Findings

Brightline Supply Co. · Inside sales, customer service & order desk · 16 people

Sample deliverable

Sample deliverable. Brightline Supply Co. is an illustrative company. The figures are invented but internally consistent, so you can see how a real plan reads.

How discovery works

Chapter 02

Findings

How a quote becomes an order at Brightline, as it really runs, organized so leadership can absorb it in a few minutes.

How 16 people spend their time

  • Keying POs, quotes and orders
  • Looking up prices, stock and specs
  • Status calls and chasing
  • Substitutions, credit and exceptions
  • Customer relationships and account growth

56% of in-scope time goes to keying orders, looking up prices and specs and answering status calls. Systems can absorb most of it. 26% is judgment that should stay with people, made faster. 18% is the work you hired them to do.

How work really moves: documented vs. actual

ManualHandoffJudgment

Quote requestInside salesDocumented: 3 stepsActual: 11 steps, 2 handoffs, 5 systems

As documented

  1. Request received
  2. Price and check stock
  3. Send quote

As it actually runs 6 manual steps

  1. 1Request by email or phoneOutlook
  2. 2Choose items and alternates
  3. 3Find the customer’s price bookExcel
  4. 4Check contract priceProphet 21
  5. 5Check stock and lead timeProphet 21
  6. 1–3 days6Non-stock? Email the supplier
  7. 7Search for spec sheetsSharePoint
  8. 4–24 h8Below margin floor? Manager approval
  9. 9Build quote in a personal templateExcel
  10. 10Send quoteOutlook
  11. 11Log in CRM, if time allowsHubSpot
Emailed PO to sales orderOrder deskDocumented: 3 stepsActual: 8 steps, 2 handoffs, 3 systems

As documented

  1. PO received
  2. Enter order
  3. Confirm

As it actually runs 4 manual steps

  1. 1PO arrives as PDF, sheet or faxOutlook
  2. 2Match customer item codesExcel
  3. 3Check price against quote or price bookExcel
  4. 4Key sales orderProphet 21
  5. 4–24 h5Credit hold? Email AR
  6. 6Short stock? Choose a substitute
  7. 2–24 h7Call customer to approve
  8. 8Send confirmationOutlook
Order-status and lead-time questionCustomer serviceDocumented: 3 stepsActual: 7 steps, 2 handoffs, 4 systems

As documented

  1. Question received
  2. Check order
  3. Reply

As it actually runs 3 manual steps

  1. 1Call or email receivedRingCentral
  2. 2Find the orderProphet 21
  3. 3Check pick and ship statusProphet 21
  4. 4LTL? Check the carrier portalCarrier portals
  5. 1–2 days5Backordered? Ask purchasing
  6. 6Call or email backOutlook
  7. 24% of questions7Customer calls again

Most frequent exceptions

ExceptionPer monthResolutionPatternOwner
Item short, substitute needed2600.8 daysRepeatableOrder desk
PO price doesn’t match price book1701.5 daysRepeatableOrder desk
Unknown customer item code1400.5 daysRepeatableOrder desk
Backorder not communicated1202.0 daysRepeatableCustomer service
Supplier lead time needed1102.6 daysRepeatableInside sales
Credit hold found during entry951.1 daysRepeatableOrder desk
Spec sheet missing or outdated751.2 daysRepeatableInside sales
Damaged or short delivery553.5 daysJudgmentCustomer service
Missed or refused LTL delivery403.0 daysJudgmentCustomer service
Rush or custom-print request302.0 daysJudgmentInside sales

89% of exception volume follows a repeatable pattern that a system can resolve or prepare. Damage claims, missed deliveries and rush jobs stay with people.

Risk register

  • PricingCritical

    Three versions of the price book

    Contract pricing for 40 accounts is in Prophet 21; the other 310 are priced from Excel workbooks, three versions of which are in use. About 170 orders a month are keyed at a price that doesn’t match the customer’s PO.

  • Single point of failureHigh

    Item-code matching depends on one spreadsheet

    The only cross-reference of customer item codes to Brightline SKUs is a personal spreadsheet on one desktop. When its owner is out, order entry slows by about a third.

  • ComplianceHigh

    Outdated spec sheets reach customers

    18% of spec sheets in the library are superseded or duplicated, including food-contact and compostability certificates. Customers rely on them for health inspections and local packaging rules.

  • Customer experienceMedium

    Customers find out about backorders by calling

    No backorder notice goes out today. About 120 backorders a month reach the customer only when they ask, often on the expected delivery day.

What’s working: keep these

  • Reliable stock and order data

    Prophet 21 stock and order records are accurate; cycle counts match within 1%.

  • An experienced team

    Median tenure on the order desk and in customer service is over six years. They know the customers and the exceptions, which is what good review needs.

  • Contract pricing already started

    The top 40 accounts are already priced in Prophet 21. The pattern exists; it needs extending, not inventing.