The sales team says 1,240 cartons were booked. The warehouse says 1,180 went out. Accounts says 1,150 were delivered. Three numbers, three teams, and a long meeting about who is wrong.
Usually nobody is. Each number describes a different stage of the same orders.
Four stages of one order
- Booked at the counter by the booker.
- Allocated against sellable stock at the distributor.
- Dispatched on the van.
- Delivered at the shop, with any shorts or returns.
Every gap between two stages has a reason: stock that ran out at loading, a load that was split, cartons returned damaged.
Put the stages side by side, and the difference explains itself.
Don’t coach a delivery problem
This matters most in the sales review. If a territory’s sales fell because orders were booked but not delivered, coaching the booker will not help. The fix is at the warehouse, not at the counter.
Keep the record with the order
The simplest way to stop the argument is to carry one order from booking to delivery, with each change recorded where it happens. Then a short delivery is not a dispute. It is a line on the record with a reason next to it.
