Does Your Winery Have These 7 Key Management Tools?

Operating a winery business is no easy task! In fact, managing a winery requires round-the-clock planning and management. Keeping track of production, accounts, inventories, sales and shipments can be stressful for winery owners and managers like you.

Thankfully, the right technology can lift some of that burden off your shoulders – by streamlining your winery’s operations. How do you choose the right tools for your winery? You can start by making sure that any tool(s) you choose checks all these boxes:

1. Tracking vineyard production:

It all starts at the vineyard! Quick access to the current and historic vineyard and fruit data is key for producing better wine. Therefore, a tool that schedules and tracks vineyard information and activities is a must-have for your winery!

Make sure that this tool fully manages vineyard data and activities, including yield monitoring and prediction, vineyard scouting and harvest tracking.

2. Managing your winery’s inventory:

One of the most tedious management tasks at any winery is keeping track of the inventory. A tool that tracks the production history of each bottle and offers batch-wise traceability makes physical stock-taking an easier process, while reducing dependence on complex spreadsheets. This will not only save your staff a lot of time and effort, but also eliminate any chance of errors.

In fact, the right tool should help you track each wine bottle – from production and bottling to sales and shipment.

3. Managing wine sales and purchases:

Look for a tool that helps you track all the different types of wine sales – wholesale, license, export and retail. In addition, your winery needs a tool that makes following up on pending payments and calculating commissions a breeze!

Remember to opt for technology that allows for seamless integration with your winery’s POS (Point-Of-Sales) terminals. In addition, complete online payment integration will ensure that receiving payments is smooth and hassle-free.

4. Handling your winery’s accounting needs:

Keeping a log of all your winery’s transactions is a crucial but tiresome task. However, the right tool can automatically record all transactions and provide an audit trail functionality. This will assure regulatory agencies that your accounting data has not been externally manipulated.

In addition, the preparation of the annual budget and the ability to track costs in real time, are important aspects of your winery’s accounting needs. Therefore, remember to choose a tool that can take care of all these requirements.

5. Enabling you to build relationships with customers:

A software that gives you an insight into your customers’ preferences will help you offer them personalized service. 360Winery^™, for example, is a winery software that lets you provide personal log-ins to your customers. This allows them to update details (including credit card information) and customize orders, at their convenience.

In addition, you need a tool that facilitates quick and effortless correspondence with your wine club members and other patrons. It should allow you to send bulk, yet personalized e-mails and newsletters at the click of a button.

6. Safeguarding compliance requirements of your state:

Government compliance is an essential part of every winery operation. However, keeping up with the myriad regulatory requirements of different states can be a nightmare! And, failure to comply with these statutory responsibilities can invite fines, auditing and investigation.

So, save yourself the stress, and get a tool that takes care of your taxes, returns, verifications, licenses, permits and other issues automatically!

7. Creating in-depth reports for analysis:

A tool that generates in-depth, customizable reports and trending charts will help you create smart business strategies for your winery.

Remember to select a tool that lets you track progress across all modules, assess staff productivity and study trends in consumer preferences. Some of the features to look out for include variance analysis of budget vs actuals, as well as production cost and sales analysis.

Tools that offers these seven key functionalities will make operating your winery an efficient affair. In fact, the right tools can also help push your winery’s sales up, drastically!

However, you don’t need seven tools – but ONE tool to help you do all this! Yes, that’s right! 360Winery^™ has been designed to take care of all your winery’s management needs – from vine to wine! This cloud-based, fully integrated software can streamline your winery’s processes and help you save a lot of time, money and effort.

Your winery, too, can save thousands of dollars on operational expenses. In fact, you can find out the potential savings of your winery right now! Take the 2-minute 360Degree Test to calculate how much your winery can save.