Cool Running Reports vs. Accounting Software Reports

7-10 Minute Read

Running a successful ice business comes with unique operational and financial challenges that go far beyond simple accounting and financial reporting. Whether it’s managing seasonal changes in demand, optimizing delivery routes, tracking driver productivity, or keeping up with merchandisers, ice companies require deeper insights to maintain reliability for their customers and boost profitability.

Unfortunately, many ice companies have relied on accounting software like QuickBooks for reporting, which offers only basic financial snapshots. These platforms lack the real-time operational data ice companies need—such as driver performance, product tracking, and customer demand insights. Without tailored tools, ice businesses may find themselves unable to answer critical questions about their efficiency and growth potential, leaving opportunities for improvement and profit untapped.

This is where the Operational Reports feature in Cool Running Software comes in—designed to provide answers to nearly any question an ice business may have about its operations. With detailed reports covering every aspect of the business, including:

Product Batches

Customers & Locations

Drivers

Merchandisers

Orders

Products

Sales

Security

Service Calls

Systems

Vehicles

+More

Cool Running Software delivers the insights needed to drive growth, boost efficiency, and improve profitability.

Highlighting a Few Key Cool Running Reports (Video)

In this section, we’ll walk you through some of the powerful reports that Cool Running Software provides, giving you the insights you need to operate efficiently and maximize profitability. The video below highlights just a few of the many reports available to help you track everything from customer activity to driver performance.

1. Stale Locations Report

The Stale Locations Report helps you keep track of locations where sales may have dropped off over a specific period of time. This report is especially useful when ice companies are winding down their busy season and heading into fall, allowing you to relocate merchandisers from underperforming locations and plan better for changes in demand.

- See locations with no sales since a set date
- Identify customer-owned vs. company-owned merchandisers
- Understand which customers are dropping off in demand

By pairing this report with the Merchandiser Tracking feature & the RouteBuilder feature, ice companies can use this data to help them prepare for the shift in demand & plan for the next busy period more effectively by relocating their merchandisers & creating route templates to make sure each customer is getting the ice they need when they need it.

2. Driver Productivity Report

The Driver Productivity Report gives you visibility into how efficiently your drivers are operating. You can track everything from time on the road to the products delivered during a specific timeframe.

- See total hours worked and delivery performance
- View total products delivered during that time period

Using this report while creating delivery routes in RouteBuilder & RouteVision can help an ice company plan around their driver’s skill set & overall performance. By gaining access to this data, route managers can make better decisions when managing driver morale, difficulty to complete the full route & how they are affecting the bottom line of the company.

Example: A Driver who may finish their route earlier in the day on average but deliver more product would be able to handle a few more stops a day over a driver who is taking all day to deliver less product on average.

3. Days on Current Price Report

The Days on Current Price Report allows you to keep track of how long a customer has been on a specific price point, making it easier to review for potential price adjustments.

- Specify Any Time Period
- View First Sale at The Price
- See total days on the current price and gross sales over the last year

By pairing this report with Cool Running Software’s customer management tool it ensures you can seamlessly implement price changes. By knowing exactly when and where price increases should be applied, you can boost profitability while maintaining transparency with customers. This report helps ice companies make smarter pricing decisions without guessing or losing track of historical pricing data.

4. Stops Without Sales Report

The Stops Without Sales Report provides a detailed view of every stop where deliveries were made but no sales occurred. This report includes critical information such as driver comments, merchandiser conditions, and any actions taken at the location, like cleaning the merchandiser. It helps ice companies reduce inefficiencies and improve service.

- Track stops where no sales occurred & delivery was refused
- View merchandiser status and volume at each location
- Analyze driver notes for valuable insights into service issues

By combining this report with RouteBuilder and the Merchandiser Tracking feature, ice companies can optimize their routes by avoiding non-productive stops and focusing on high-demand locations. This data helps eliminate unnecessary trips, which saves fuel and labor costs while improving overall service to customers.

This can also be used to help track refusals, so when customers call about not receiving a delivery, there is a record of what happened the last time a driver was at their location.

5. Unit Sales Distribution By Month Per Location

The Unit Sales Distribution offers a clear view of the products delivered to each location on a month-by-month basis. This report is essential for tracking seasonal demand shifts and understanding how weather patterns impact ice sales at each customer location.

- View products sold by month per location
- Identify seasonal shifts in demand
- Plan ahead for changes in weather patterns & customer needs

Using this report alongside Cool Running Software’s customer management tools & the RouteBuilder feature, ice companies can adjust to seasonal demands based on historical data. Allowing them to plan ahead effectively, staff correctly & project future sales.

How Cool Running Reports Solve Common Industry Challenges

Cool Running Software’s industry-specific reports are tailored to meet the operational needs of ice companies, offering valuable insights that go beyond basic financial data. From optimizing delivery routes to tracking driver performance, our reporting tools are designed to address the most pressing challenges ice companies face today.

By using these powerful reports, ice companies can:

- Optimize Delivery Routes & Schedules: Use real-time data to prioritize high-demand locations and eliminate unproductive stops.
- Track Driver Performance: Analyze total hours worked, delivery efficiency, and products delivered to ensure drivers are maximizing productivity.
- Analyze Customer & Location Demand: Review historical sales data to understand customer trends and plan for shifts in demand.
- + Much More

Unlock the Full Potential of Your Ice Business

Cool Running Software is more than just a reporting tool—our software provides a comprehensive suite of features that help you run your ice business efficiently. When combined with our reports, these tools help make sure you’re always making data-driven decisions to improve your ice business:

- RouteBuilder & RouteVision: Create and adjust delivery routes based on real-time customer demand and driver performance data.
- Merchandiser Tracking: Monitor merchandiser inventory and activity, making it easy to relocate underperforming merchandisers and improve asset utilization.
- Customer Management: Track customer orders, sales history, and pricing, allowing you to adjust pricing and delivery schedules with personalized precision.
- Seasonal Adaptability: Use historical sales data and seasonal trends to adjust staffing, routes, and delivery charges as demand fluctuates throughout the year.
- User-Friendly Interface: Generate detailed reports and manage every aspect of your business with ease, giving you more time to focus on your growth.

With these powerful tools working together, you’ll be able to streamline operations, improve customer satisfaction, and boost profitability.

Demo Cool Running Software Using Your Company Data

We offer no-obligation demonstrations of Cool Running Software, giving you full access to the tools that can help grow your ice business. By providing us with some of your company’s data, we can customize the demo to display real insights based on your business operations—or we can use generic data for a general overview.

Whether you’re looking to better plan out delivery routes, track driver performance in real time, streamline customer management, or automate invoicing and reporting, this demo will show you how Cool Running Software can become your home base for every aspect of your ice company operations, increase productivity, and enhance overall efficiency—all tailored specifically for the ice industry.

To Set Up A No Obligation Demo of Cool Running Software

Contact Tony Dickson at iceguy@coolrunningsoftware or simply click the button below!

Cool Running Reports vs. Standard Accounting Reports: The Power of Specialized Reporting