An example from operations
Have you ever found out a delivery was late on the morning you needed it?
The supplier knew last week. Nobody asked. Now the line, the crew or the customer is waiting.
Who this is for
- Firms waiting on dozens or hundreds of open purchase orders.
- Teams where chasing suppliers is someone's least favorite job.
- Businesses where a late delivery means rush freight, idle hours or a missed customer date.
When we'd advise against it
If you buy from three suppliers who always deliver, keep calling them. If your orders carry no promised dates, begin there. Without a date, there's nothing to chase against.
Where the work stalls: between the order and the dock
- Need
- Order placed
- Acknowledged
- Shipped
- In transit
- Received
- Checked
- Stocked
Orders go out, and nobody confirms the date. Acknowledgments sit unread.
Delays surface on the day the material was needed. Short shipments get sorted weeks later, if ever.
In a manufacturer, it's the bar stock the second shift needs on Thursday. In a distributor, it's the container that decides whether you run out. On a building site, it's the windows the framing crew is waiting for.
What we would build: a late-order early warning
It chases every open order before its date, and tells you what's slipping.
What changes
- Every open order is tracked against its promised date.
- Missing acknowledgments are chased the day after ordering.
- Orders due soon are confirmed a week ahead, in writing.
- Slips reach the buyer with what they'll hold up.
What it's worth to you
Add up last quarter's rush freight and expedite charges. Add the hours a line or crew stood idle, and the customer orders that shipped late.
Then count the hours your buyers spend chasing each week.
Open orders ยท Monday
231 open orders
| On track | 207 |
|---|---|
| Not yet acknowledgedChase emails drafted. | 12 |
| Confirmed lateFour hold up customer orders this week. | 8 |
| Received shortDiscrepancy notes drafted. | 4 |
Your buyer sends every message.
How it works, in full
Read the full workings
When it starts
Every morning, for every open order.
What it reads
Your ERP or purchasing system, such as Epicor, NetSuite or Acumatica. The purchasing inbox. Your receiving records. We confirm each one in the first conversation.
The steps
- Lists open orders and their promised dates.
- Reads supplier emails for acknowledgments and new dates.
- Drafts a chase for orders with no acknowledgment.
- Confirms orders due within a week.
- Flags slips, with the customer orders or jobs they affect.
- Compares receipts with orders and notes any shortfall.
Where a person signs off
Your buyers approve every message before it's sent.
What it never does
It never cancels, changes or places an order. It never agrees new terms with a supplier.
What we'd ask of you
Read access to your purchasing system and inbox. Your list of critical items. One buyer who owns supply.
What tends to come with it
- Invoice matching, so you pay only for what arrived.
- An order status desk, so customers hear about delays before they ask.
- Same-day quotes built on dates you can keep.
You become the operator who sees trouble a week out.
Late deliveries reach you in time to act, not on the morning they're needed.
Yours would look different, of course. Shaping it to your firm is what the first conversation is for.
Shall we find an hour?
A first conversation is with one of our co-founders. It's free, takes about an hour, and needs no access.
A person writes back, usually within one working day.