Order processing is without a doubt one of the most important elements of a successful company. You might have a stunning website and great marketing messages, but if you aren’t able to follow up with a smooth transaction process, your customers will quickly grow dissatisfied and seek out other services.
So what can you do to streamline your company’s order processing? The following tips can get you started on the right track so you can improve internal efficiency and increase customer satisfaction.
1. Ecommerce Integration
While some companies only allow customers to make purchases through their website, an increasing number of businesses are leveraging Amazon, eBay, and other online marketplaces to increase their reach and provide more opportunities to get their product in front of new people.
However, synchronizing these different eCommerce platforms can prove to be quite a challenge. The most effective companies make use of software that can synchronize actions from multiple platforms, allowing business executives to track orders from any of these sites using a single software hub. By implementing a system that integrates with all of your eCommerce platforms, you won’t have to worry about certain orders slipping through the cracks.
2. Shipping Automation
Which carrier service will provide the fastest results at the lowest cost? Depending on the product to be shipped and its destination, the answer could easily vary from order to order. With a software integration that automates your packing and shipping, you won’t have to be limited in which shipping options you can offer your customers. With more options, your customers will be able to receive their order in the way that they most prefer, increasing their satisfaction and giving you more cost-effective options.
3. Better Inventory Control
The internet age has made it so that when customers place an order, they expect to receive their shipment almost immediately, but this won’t happen if the item they ordered is out of stock at your warehouse. If customers discover they have to wait several days before their item will be ready to ship, they may cancel their order and choose a different vendor.
To avoid this problem, you should take control of your inventory through cycle counts. Understanding exactly how much inventory you have of each of your products will help you know which items you need to restock. Having employees periodically conduct barcode scans of the items in your warehouse will provide an accurate count of your stock, allowing you to verify the information you had recorded. Using a software to share this data across multiple departments will ensure you always have enough stock on hand.
4. Mobile Picking and Barcode Scanning
Sending the wrong item to a customer is one of the worst things that can happen to a business. Fulfillment accuracy issues can create a lot of headaches for everyone involved in the order, and this problem is unfortunately quite common.
Thankfully, modern systems allow you to reduce human error by adding mobile picking and barcode scanning to your warehouse. These systems quickly guide workers to the right location in the warehouse, while also ensuring that they select the right item to be shipped. This won’t just improve accuracy — it will also get shipments out the door that much faster.
5. ERP Integration
As useful as the previously mentioned tips to streamline your order processing can be, they won’t be nearly as effective if they aren’t fully integrated with your ERP software. Tools such as OzLink are designed to integrate with NetSuite and other ERP products so that you can gain real-time insights into your order processing and how it is affecting your company’s output.
By integrating your order processing system with ERP software, you’ll be able to do much more than simply stay on top of your shipments. You’ll gain access to key pieces of data that allow you to recognize opportunities to increase productivity, or find and correct organizational weaknesses. When this happens, order processing will become a key strength.
