Buyer's checklist
Beer distribution software: what to look for before you buy.
1. Speed on a short call
A beer rep might see a dozen or more outlets a day. Ask how many taps it takes to clock in, run the audit and send an order. Carried forward audit answers matter here: the rep should confirm what changed, not answer the same thirty questions every week.
2. Cold space and draught in the audit
Generic retail audits stop at shelf facings. Beer distributors need chiller and door placement, draught taps and fonts, and display compliance. Ask whether you can write your own sectioned forms, by outlet type, with photos attached to the visit.
3. Verified visits on a high call count
The more calls a rep is expected to make, the bigger the temptation to log calls that did not happen. Look for a geofence, a minimum time on site, mock location detection and a review queue that shows managers why each visit was flagged.
4. Pricing the rep cannot change
Volume breaks, promotions and customer price lists change often. The safer design is that the handset never sets a price and the server recomputes every total from the current price book.
5. Clear lines with your route accounting system
Many beer distributors already run route accounting or a distribution ERP for trucks, invoices and depletion reporting. Ask each vendor what it does not do, and how its orders reach the system that delivers and bills them.
