AutoProbaho

Illustrative scenario

Distributor: depot stock, field orders and outlets in one system

A consumer-goods distributor grows depot by depot until each depot has its own way of keeping stock, each sales representative keeps outlet credit in a notebook, and head office finds out about a stock-out from an angry retailer. This scenario shows how such a distributor could bring depots, field orders and outlet relationships onto one system.

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Illustrative scenario (anonymised)

Warehousing & distribution

A consumer-goods distributor with three depots and a field sales team covering retail outlets across Chattogram division, running orders by phone, depot stock in registers and outlet credit in notebooks.

Three depots, three versions of the truth

The distributor supplies retail outlets across a division from three depots. Sales representatives visit outlets on fixed routes, take orders on paper or by phone, and call them in to the depot in the afternoon. Each depot keeper maintains a stock register and a daily Excel sheet; head office receives them by WhatsApp and merges them into a management file. Outlet credit limits and outstanding balances live partly in the accountant's ledger and partly in each representative's memory.

Orders get delivered short because the depot sheet was already out of date at noon. Vans leave with the wrong mix. Collections in cash, bKash and Nagad are recorded days later, so nobody can say what an outlet really owes. Promotions and returns are settled by argument. Management runs the business on last week's merged sheet.

Interactive demonstration

Before

  • Orders taken on paper or by phone and called in to the depot in the afternoon
  • Each depot keeps its own register and daily Excel sheet
  • Head office merges depot sheets received over WhatsApp
  • Outlet credit and collections tracked in notebooks and the accountant's ledger
  • Stock-outs discovered when the outlet complains

After

  • SKU-level stock per depot with transfers, returns and reorder alerts
  • Representatives capture orders and collections offline on a phone app
  • Depots pick from live orders before the van is loaded
  • Every outlet has one record: visits, credit, invoices, collections
  • Dashboards for stock, coverage and receivables replace the merged file

Implementation process

  1. Audit

    Ride the routes, sit in the depots

    We accompany representatives on a route, watch a depot receive and dispatch for a day and list every register, sheet and WhatsApp group involved.

  2. Design

    Depot and outlet data model, app screens

    Depot, SKU, outlet and route structures are designed with depot keepers and senior representatives; the field app is reviewed as a clickable prototype on their own phones.

  3. Build

    Inventory first, then field app, then CRM

    The depot inventory core goes live first, followed by the field order app on one route and then outlet CRM and collections across all routes.

  4. Migrate & train

    Opening stock, outlet ledger and training

    Opening stock is counted and loaded per depot, outlet balances are agreed with the accountant, and representatives are trained on the app in Bengali.

  5. Go-live & improve

    Depot-by-depot rollout and monthly review

    One depot at a time moves onto the system; a monthly review adds principal reports, promotion handling and slow-mover analysis.

This is an illustrative, anonymised scenario composed from typical situations in this kind of business — not a published client result.

What AutoProbaho builds

  • Multi-depot inventory core

    SKU-level stock per depot with batches and expiry where relevant, inter-depot transfers, goods receipt from principals, damage and return handling, and reorder alerts per depot.

  • Field order app for representatives

    A phone app that shows the outlet's history, credit position and current promotions, captures the order offline on the route and syncs when there is signal, so the depot can pick before the van is loaded.

  • Outlet CRM and collections

    Every outlet as a customer record with visit schedule, credit limit, outstanding invoices and collection entries — cash, bKash, Nagad or bank — posted the same day from the field.

  • Dispatch, invoicing and dashboards

    Pick lists and delivery challans per van, invoice on delivery, and dashboards for depot stock, route coverage, outstanding receivables and slow-moving SKUs that replace the merged Excel file.

Expected business outcomes

  • Orders picked from live stock

    The depot sees the representative's order as it is placed and picks against what is actually on the shelf.

  • Outlet balances everyone agrees on

    Credit, invoices and collections sit on one outlet record instead of in notebooks and ledgers.

  • Same-day visibility for head office

    Depot stock, sales and collections are visible without waiting for the evening WhatsApp files.

  • Fewer disputes on the route

    Promotions, returns and damages are recorded at the point they happen with a full history.

Frequently asked questions

Not continuously. In this scenario the app captures orders, collections and visit notes offline and syncs when the phone has signal — a common requirement across upazila routes.

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Running depots on registers and WhatsApp files?

Book a free consultation. We will map how orders, stock and collections move through your depots today and tell you honestly where a system would help first.

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