The Evolution of Route Accounting

When typewriters became popular in the 1930s, an editorial in the New York Times stated that the new machine replaced the art of handwriting with one's own hand. Yet, typewriters became mainstream in homes and offices  all around the world. Producing tangible literature with speed and ease quickly became a social norm. From its conception, the typewriter paved the road for computers, printers and the unlimited exchange of information that we take for granted in today's route accounting industry as seen below:


 

 

Although described as an art, many distributors assert the disadvantages of writing invoices by hand:

• Illegible writing
• Messy ink blotches
• Mathematical errors
• Hand cramps
• Slow sales time

With the evolution of technology, today distributors have the luxury of an automated invoicing system*, eliminating the need for paper and a pen. The combination of mobile computers, mobile printers, and real-time EDI** allow distributors to save time, increase productivity and  generate more sales.

Solid Innovation, Inc. has seen the unfortunate consequences of their clients handwriting invoices. "I constantly receive calls from clients who complain to me that they have growing stacks of paper on their desk that they just can't keep up with, " says Nancy Sagardia, Product Specialist of Solid Innovation. "Sometimes the fear of technology holds them back from automating their system, but in reality, it would make their lives much simpler. Clients need to realize  you can't run an effective distribution company with a paper and pen. You need to be automated to make reasonable profits in the industry."

Essentially, handwriting became obsolete in the 1930s. If you're still handwriting invoices, you date yourself back to the days of the Dirty Thirties - what does that say about your distribution company? As Dave Desjardin of Jardin Foods, Ltd., exclaims, "anybody handwriting invoices today is a dinosaur***."   Don't let your company fall behind industry standards. Put your pen down and revolutionize your business.


*For information on an automated route accounting system, visit Solid.
**Electronic Data Interchange
***Read Jardin Foods Case Study