Case studies / Building Materials Trading
Case studyQuote-to-delivery workflow for a builders’ merchant
A 34-branch builders' merchant connected quotes, credit checks, stock and proof of delivery in one workflow, cutting quantity disputes and tightening terms for its riskiest contractors.
Overview
An independent builders' merchant with 34 branches across Scotland and the north of England, supplying timber, aggregates, blocks, insulation and roofing to small builders, regional contractors and housebuilders.
Scale. Around 4,500 trade accounts, 40,000 stock lines, 300 delivery vehicles and cranes, and thousands of quotes a month, delivered as a phased, multi-location programme.
The challenge
Disputes over quantities were common. A contractor would query an invoice for twenty pallets of blocks, insisting that only eighteen had arrived on site. Without a signed record of what was delivered, the branch usually conceded, and the margin on the order went with it. Some customers had learned that disputing was worth the effort.
Quotes were produced in each branch on spreadsheets or the trade-counter system, with prices that might be weeks old. When timber or steel prices moved sharply, branches honoured stale quotes and lost money, or re-quoted and annoyed customers.
Credit control sat at head office and saw orders only after they had been delivered. A contractor could reach well beyond their limit by ordering from several branches at once. Stock in one branch was invisible to another, so orders were split, delayed or sent by expensive part-loads. Year-end reviews regularly uncovered contractors whose combined balances had quietly reached twice their agreed limit.
The solution
Every quote now uses current prices from supplier price feeds, with validity periods that reflect volatility: timber and steel quotes are valid for days, stable lines for weeks. When a quote is converted, the order checks the customer's total exposure across every branch against their credit limit, and anything over is referred to credit control before it leaves the yard.
Branch staff see stock across all 34 branches and the central yards, so orders can be fulfilled from the nearest branch with stock, and deliveries are planned to minimise part-loads.
On site, drivers record quantities delivered, take photographs of the drop and capture a signature, even without signal. The proof of delivery is attached to the invoice automatically, and customers can view it online. Shared master data for products, units and customers underpins the workflow, and the data warehouse brings disputes, debt and margin into one monthly view.
The engagement
- Eight months
- Six specialists, with branch managers, credit control, transport and pricing leads
- Process mapping, quote-to-delivery workflow, contractor credit exposure, price volatility controls, multi-branch stock visibility, proof of delivery, shared master data, pilot and phased rollout.
Integrations
- Trade counter, point of sale and ecommerce
- Card payments and delivery tracking
- Supplier price and catalogue feeds
- Data warehouse
How we delivered it
- 01
Map the work with the people who do it
Six weeks
We spent time on trade counters, in yards, in the transport office and with credit controllers, following orders from quote to cash. With the directors we agreed the scope: quoting, credit, stock visibility and proof of delivery.
- 02
Design common processes and integrations
Eleven weeks
Branch managers and counter staff designed one quote-to-delivery workflow. Quotes draw on current prices with validity periods set by product volatility. Credit exposure is checked across all branches before an order is confirmed. Drivers capture photographs and signatures on delivery.
- 03
Pilot in one region
Seven weeks
Six branches in the central belt of Scotland piloted the workflow. The pilot found drivers in areas with poor mobile signal and units of measure that differed between branches. Offline capture and standard units were in place before rollout.
- 04
Roll out in waves and track results
Twelve weeks
The remaining branches followed in three waves. Directors reviewed disputes, debt, quote conversion and margin monthly.
Results
- Disputes over quantities fell
- Quotes priced on current costs
- Credit exposure visible by customer across branches
- Teams worked from the same data across 34 branches
Disputes fell. When a contractor queries a delivery, the branch shares the photograph and signature, and most queries end there. Credit notes issued for disputed quantities have dropped sharply.
Quotes reflect current prices, so the business no longer absorbs losses when timber or steel prices jump. Stock visibility across branches has reduced split orders and part-load deliveries.
Seeing exposure by customer across all branches let credit control tighten terms for a small number of contractors who had been stretching credit, while extending more to reliable accounts. Overdue debt fell substantially within two quarters. Teams work from the same data, and directors review results monthly.
The photograph on the delivery note ended most arguments overnight. Seeing each customer's total exposure ended the rest.
What made the difference
The trader saw exposure by customer and tightened terms. Involving the people who do the work early made adoption easier: drivers and counter staff shaped the steps they now follow.
