What Is the Requested Delivery Date Feature?
The Requested Delivery Date allows sales teams to capture and track the date by which a customer expects their order to be delivered. This field can be made mandatory in the system settings under Order Management, ensuring that delivery expectations are documented at the time of order creation.
There’s also an optional setting that automatically applies today’s date as the default delivery date, but users can leave this unchecked if they prefer to manually enter a specific date based on customer input.
Using the Requested Delivery Date in Orders
When creating a new order in the Orders module, users will notice a blank field for the requested delivery date at the top right. If this field is left empty and the setting is configured to require it, the system will prompt the user to input a date before proceeding.
Once the delivery date is set (e.g., May 1st), the user can proceed to select a customer, specify a delivery mode, and add the items to the order. The system then checks inventory levels in real-time based on warehouse location. For instance, if only one unit of a French door refrigerator is in stock at the designated warehouse, the order will reflect this status accordingly.
Orders are color-coded to indicate fulfillment status:
- Green: Item is in stock and assigned correctly.
- Red: Item is short or unavailable for the selected delivery date.
This visual cue allows the sales and logistics teams to prioritize and manage commitments based on delivery timelines.
Priority Handling Based on Delivery Dates
AltheaSuite uses the nearest requested delivery date to determine fulfillment priority. Consider this scenario:
- Order A is placed with a delivery date of May 1st.
- Order B is later placed for the same item, but with a delivery date of April 30th.
Even if Order A was entered first, the system assigns available stock to Order B, since it has an earlier requested delivery date. This dynamic allocation ensures customers with more urgent delivery needs are prioritized appropriately.
Manual Overrides and Serial Number Assignment
Retailers can still exercise flexibility. If a customer with a later delivery date (Order A) needs the product urgently, the sales team can manually assign the available serial number to that order. Once the serial number is committed, the item becomes unavailable to other orders, and the status of the earlier-ordering customer is restored to green, while the newer order becomes short.
This hands-on control over order fulfillment supports exception handling and allows retailers to honor key customer relationships or business priorities.
Benefits to Retailers
Implementing the Requested Delivery Date feature provides multiple operational and customer service advantages:
- Improved Customer Satisfaction: Ensures delivery expectations are clearly set and met.
- Inventory Optimization: Prevents overcommitment and enables real-time stock visibility.
- Order Prioritization: Automatically allocates inventory based on urgency.
- Flexibility in Fulfillment: Supports manual overrides when necessary.
- Reduced Errors: Mandatory input reduces risk of missed deadlines or confusion.
Final Thoughts
AltheaSuite’s Requested Delivery Date functionality is more than just a scheduling tool—it’s a strategic asset that helps retailers align customer needs with operational capacity. By integrating intelligent date-based prioritization and real-time inventory tracking, businesses can deliver a smoother, more reliable fulfillment experience while maximizing their resources.
Whether you’re managing large-scale appliance deliveries or fast-moving consumer goods, this feature brings the clarity and control needed to thrive in modern retail. Book a demo today to see how AltheaSuite can benefit your business.
