Order up! Meet your Order Managment AI that works on & off the clock

Imagine a typical day at your facility: orders come in from various channels — emails (with all sorts of attachments), texts, WhatsApps, phone calls, social media messages  — all needing manual entry into your system. 

For many food and beverage manufacturers, from craft beer brewers to large-scale food manufacturers and distributors, this fragmented approach can lead to costly errors, inefficiencies, and wasted time. In an environment where every minute counts and margins are tight, managing orders smoothly isn’t just about keeping up — it’s essential for sustainable growth.

Manual ordering is messy

Having spoken with hundreds of businesses across the industry, three key challenges kept rearing their heads: 

• Multiple order channels: Orders arrive via different platforms, making it challenging to track and consolidate them without resorting to manual data entry. 

• Manual processes: In some cases, teams rely on printing purchase orders to annotate them and key orders into ERP systems! Relying on staff to key in orders is not only time-consuming, but also increases the risk of errors such as duplicate entries or missed details, which can disrupt inventory levels and customer service.

• Limited visibility: Without real-time data, managing inventory effectively or forecasting demand becomes difficult, often leading to overproduction, food waste, and higher costs.

For foodservice manufacturers and distributors, these challenges can directly affect your bottom line. Errors lead to increased cost-to-serve, supply chain disruptions, and a ripple effect that delays production and delivery.

AI solutions take the hassle out of order management 

Many forward-thinking manufacturers are now adopting automated solutions that support the way you already work without forcing customers or partners to change their habits. 

Advanced, AI-powered order management systems can help you:

• Reduce manual effort: Automation can cut down on manual rekeying significantly, freeing up your team to focus on higher-value tasks like quality control and strategic planning.

• Enhance accuracy: Digitally processed orders help minimise human error, ensuring accurate inventory tracking and better fulfilment.

• Improve operational efficiency: Seamless integration with your existing ERP systems means data flows smoothly from order capture to processing, reducing delays and preventing overstock or stockouts. The last thing you’d need (or want!) to do is to build hundreds of EDI connections to automate your orders. 

• Support existing behaviours: Chefs, for instance, will find it easiest to walk into cool rooms and leave a voicemail with their orders or text it to their supplier. Forget trying to get them to learn and use a new system. Modern systems work with the channels your customers already use, ensuring an easier transition without disrupting current workflows.

Meet Alan, your 24/7 order taker 

A practical example of these benefits is FOBOH’s AI agent, Alan. Designed specifically for the food and beverage wholesale and distribution sector, Alan works diligently in the background, monitoring all your order channels 24/7. You can rely on Alan to: 

• Capture orders automatically: Alan extracts order details automatically from emails, texts, voicemails, and other sources, reducing the need for manual data entry.

• Reduce order ingestion errors: By processing orders digitally and in real-time, Alan helps lower the risk of mistakes that can lead to inventory discrepancies or delays.

• Integrate seamlessly: Alan integrates directly with your ERP and accounting systems, ensuring that orders are quickly and accurately processed without disrupting your existing operations.

• Enhance operational efficiency: With Alan handling the routine tasks, your team can concentrate on strategic areas, such as improving production processes and customer relationships, ultimately leading to reduced food waste and better margins.

By addressing these everyday challenges with tools like AI Order Management Agent - Alan, suppliers can free up valuable resources, reduce operational errors, and create a more sustainable and efficient ordering process. This customer-centric approach not only improves service delivery, it also strengthens your business’s competitive edge in a fast-evolving market.

For food and beverage manufacturers looking to optimise operations and build stronger relationships with their customers, embracing digital order management can be a vital step toward a more efficient, sustainable future.

Ready to upgrade your operations? Let’s chat about how our Alan, and our other AI-powered agents, can help your team work smarter.