S&OP’s virtue lies largely in its holistic approach. The overarching view helps organize business operations across the board, affecting almost every piece of an organization. For example, synchronization between departments can reduce the time needed to fulfill an order, allowing it to arrive faster and improve overall customer satisfaction. Cutting inventory costs by gaining a better view of supply and demand similarly can cut costs overall, helping a business become more profitable and efficient. In addition to increasing sales, some of the most common benefits of sales and operations planning include: Easier to understand and present data to share with stakeholders Improved levels of customer service Better product revenues Increased profitability Reduced lead times Lowered inventory Faster responsiveness Top-down control from management Better demand and supply forecast accuracy