Example: order to cash

What this is

A step-by-step story of one real question, from the first chat to ideas for what to change. It uses a demo, so you can follow along on your own computer and get the same numbers. Install glasstarn first if you have not yet.

This example follows an operations manager who wants to know why customers wait for their orders, and why some pay late. You can follow along with the order to cash and order to cash, connected demos.

The question

Customers complain that deliveries are slow. Where do orders wait, and is it the same everywhere?

Getting the data

In real life, your agent asks which system you use and lists what to export: sales orders, deliveries, invoices and payments. See What to export from SAP or Dynamics 365.

In the demo, ask your agent to “set up the order to cash demo”. It has 1,200 orders.

Digging in

1. Find where orders wait. On Process, switch to Time. Click the shipping step to see where the time comes from.

2. Compare warehouses. Open Measure, choose Between steps, and click packing as A and shipping as B. Then open Breakdown and pick the warehouse field. The Reno warehouse ships 4 to 7 days after packing. The others ship the same day or the next.

3. Look at who drops out. Ask your agent:

Which orders get cancelled, and what do they have in common?

New customers wait on a credit hold, and some cancel while they wait.

Following the money across records

Now switch to the order to cash, connected demo. Here each order is linked to its deliveries, invoices and payments, as in a real system.

Show me the whole journey from order to payment. Which customers pay late?

• Use Follow to look at the process from the order, the invoice or the customer.
• Use the subway map to see orders, deliveries, invoices and payments as lines that meet.
• Use Measure → Linked from the order to its payment.

Retail customers pay weeks later than the others, many after one or two reminders. See Connected processes.

Deciding what to change

What should we change first, and which steps could an agent help with?

Ideas that fit this data:

• Fix the Reno shipping gap. Find out why packed orders wait there: a pickup schedule, staffing, or a step the other warehouses skip.
• Speed up credit checks for new customers. A clear rule could approve small first orders straight away.
• Agent candidate: payment reminders. An agent could send friendly reminders to retail customers before the due date and flag disputes to a person.

Your agent gives these in the chat for discussion, and the page shows the orders each one is about. See Improve.