In today’s competitive market, businesses in the distribution industry face increasing pressure to deliver more than just products. To stand out, distributors need to offer value-added services (VAS) that enhance customer experience, build long-term relationships, and differentiate themselves from competitors. These services go beyond basic product delivery, providing customized solutions that meet the unique needs of customers.
This is where Sokrio DMS is playing a major, impactful role.
With a focus on real-time, advanced analytics and data-driven strategies, Sokrio DMS is changing the game for distributors and retailers with its Distribution Management Software.
In this blog post, we’ll explore how the value-added services of Sokrio DMS are enhancing their clients and customers’ distribution businesses.
What Are Value-Added Services?
Value-added services refer to additional benefits or enhancements that a distributor offers to their clients, beyond the standard supply of goods. These services can take many forms.
In the case of Sokrio DMS, these include but are not limited to:
Market Monitoring
Market Reach Enhancement
Sales Capability Development Training
In-app Telephone Service
Field Force Acquisition
Advanced Analytics and
Map Collection
By offering these extra services through Sokrio, distributors can address specific customer needs, increase satisfaction, and create more opportunities for growth.
You may also have an in-depth look into the core features of Sokrio DMS that will help you understand the advancements the tool is making.
Market Monitoring
Sokrio DMS lets you monitor the whereabouts of the market conditions through real-time data collection and GPS tracking. You can view where your sales representatives are and collect information about the delivery of an order.
For instance, through data analytics and data input, you can measure the average visits to a particular outlet and the average hours spent at that outlet. You can also count the total or average working hours of your sales reps through this method.
Additionally, you can also analyze which route has the most impact on the amount of sales generated for various periods. This will help you understand the areas that generate sales at particular times of the day, week, or month.
For instance, during the morning, outlets near Mohakhali or Jatrabari may suffer from uncontrolled traffic whereas areas like Banani or Mohammadpur may suffer from too many traffic jams during the evenings. This will automatically impact sales as there could be possible delays in the delivery of items.
Market Reach Enhancement
This feature is enhanced by the DMS by analyzing and identifying key target markets of your distribution. Some areas will generate more sales than others, making you rethink your strategies for delivering in the underperforming areas.
For instance, remote areas in the northern parts of Bangladesh like Dinajpur may not get enough sales due to a lack of outlets or sales reps. In that case, you may have to optimize the route plan or hire proper sales personnel who can help you with the deliveries.
Sokrio helps to track those areas where you need to enhance your market reach via market basket analysis or customer segmentation analysis.
Market Basket Analysis (MBA) is a method used in data mining for data analytics to analyze the purchasing behavior of customers by identifying patterns and relationships in the products purchased together.
It is an extremely powerful tool for retailers and other FMCG businesses to understand their customer’s buying habits and make informed decisions about product placement, promotions, and inventory management.
Sales Capability Development Training
Sokrio offers sales training to sales representatives, which includes operating the DMS.
Sales capabilities refer to the combination of skills, strategies, knowledge, and resources employed by sellers to achieve success in their roles. These capabilities are crucial for attaining sales targets, fostering customer relationships, and generating revenue.
To enhance sales capabilities, training, experience, and continuous professional development play vital roles. Sokrio recognizes the importance of staying competitive in the market and offers sales capability training initiatives to clients. These initiatives aim to define excellence for various sales roles and identify the capabilities that need to be developed to maximize impact.
In-app Telephone Service
Sokrio also provides in-app call services via the DMS. Retailers or users with Sokrio DMS can make direct calls and messages to the sales representatives and know their whereabouts.
This lets the users track down unwanted situations and take corrective action where needed.
For instance, through GPS tracking, you can use the DMS to check whether a particular salesperson has reached an outlet or not. You can even check the movement of a driver carrying deliverable items via a particular root.
Field Force Acquisition
Sokrio facilitates the sourcing of field forces and sales reps. Sokrio has enough expertise in the domain and can assess which candidates will meet the requirements of FMCG or retail distribution businesses.
The field forces are tested and recruited based on skills and merits. In addition, once they are onboarded, they get comprehensive training on the DMS. This lets the field forces become acquainted with the system from the onset.
Sokrio DMS has a built-in feature that allows the users to record, track, and monitor the field forces. It provides detailed data and analysis on their whereabouts and performances, helping create real-time reports.
For instance, you can check how many outlets a particular sales rep visits in a day or month, assisting you in evaluating his performance and progress.
Advanced Analytics
One of the most impactful value-added services a Sokrio DMS offers is advanced analytics.
As technology continues to shape the future of business, using data to make informed decisions is no longer a luxury but a necessity. Through the advanced analytics feature, you can measure the following metrics to assess business and sales progress:
1. Number of users of the DMS who contribute to the sales of goods or orders.
2. Average Working Hours of the field forces.
3. Total Visits the Sales Reps are making to particular areas and outlets
4. Unique visits are made by the field forces each month.
5. Sum of New Outlets added each month to the distribution channel
6. Count of Routes added or deducted each month or period to facilitate movement of goods
And many other metrics.
Besides the above sales-generating KPIs, the advanced analytics feature carried out market basket analysis and customer segmentation analysis to provide comprehensive data about goods sales.
For instance, by using machine learning methods, the DMS can provide the Sum of the Total
Delivered Amount of particular goods using predictor factors like:
1. Count of Users
2. Average of Working Hours
3. Count of Total Visit
4. Sum of New Outlet
5. Unique Visit
6. Coverage
7. Average of Facetime, etc.
Market Basket Analysis
This data mining technique examines customer purchasing habits to identify patterns in product combinations. By understanding which products are commonly bought together, distributors can improve their sales strategies and inventory management.
For instance, Sokrio DMS can predict that if a consumer buys bread, there is a good chance they will also purchase butter. Thus, areas where the bread is distributed in bulk should also sell or distribute butter in bulk.
Map Collection
Sokrio’s advanced Map Collection tools offer unparalleled insights, empowering businesses to make data-driven decisions and improve their distribution strategies.
Sokrio’s Map Collection is a powerful toolset designed to provide businesses with detailed visualizations of their distribution data. With these unique types of maps, Sokrio helps businesses track, analyze, and optimize their distribution networks effectively.
The map types included with the DMS are:
Outlet Coverage Heat Map
Route Validation
Visit Coverage Map
Facetime Outlet Map
Brand Coverage Map
Sweet Spot Locator
Learn more about the map types and how they contribute to better distribution management in the blog post: Empower Your Distribution Network with Sokrio’s Advanced Map Collection Services.
Benefits of Value-Added Services in Distribution
In general, incorporating value-added services into your distribution model provides a number of advantages:
Customer Loyalty
Offering tailored services fosters trust and strengthens customer relationships. When customers know they can rely on you for solutions that fit their exact needs, they are more likely to stay loyal to your business.
Increased Margins
Value-added services allow distributors to charge premium prices. By bundling services with your products, you can improve your profit margins while still offering value to your clients.
Operational Efficiency
Services like inventory management or supply chain optimization streamline operations for both the distributor and the customer. This leads to reduced waste, faster delivery times, and lower overall costs.
Differentiation
In a crowded market, VAS helps your business stand out. Customers are more likely to choose a distributor that offers personalized services over one that simply delivers products.
Final Words
As the distribution industry evolves, the need for value-added services has never been greater. Offering these services not only helps you differentiate from competitors but also drives customer loyalty, increases operational efficiency, and opens new revenue streams.
Investing in value-added services with advanced analytics and market basket analysis will enable your business to harness the power of data, providing tailored solutions that resonate with your customers and streamline your internal operations. By focusing on value-added services, you’re not just delivering products — you’re delivering success to your clients and to your own bottom line.
That is why, if you take advantage of Sokrio’s value-added services, your distribution business can remain competitive in an increasingly demanding market while positioning itself as a trusted partner in the supply chain.