JB Foods (Scotland) Ltd | Meat Wholesaler

Background 

From bustling restaurants to schools, JB Foods has established itself as one of Scotland's most trusted food suppliers. Their commitment to reliable delivery and exceptional service has made them the go-to partner for any establishment with a kitchen. But as their customer base grew, their traditional ordering methods were starting to show their limitations.

Each morning, the JB Foods team would arrive to a flood of voicemails and emails from customers who had placed orders overnight. While this system had served them well for years, it was becoming clear that to maintain their high standards of service and continue growing, they needed a more efficient way to handle orders. 

Challenges 

For JB Foods, managing daily orders had become increasingly complex as their business grew. Every morning began with the same routine: staff arriving early to tackle a backlog of overnight voicemails and emails, each requiring careful attention to ensure accuracy. This manual process wasn't just time-consuming - it was fraught with potential for error.

Their internal sales team was particularly feeling the strain. Instead of building relationships with customers and identifying new opportunities, they were spending hours each day on basic order entry. Every voicemail needed to be carefully transcribed, every email double-checked, and every order manually entered into their system.

Perhaps most frustrating was the missed opportunity to showcase their full product range. With customers primarily calling in their usual orders, they rarely had the chance to discover new products or seasonal specials. JB Foods knew they had more to offer, but their ordering system was holding them back from reaching their full potential.

Solution

JB Foods found their answer in Orderlion's advanced ordering platform. The solution didn't just modernise their ordering process - it transformed how their entire team worked with customers.

Their first priority was tackling the time-consuming voicemail system. Orders that once required careful transcription and manual entry now flow automatically into their system, dramatically cutting processing time and reducing the risk of errors. This automation freed up their sales team to focus on what they do best - building relationships with customers.

The platform also revolutionised how their field sales team operated. Representatives no longer needed to relay orders back to the office or wait until they returned to process them. Instead, they could (use Orderlion Sales Pro to) handle orders instantly during customer visits, making their interactions more efficient and productive.

For their internal teams, the change was equally transformative. Staff gained the flexibility to work remotely while maintaining full access to the ordering system. The platform's built-in chat functionality opened new channels for customer communication, making it easier to suggest product alternatives or respond quickly to questions.

The solution also addressed their product discovery challenge. Through the platform, customers could now easily browse JB Foods' entire catalogue, discover new items and respond to targeted promotions. This visibility into their entire product range opened up new opportunities for growth that weren't possible with their previous system.

Results 

The impact of Orderlion on JB Foods' operations has been remarkable, delivering measurable improvements across their business.

Within the first few months, the numbers told a compelling story of transformation:

• Dramatic Time Savings: Their team achieved a 50% reduction in voicemail processing time, liberating staff from manual tasks and allowing them to focus on meaningful customer engagement
• Substantial Sales Growth: Customers exploring the full product catalogue through the platform led to impressive revenue gains, with spending increasing by 40-50% during promotional campaigns
• Enhanced Field Sales Performance: Sales representatives gained the ability to process orders instantly during client visits, dramatically improving their productivity and customer response times
• Improved Customer Communication: The platform's chat functionality opened up new channels for customer interaction, making it easier to suggest alternative products and respond quickly to queries

Beyond the numbers, the platform's success has been evident in how it improves the team's ability to serve their customers. Sales representatives can now spend more time understanding customer needs and suggesting relevant products, rather than getting bogged down in order processing. This shift from administrative tasks to relationship building has not only improved customer service but has also opened up new opportunities for business growth.

Client Perspective 

Wendy Porter, Head of Sales at JB Foods, shared her insights on the impact of Orderlion:

“We can see the orders growing every week as well, where people are adding in new products to their basket spend. It's giving customers more of a chance to look at the catalogue of products that we have. People that would never have bought cakes from us... cleaning materials, are all starting to add these products in, and I think having campaigns where you're showcasing some of your products and things as well in it is just, it's a win win for everyone.”

She added:

The field sales teams….They were a bit sceptical. “Oh, is this going to take our jobs away”. No, it's not going to take your job away. It's going to make you more efficient. You're not going to be sitting there being an admin person, doing a quote for a customer and spending most of your time there where you're actually in front of a customer and you're adding that value to the visit.”

Looking Forward 

Building on their impressive results, JB Foods is already exploring new ways to leverage Orderlion's capabilities to their full potential. The sales team is particularly excited about using the platform's promotional tools to highlight speciality products and seasonal offerings that customers might otherwise miss.

The power of the platform's data insights is opening up new possibilities too. JB Foods can now better understand customer ordering patterns and preferences, helping them make smarter decisions about stock levels and identify opportunities for growth. They're also planning to expand their use of the chat function, recognising its potential for building even stronger customer relationships.

The Bottom Line 

JB Foods' transformation shows how embracing the right technology can transform a wholesale food business. The numbers speak for themselves - a 50% reduction in order processing time and up to 50% increases in customer spending during campaigns. But perhaps more importantly, Orderlion has helped JB Foods improve what they've always done best: providing exceptional service to their customers.

By automating the time-consuming aspects of order management, they've freed their team to focus on what really matters - understanding their customers' needs and helping their businesses succeed. It's a perfect example of how technology can strengthen rather than replace the personal relationships that are so vital in the food service industry.

Through their partnership with Orderlion, JB Foods has positioned themselves at the forefront of wholesale food distribution, ready to serve their customers better than ever while continuing to grow and evolve their business.