Optimize Your Order Management System for the Better

order_managementBeing able to place, process, and track orders quickly and efficiently is necessary to the success of your business. An order management system is software that automates and streamlines the order taking process for your business. Implemented correctly, an order system can improve customer relations while reducing your costs. Here are some things you can do to optimize your system for your customers, sales reps and back office.

  • Automate Every Step You Can

    For every part of the process you remove from manual entry, you greatly reduce the chances for error which makes the process faster. Reducing the need for manual order entry and processing means that your employees can spend more time in work that helps your business grow. Sales reps can spend more time selling instead of doing paperwork.
  • Centralize and Consolidate

    For your order management system to be useful, data has to be accessible to everyone that needs it, when they need it. If one part of your business has the order data, another does all the processing, and another keeps track of shipments, things get fragmented and harder to manage. There are more chances for error, duplication is likely to occur, and it will be more difficult to find information to answer customer inquiries. Furthermore, optimizing the centralization by utilizing the cloud means employees and customers can access data 24/7.
  • Sync with Existing Programs

    You will have less success in getting employees and customers to use your system if it is completely different from what has been used in the past. An order system that integrates with your QuickBooks software means less time in training, and no need to re-enter all your old data to create new databases. The migration to the new order system can happen quickly and efficiently.
  • Manage Inventory

To be truly effective, your order management system needs to handle every step of the process from order creation to final delivery. Accurate, real-time inventory tracking needs to be a major part of this. When prices, descriptions, or stock counts are changed, those changes need to be automatically reflected in your order system and your QuickBooks. Trying to manage this manually as your business grows and your customers increase becomes more and more difficult, if not impossible. Customers tend to get very upset when making an order, only to check on it later and find it’s been out of stock or is on back order. If you don’t plan, they can’t plan. Customers need to be able to count on inventory amounts being up-to-date to avoid back orders or shipping errors. To optimize your system, automated inventory management needs to be a key component from the start.

  • Run Reports 

    A good order system makes it easy to create reports because all the data you need is at your fingertips. To pinpoint problems in your business, and to accurately forecast what you need to concentrate on for the future, you should run reports regularly and analyze the data. These reports can help you evaluate where changes need to be made to make your order system more efficient.

It is challenging for many small to mid-sized businesses to manage their order process. Following these steps will optimize your order management system and allow you to keep your customers happy and your business growing. Request a free demo with Now Commerce to see how an order management system can help your business.Order Management System