How does trading software preserve business knowledge when employees leave?

In many small dairy trading companies, important knowledge sits with one or two people: which customer gets which certificate, which supplier always delivers late, how a certain contract is priced. When that person leaves or is ill, the company finds out how much was never written down. Trading software reduces this risk because contracts, agreements and history are stored where everyone can find them, not in someone’s head or inbox.

What knowledge is at risk

• Contract details: prices, delivery periods, special terms and what has already been called off.
• Customer and supplier agreements: required documents, quality requirements, payment terms and preferred transport.
• Open issues: claims, outstanding deliveries and promises made by phone.
• The way of working: how a deal is calculated, checked and invoiced.
• The position: often in a personal spreadsheet that only its maker fully understands.

How trading software keeps it

• Everything on the contract. Terms, specifications, call-offs and deliveries are recorded on the contract, not in emails.
• Agreements on the relation. Required certificates, payment terms and remarks are stored with the customer or supplier.
• History you can look up. Who changed what and when, per contract and order.
• Documents attached. Certificates, specifications and correspondence are attached to the contract, order, lot or relation.
• One way of working. When everyone follows the same steps in the system, a colleague can take over without asking how it is done.

An example

A trader who handled most of the butter contracts leaves at short notice. In a spreadsheet environment, the successor has to piece together open contracts from files and emails, and call customers to check what was agreed. In a trading system, the successor opens the contracts for that trader, sees what is open, what has been called off and which documents each customer needs, and continues from there.

What to watch out for

• Record agreements in the system, not only by email. The software only keeps what is entered.
• Use remarks and attachments, for example for special delivery terms or a customer’s document requirements.
• Make sure at least two people know each process. Software helps, but it does not replace a colleague who knows the customers.

Business knowledge and Moo Software

In Moo, contracts, orders, relations and lots are in one online system. Agreements, remarks and documents are recorded on the contract, order, relation or lot they belong to, including attachments. User permissions determine who can see and change what. When someone leaves, their contracts and history stay available to the team.

See it with your own data

Want to see how a colleague could take over a contract in Moo? Book a demo or contact us.