A catalogue, a tape measure and a paper order form
A patient with swollen feet and orthotics cannot find shoes that fit. Your podiatrist measures them, goes through a supplier catalogue with them, and they choose a style in extra-depth and extra-wide. A deposit is taken. The order form is filled in by hand and emailed. Two weeks later, the patient calls to ask about the shoes. Nobody knows whether they have been dispatched.
When they arrive, they are the wrong width. The exchange means another order form, another wait, another fitting. The paperwork for the first order is somewhere in a tray.
Why footwear orders go astray
- Measurements and choices are written on paper and retyped for the supplier.
- Each supplier has its own order form or website.
- Deposits are taken and not always linked to the order.
- Delivery dates are not recorded, so patients call to ask.
- Fittings are booked only when the parcel arrives.
- Exchanges and returns are not linked to the original order.
What it costs
Wrong items from transcription errors. Patient calls asking about orders. Deposits that are hard to reconcile. Exchanges that take longer because the original details are lost. And a service your patients value that feels disorganised behind the scenes.
| Order stage | Paper process | Order record |
|---|---|---|
| Measure and choose | Handwritten | Recorded on a tablet with the patient |
| Order | Retyped for supplier | Sent or laid out from the record |
| Deposit | Separate | Linked to the order |
| Delivery | Unknown | Expected date tracked |
| Fitting | Booked on arrival | Offered as soon as it arrives |
| Exchange | New form, no history | Linked to the original |
How we build footwear orders
- The podiatrist records the patient's measurements and choices on a tablet during the appointment: supplier, style, size, width, colour and any notes.
- The order is sent to the supplier by email in their format, or the details are laid out ready to enter into their website, and the supplier's reference is saved.
- A deposit is taken through your card terminal or a payment link and linked to the order.
- The expected delivery date is set from the supplier's usual lead times, and overdue orders are listed for a chase.
- When the shoes arrive, the patient is sent a message to book a fitting.
- Exchanges are raised from the original order, with the reason, so the supplier and your team can see what changed.
- The balance is taken at fitting and the order is closed, with the sale recorded in your clinic system and accounts.
Footwear advice and suitability are your podiatrists' judgement. The system records their choices and tracks the order.
Home visit patients, who often need footwear most, can be measured and choose on the tablet in their own home. The order, deposit and delivery then work the same way, and the fitting is planned into their next round visit rather than needing a trip to the clinic.
What changes
Orders go to suppliers without retyping. Patients are told when their shoes arrive. Deposits and balances match orders. Exchanges carry the history. And your team can see every open footwear order at a glance.
Repeat orders become simple. When a patient wants the same shoe again, or the same style in another colour, the order is raised from their last one with measurements already filled in, for the podiatrist to confirm.
Is your footwear ordering on paper?
- Footwear orders are written by hand and retyped for suppliers.
- Patients call to ask whether their shoes have arrived.
- Deposits are not always linked to orders.
- Exchanges are ordered without reference to the original.
- You could not list all open footwear orders today.