Automating Order Management
Automated order management systems streamline processes by handling order routing, inventory updates, and shipping integration. These systems also improve accuracy and planning by reducing errors and forecasting demand. Smart cart technology complements this by integrating real-time data collection to enhance inventory and order tracking, creating seamless coordination between order management and fulfillment systems.
Automated order management is the use of technology to automate tasks within the order management process including order processing, tracking and customer communications.
Challenges of manual order management
- Limited order visibility
Tracking orders across multiple systems can make it difficult to monitor order status in real-time. This lack of accurate information can make it hard to manage inventory levels and communicate order updates to customers.
- Data entry errors
Relying on employees to manually input order details from across various sales channels into business systems can lead to mistakes e.g. incorrect customer information or product codes being entered that delay fulfilment.
- Inefficient processing
Manually processing orders is time-consuming as employees are often required to rekey information into multiple systems leading to backlogs and increased lead times.
The 5 Benefits of Automation
At every step of the order process journey, automation gives you more visibility and control. You can use automation and bespoke low-code applications, to effortlessly access sales data, manage inventory, and keep customers updated. You’ll also be able to fulfill orders faster and with greater accuracy, creating happier customers.
- Faster fulfillment
By automating manual tasks, several key steps in the order approval process can become instantaneous, reducing the time it takes for an order to reach the customer. Your systems will be able to acknowledge an order request, check inventory, and approve the request without human input. That frees up your workforce to focus on getting deliveries to your customers.
- Improved tracking
Using low-code automation applications, you’ll improve communication between all your different systems. This means you and, more importantly, your customers will always know the status of their order, improving trust and providing a more complete customer experience.
- Better inventory management
Effective inventory management relies on two things: knowing how much product you have and knowing how much product you’ll need. By connecting your order management process with an automated system, stock availability will be automatically updated, meaning customers can be sure that their order is in stock. You’ll also gain access to a range of insights that can help you allocate warehouse stock based on predicted demand, keeping you one step ahead.
- Fewer errors
Mistakes are a serious threat to order fulfillment. An incorrectly entered address, item number, or price will leave your customers frustrated. Automation reduces the likelihood of human error, ensuring that orders are completed more accurately.
- Easy to scale
Software solutions can scale effortlessly with demand. If your business experiences peak periods, or is still growing, adopting automation gives you the ability to scale your order management capabilities while minimizing or removing the need to drastically restructure your process or take on more staff.
