every product has a clear unit.
Two people check a picked order at loading.
Delivery and cash are recorded on the spot.
A price is changed in one place.
The shop hears about a shortage in advance.
You keep a mistake log and look at it once a month.

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