When wholesale businesses are asked what practices in their customer ordering process cause the most problems, they often mention the following: 1) delays in shipping; 2) excessive employee time spent on order entry; 3) lack of access to sales data and inventory and 4) human errors throughout the process. When a situation presents itself for differentiation, there exists for every business with a customer base, an opportunity for improved market share and customer satisfaction. How can you guarantee that your wholesale order and fulfillment processes afford you a competitive advantage while reducing customer-related headaches?
Here are five benefits of customer order software.
One point of entry
No matter how a wholesale order is initiated, by phone, email, or online, the customer order software receives, captures, and transfers all orders into one software solution. Redundancy is not a problem, there are not several opportunities for human error, and all involved order channels receive the necessary information through this one entry point.
Visibility of orders
Everyone involved in the process has access to all critical order information. Customers are served accurately, quickly, and efficiently. In addition, the order process is recorded with a visible audit trail.
Reduction of cost and time
Shorter handling times and fewer manual requirements in an automated order process significantly cut the cost of processing orders and delivery times to customers, generating considerable savings. With the ability to track each customer account individually, new orders and the status of pending orders are easily monitored.
Happy customers
Your sales force and/or customer service employees will benefit from the speeding up of your order process. They can respond to queries accurately and quickly, creating satisfied, loyal customers. Your sales force can focus on personal contact with customers rather than spending time manually entering data and following up on other order-related details. Customers can access their order history through a B2B customer portal, quickly finding answers about their pending orders and product shipping times.
More control
You may offer the same products as your competition, and your pricing may influence customer loyalty. However, more often than not, the customer experience is the spark that brings your customers back repeatedly. As organizations look for ways to set themselves apart from the competition, the order process is a proven route to increasing cost efficiency and service levels. Simply put, setting your business apart from others is the "wow" factor of customer satisfaction. The simple things will separate you from the pack: fast delivery, ease of ordering, lack of errors, and quick response to inquiries. When your business operations are truly integrated with customer order software, your order process becomes streamlined,
