The Truth is Somewhere in the Middle

Our guest blogger Steve Franke is a FoodLogiQ Enterprise Account Manager. He’s an avid sports fan, music aficionado, and has spent over 30 years in the restaurant industry.

When it comes to B2B commerce, nothing is traditional anymore. How businesses learn about products and services has evolved from in-person visits to a series of cold emails and social media blasts. Companies receive confusing information and, worse, misinformation. Where does the truth lie?

Learning about and deciding what supply chain technology is best for your company can be confusing and frustrating. Your profit margins are tighter than ever, your supply chains groan with the impact of the pandemic, and labor shortages are cutting at the core of your operations. How can a food company even consider investing in a software solution when they don’t know what to believe and what is true?

Let me start by saying that FoodLogiQ is not for everyone, and we won't solve all your problems. So shop around. You owe your company the effort to parse through the hyperbole and over-promising to get a technology solution that works specifically for your company. If a solutions company declares they can solve all your problems, run away. You need complementary solutions that integrate and work in unison as part of a complete and smart tech stack that fits your needs, scope, and scale.

As we stated in a previous blog, there are certain things you should be looking for in a food safety software solution. Having data centralized in an easy-to-configure and real-time solution is non-negotiable. But take it one step further when comparing supply chain technology options. Ask the right questions to get down to the truth. Don’t be afraid to ask the following questions when vetting a solution someone is trying to sell to you:

• Is it a scalable platform, or will you outgrow it? Who are their customers?
• Does it provide multiple functionalities that you'll need as part of your complete tech stack, such as the option to add traceability, recall solutions, or more robust supply chain visualization?
• Are they focused exclusively on the food industry, or will you be in a subset of their development and priorities?
• Do they charge per audit?
• Do they charge your suppliers?
• Do they charge for enhancements to the platform?
• Do they even do regular enhancements?
• How configurable is the solution, or do you need to change your processes to meet their platform?
• Can you perform audits and assessments without WIFI or on a mobile device?
• How user-friendly is the onboarding process for your suppliers?
• Can all your departments gain role-restricted access to the data and documents they need so the platform has an ROI that expands beyond just FSQA?
• How well do they help you configure and launch the platform and then provide ongoing support? Or do they assume that this will fall on you and your staff?
• Do they charge for support tickets or the number of users?
• Can the platform integrate your ERP or other solutions you work with daily?

You shouldn’t trust software solutions without asking tough questions. Your business isn’t successful if you rely on cheap products and slick sales pitches. Ask the right questions. Get the answers.

Would you like to talk to someone at FoodLogiQ to see if our platform makes sense? Give us an hour. We want to hear what your business is going through. We will tell you where we fit and where we don’t. We’ll also point you in the right direction, even if it’s not us!

Buying food supply chain technology can be confusing. Let us help eliminate the smoke and mirrors and partner with you. Even if FoodLogiQ is not the right option for you, we want you to be successful.

That’s the truth.