The most efficient florist shops use integrated software programs to automate all aspects of their activities. By using a centralized database, order, customer and inventory data can be kept accurately and up-to-date. It’s like having a full time accountant on staff all the time, because all the different applications update the same data in real time. This gives the shop owner up-to-the-second information that greatly eases the running of the business.
The master database consists of customer, vendor, and inventory information. Each customer’s account is maintained by the system, along with the usual name, address, phone number etc. The customer’s default credit card number can also be kept by the system, and is usually secured by a password or encryption. The vendor file lists all the suppliers for the company and the purchases made by the shop owner. These purchases flow into the system’s accounts payable ledger. When purchased items are received, the shop-owner can update the store inventory with one or two clicks. Orders from customers decrease inventory and increase accounts receivable or cash. The system keeps track of each customer’s account status, so you will always know whether a new order can be accepted or whether the customer is a deadbeat. The system will even track spoilage and update the inventory as unsold flowers are discarded.
Sophisticated systems interface directly to the systems of vendors, so that the computer can notify the vendor that it’s time to order more flowers from the wholesaler. The computer is prompted to do this when the inventory on hand reaches a critical level and calls for automatic replenishment. Over time, the computer figures out how much lead time is needed to restock an item and adjusts its automatic reorder logic accordingly.
At the end of every day, the system will report the day’s total receipts and tell the owner how much sales volume he’s experienced. The computer can report which items are slow movers and which are quick sellers, and you can adjust your stock inventory levels to match these demand patterns. Monthly closing of the books is a snap, because all of the information is already in the computer. If you have employees, the payroll application will track salaries, deductions, taxes and overtime. Integrated time card management makes this simple and convenient. Tax time each year is a much smaller headache because once again all the information is already in place. You record all your expenses and deductions as they occur, so there is very little additional data to enter. Integrated tax preparation software will even electronically file your return for you. It is simply hard to imagine running a flower shop today without an integrated computer system.