Now is the Time to Look at Seafood Software

Why seafood companies need better tech systems

If you're running a seafood business, you probably know the drill - writing the same information over and over in purchase orders, receiving logs, invoices, bills of lading, shipping logs, HACCP records, and more. That same lot might get entered eight different times! Not only is this a huge time sink, but each entry is another chance for mistakes to creep in.

The old ways of paper logs, Excel sheets, and QuickBooks have worked fine for generations. But here's the thing: the game has changed. Software is cheaper and more capable than ever, plus everyone you work with (customers, regulators, suppliers, staff) expects modern systems now.

So how do you know if it's time to upgrade? Think about what matters most:

• Will it increase your profits?

• Can it reduce your expenses?

• Will it save you time?

• Does it enhance communication among team members?

• Does it provide better control and insight?

• Most importantly, will your team actually use it?

Let's break down where you'll see the biggest impacts:

When it comes to vendors, whether you're dealing with local clammers or large suppliers, good systems track everything seamlessly - quantities, prices, certifications - making receiving a breeze.

Inventory is your bread and butter, right? You need something that handles all those tricky conversions (bushels to pounds) and product transformations (sorting, grading, filleting, processing) without giving you a headache.

And pricing - we all know how complicated seafood pricing gets. Between different tiers, customer-specific rates, and various fees, just getting the right price on an order can be a major win.

For your customers, imagine having their complete history, preferences, and delivery instructions at your fingertips. Your sales team will love you for this one.

Here's what really matters though: all this information should flow smoothly from purchase to shipping, tying right into your accounting. Your quality control and compliance paperwork? That should just happen automatically as you run your business.

There are tons of systems that promise all this, but garbage in garbage out is a real problem.  If your most junior employee can’t do the basics without a ton of training, you should probably look elsewhere.  

Bottom line: you and your team need to see your key numbers in real-time. What's the profit on this order? How's our inventory risk looking? What's our yield on this fish? Having these answers at your fingertips isn't just convenient - it's crucial for staying competitive. And saving time and reducing errors will make you more profitable.  

I know we are biased, but now is the time to look at software systems for your business.  Although we think BlueTrace is the best, you should get demos from multiple systems.  We all have our strengths and weaknesses.