Six loads of blocks that nobody saw
A housebuilder orders a large quantity of blocks and bricks for a phase of plots. It makes no sense to bring them through your yard, so the manufacturer delivers straight to site over several weeks. Your buyer raises the purchase order, the branch raises the sales order, and then everyone waits for paperwork.
The supplier delivers four loads, one is short, one is rescheduled, and their invoice arrives for the full order. Your customer's site manager signed the supplier's tickets, which went back on the supplier's lorry. Your branch finds out what happened when the customer queries your invoice.
Why direct orders fall between the gaps
Your merchant system is built around goods coming in and going out of a branch. Direct orders skip that, and the steps that usually happen at goods in do not happen anywhere.
- There is no goods received note, so nothing triggers the customer invoice.
- Proof of delivery belongs to the supplier's driver and reaches you late, if at all.
- Part deliveries and rescheduled loads are known to the supplier and the site, not the branch.
- The supplier invoice can't be matched because nothing was received.
- Rebate tracking may miss direct purchases coded differently.
What it costs to lose sight of them
Customer invoices go out late, or in full when delivery was partial, which leads to disputes. Late invoices on large orders also push payment into the next month's run for contractors who pay on fixed dates, which your cash flow feels. Supplier invoices sit unmatched. Short deliveries are credited by the supplier late or not at all. And direct orders are often the largest orders a branch handles, so small percentage errors are real money.
Tracking direct orders from confirmation to site
- Direct orders are identified in your merchant system by their delivery type and given a tracking record linking the sales order, the supplier PO and the site.
- Supplier acknowledgements and delivery schedule emails are read and attached, and each planned load is recorded with its date and quantity.
- Supplier delivery confirmations and POD documents are captured when they arrive, from email or the supplier's portal, and matched to the loads.
- The customer's site contact can confirm receipt, or report shortages, through a short link sent after each planned delivery date.
- Confirmed loads trigger the customer invoice for what was delivered, and the supplier invoice is matched to the same confirmed quantities.
- Loads past their date with no confirmation are flagged to the branch and buyer.
| Event | Evidence captured | What it triggers |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier confirms order | Acknowledgement email | Load schedule recorded |
| Load delivered | Supplier POD or site confirmation | Customer invoice for that load |
| Short delivery | Site report with photo | Supplier query and partial billing |
| No news after due date | Nothing received | Flag to branch and buyer |
| Supplier invoice arrives | Invoice | Matched to confirmed loads |
What the branch sees now
Direct orders have a status like any other: which loads have gone, which are due, which are disputed. Customers are invoiced for what reached them, promptly. Supplier invoices match against confirmed deliveries rather than hope. Short loads are chased while the site still remembers them.
Signs direct orders are slipping
- You learn about short direct deliveries from customer queries.
- Customer invoices for direct orders go out late or in full regardless.
- Supplier invoices for direct orders sit unmatched.
- Nobody can list which direct loads are still due this week.
- Supplier POD for direct orders is hard to get hold of.