Driving Order Fulfillment Performance with Descartes

With the aim of ramping up order turnaround speed, Dia-Foot implemented Descartes OzLink Shipping for Fishbowl, driving operational efficiencies through its shipping workflow. By automating the labelling and shipping process, coupled with sharing order data seamlessly with its Fishbowl Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, the diabetic footwear and orthotics supplier increased productivity, reduced order errors, and improved the customer experience.

The Challenge: Manual Workflows Impede Shipping Efficiency

With podiatrists relying on Dia-Foot to provide patients’ custom orthotics and diabetic footwear in an expedient manner, the company’s manual shipping processes were hampering order fulfillment speed and accuracy. Multiple sales orders—both insurance and non-insurance—for multiple patients needed to be sent to the same doctor with individual patient labels, proof-of-delivery forms, and proper insurance documentation as required. Custom business rules regarding items that shipped at no cost, coupled with selecting the correct UPS or FedEx shipper number based on a list of designated insurance carriers, further complicated the shipping process.

"Our entire service model is based on speed of turnaround and delivery. Descartes OzLink is critical to our ability to rapidly get orders out the door, especially for SWOG and insurance orders that require individualized name tags and specific documentation. The Descartes solution completely automated the labelling and shipping process, saving us serious time and resources."

-Stewart Arrojo IT Manager, Dia-FootThe Solution: Automation Drives Fulfillment Throughput

“Before Descartes OzLink, we had to manually key in the order, manually create the patient label for each shoebox, and manually generate the shipping label. It was a cumbersome process. Now we can scan once and the new solution automatically generates name tags, shipping labels, and invoices, and pushes the information back into Fishbowl,” said Stewart Arrojo, IT Manager at Dia-Foot.

“Plus, if it’s a SWOG (Ship With Other Goods) order, we can easily scan in each individual order and the Descartes system recognizes that it is part of one larger order, generating individual shipping labels and recognizing the difference between insurance customers and regular customers. And it creates one straightforward invoice with cumulative charges,” Arrojo added.

When the order is scanned, Descartes OzLink automatically populates UPS WorldShip or FedEx Ship Manager, selecting the appropriate account number based on Dia-Foot’s custom business rules and a configurable list of insurance providers.

Arrojo noted, “The Descartes solution has helped immensely with order accuracy. In the past, we had to rely on staff to remember to manually include Proof of Delivery (POD) and insurance forms in the box. Now that the process is automated, doctors receive the correct documentation for each patient’s order.”

The Results

Increased Productivity - By replacing its manual shipping process with an automated solution, Dia-Foot can turn orders around faster. With a team of only six people and four shipping stations, Dia-Foot has increased its volume to 400-500 shipments per day.

90% Order Accuracy - By eliminating the user errors inherent in manual processes, plus real-time integration with Fishbowl and carrier applications, the Descartes OzLink solution ensures the accuracy of order data, labels, shipping charges, and tracking information.

Exceptional Customer Experience - With increased order accuracy, faster turnaround, and consolidated shipments with individually-labelled patient orders that include relevant insurance documentation, Dia-Foot can offer a higher level of customer service to help build brand loyalty.

80% Heightened Efficiency -Simplifying the shipping process for greater throughput, Descartes OzLink Shipping automates batch shipping and SWOG (Ship With Other Goods) orders, consolidating orders as required and streamlining the generation of labels and invoices.