All business owners know that order processing is a labor-intensive and expensive part of running a business or online store.
Don't you want to make it easier?
You can, with the use of single platforms and specialized order management systems and software.
Read on to learn about order management solutions, software, and apps that can help you streamline your business to maximize profits.
Order Management Software
Order management software (OMS) is a cloud based platform designed to simplify and automate the order management process and order fulfillment process. This software lets a company easily enter and send orders to the fulfillment team, track inventory levels, and identify trends. They also reduce the time spent fulfilling orders and lessen the chance of human errors. It can even help if you're learning how to ship wine.
Order management software can vary greatly in offerings and cost depending on your business needs. If you're a restaurant, you may use omni channel order fulfillment software. That said, here are a core set of features to look out for in any system:
Workflow Customization
The best order management software lets you customize your fulfillment team's workflow as needed. This can be based on availability, geography and shipping costs. It will let you prioritize the orders that keep your profit margin high and avoid wasting time on orders with more flexible delivery dates.
Inventory Management
Order management only works if you also have a good handle on your inventory levels and flow. Stick with an order management system or multichannel order management platform with an integrated perpetual inventory system. This will let you stay on top of your inventory levels in realtime. It also gives you more accurate numbers when calculating a product's optimal reorder point to achieve par level and necessary safety stock level.
Order Tracking
Customers are more data-reliant than ever and you can easily damage customer satisfaction if you don't provide accurate order tracking. In fact, 69% of consumers say they will not order from a company that has failed to deliver a product within two days of the estimated date.
Similar to how hospitality software tracks available rooms and hospitality procurement software tracks your MOQs and EOQs, choose order management software that tracks orders after they are sent out. You'll also want one that creates alerts for your customer when any change in delivery happens.
Order Management System eCommerce
An eCommerce order management system lets a business consolidate and manage orders coming from multiple sales channels in a single interface.
An order management system is a comprehensive solution that automates data transfer between departments, aggregates order data, and lets you manage and adjust orders easily. These features are important for all types of eCommerce businesses as orders can come in through a variety of channels at any time.
Using an all-in-one sales platform like BlueCart Wholesale is a great way to manage your multi-channel sales. It's even got an integrated customer management platform so you can stay in constant contact with your customers (by phone, chat, or email) in the event of a shipping delay or other changes to an order.
Order Management Solutions
Implementing order management solutions can have a great effect on your operations and bottom line. These include comprehensive order management systems and simple tools like an inventory tracking app.
Here are the biggest benefits to using order management software:
Control Your Costs
Automating a process almost always leads to cost savings, but this is especially true of order management. Using an order management system can keep costs low in a few important ways.
First, it limits the risk of human errors. This is because order data and inventory levels are automated, so inventory control isn't left up to your workers.
Second, it provides completely accurate reports on product levels and customer trends. This lets you get the most out of your inventory and avoid issues like dead stock and backordered products.
Third, it saves employees time processing orders, which means you won't be spending as much on labor cost or overhead expenses.
Happier Employees
One of the toughest things for a growing business is not overwhelming your eCommerce shipping team with orders. You want your sales to grow, but if fulfillment processes are manual, this can create major trouble in the warehouse. It backs orders up and causes extra stress on the employees. By automating parts of the process, your order management specialist and warehouse employees can handle the increased demand without being bogged down with extra tasks like manually printing shipping labels or locating products in the warehouse.
Increase Customer Satisfaction
Customer satisfaction is tied to the quality and speed of your fulfillment process. If a product is not delivered within two days of the original estimate, nearly 70% of customers are unlikely to shop with the business again. By using an order management solution, you can automate the process and get the right products to your customers faster.
These systems also allow a business to provide fast, free shipping. It's one of the fastest-growing coffee industry trends and can increase sales and customer retention by more than 20%. The cost savings of the automation will also offset the shipping cost, so your profit margins won't be affected.
Order Management Solutions for Small Businesses
Order management is particularly tough for small businesses as it takes time and can eat up their budget. That's why they need to go for an order management system that is robust, while remaining affordable.
They also need to ensure that they can integrate their selective solution with their existing storefront or marketplace app. Luckily, customers that use a BlueCart platform like BlueCart eCommerce don't have to worry about integration. It can be integrated with most order management systems and even comes with Shippo integration out of the box.
Order Management App
An order management app is a form of order management software that can be accessed on your phone or computer. These apps provide real time data for the business owner or inventory control manager on the go. The best order management apps allow you to view inventory levels, manage warehouse operations, aggregate sales data, and provide useful reports.
BlueCart's online marketplace is a great option for suppliers to connect with buyers. Our tools let you stay in contact throughout the purchasing process as our app has built-in chat, email, and phone functionality.
All Systems Go!
Order management software can save you time and money and ensure customers receive the products they ordered on time. Stick with an order management system that can be integrated with your existing tools and make sure it can grow with your business. Your fulfillment staff will thank you.
Frequently Asked Questions about Order Management Systems
How to Choose an Order Management System?
There are various factors to consider when choosing order management software. Here are some of them.
- The scale of the business. Some order management systems are more suitable for smaller businesses while others can be scaled to the enterprise level.
- Capabilities. A careful analysis of the needed functionalities is needed when choosing an OMS. For example, some order management systems have elaborate customer management capabilities while others focus primarily on order processing and fulfillment.
- Security. A professional OMS needs to be well-secured. Make sure the software is also compliant with all regulations in the markets your business operates.
- Integrations. Combining the power of different management solutions is crucial. That’s why when choosing an order management system, make sure it can be integrated with your current solutions.
What Is the Difference between Order Management System and CRM?
A CRM focuses primarily on customers while an order management system focuses mainly on orders. Simply put, a CRM (customer relationship management) is a solution that handles customer data. That includes contact information, past purchases, and other data that can be analyzed and used for marketing and sales purposes. An order management system (OMS) primarily tracks orders and automates various order management tasks.
What Is the Difference between Order Management Systems and ERP Systems?
ERP stands for enterprise resource planning. Thus, the goal of this solution is to efficiently allocate resources such as cash, raw materials, and labor. Nowadays, ERP solutions often incorporate order management systems as well. In fact, modern ERP systems can be customized to include a wide range of functionalities and to collect, and manage data from multiple business activities. On the other hand, order management systems focus primarily on ordering. They are more suitable for smaller businesses that don’t need a full-scale ERP solution.