One of the most important factors in the success of a wholesale business is the efficiency of the order fulfillment process. Order management software that integrates with QuickBooks can prevent mistakes and delays in your fulfillment process. Your sales reps and office team will be more productive, and your B2B customers will enjoy 24/7 online convenience that will make you their preferred supplier.
The best order management systems automate key steps in the order management process. You will save time by allowing your B2B customers and sales reps to log into an online portal to check inventory, place orders, and answer their own routine customer service questions.
Here are the things to look for in an online customer order management system.
Made for wholesale
Shopping carts are good for consumers but don’t work for B2B. Wholesale buyers need to log in and see proper order forms that show:
- Customized wholesale pricing pulled from QuickBooks
- Product categories with SKU numbers, complete descriptions, and images
- Accurate inventory quantities pulled from QuickBooks
- Wholesale header boxes like PO Number, Ship Date, Ship Via, and custom fields
QuickBooks integration
Your customer service team probably spends too much time trying to understand the crazy orders your sales reps and wholesale customers send in. In other words, the human error in the order management process is probably coming from outside your office. A B2B online portal that integrates with QuickBooks always shows the correct pricing and inventory, preventing reps and customers from ordering discontinued items or using outdated pricing. The online order form is always 100% current.
QuickBooks integration in a portal designed for wholesale can provide a central place for orders and eliminate most of the crazy orders that people send in. The integration also creates sales orders or invoices in QuickBooks without data entry, reducing human error inside the office.
Real-time inventory status
Inventory display options should include the following:
- Actual quantity on hand of products
- Stock status (in stock/out of stock)
- Available to sell (qty on hand minus qty allocated on sales orders)
- No inventory display at all
Shipment information
With an online order system that integrates with a 3rd party warehouse, you eliminate warehouse communication issues. Electronic transmission of orders eliminates the need for manual data entry or sending PDFs. Sales reps and wholesale customers can easily access real-time information, including ship dates, shipping methods, and tracking numbers.
Optimizing your order management process helps make daily tasks manageable for everyone. Your sales reps and inside team will be able to concentrate more of their time on improving existing customer relationships and finding new customers. Customers will benefit from streamlined processes and 24/7 access, keeping their businesses prospering as well.
