Blog Post
Order Accuracy: The Unsung Hero of Customer Experience
In B2B, customer retention is often viewed as a relationship game—driven by account managers, support teams, and service levels. But underneath those human touchpoints lies a quieter, often-overlooked factor: order accuracy.
How consistently do you deliver exactly what the customer requested, when they need it, without issue?
In a world of complex purchase orders, variable lead times, and high customer expectations, order accuracy is more than a metric—it’s a brand promise.
The Cost of Inaccurate Orders
When orders go wrong, customers notice. They may not always complain—but over time, they may slowly shift spend elsewhere.
Here’s what even minor order errors can trigger:
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Incorrect items or quantities shipped
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Missed production deadlines
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Internal fire drills and rework
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Delays in downstream delivery
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Penalty fees for service level failures
According to Aberdeen, companies with best-in-class order accuracy achieve 96%+ customer retention rates, while average performers hover closer to 70–80%.
Accuracy builds trust. Inaccuracy builds friction.
What Customers Expect
B2B buyers have a lot on the line. Their orders are often part of a larger process—construction, repair, manufacturing, or resale. If the order is wrong, it creates disruption.
That’s why customers expect:
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Confirmation of order details
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On-time and complete shipments
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Minimal need for follow-up
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No surprises when the pallet arrives
And if these expectations are consistently missed? Buyers will start asking questions:
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“Can we trust them with urgent requests?”
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“Should we split volume between vendors?”
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“Do we need to renegotiate service terms?”
Even one poor experience can chip away at the relationship.
The Link Between Accuracy and Loyalty
When you consistently deliver accurate, complete, and timely orders, customers:
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Spend more
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Renew contracts
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Recommend your services
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De-escalate less
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Trust your account teams more
In fact, a McKinsey study found that supply chain reliability was the #1 driver of satisfaction for B2B buyers, ahead of price or product selection.
Accuracy builds confidence. Confidence builds loyalty.
Why Accuracy Is Hard to Maintain
Order accuracy issues don’t happen because people aren’t trying. They happen because the process is manual, siloed, and complex.
Common root causes:
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Human error in rekeying orders from PDFs
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Missing data fields or incorrect SKUs
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Lack of real-time validation against ERP records
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Delays in exception resolution
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Poor visibility across teams
It’s not just about entering the right data—it’s about creating a system that doesn’t let the wrong data through.
How Automation Drives Accuracy
Platforms like Conexiom improve order accuracy by removing the points of failure that most often lead to mistakes.
How It Works:
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Purchase orders are received by email
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Line-item data is extracted and validated automatically
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Each field is checked against your system of record
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Any discrepancies are flagged for human review
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Clean, validated orders are submitted directly to ERP
By introducing automation, you reduce:
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Typos and formatting mistakes
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Missed SKUs or incorrect part numbers
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Pricing mismatches or outdated product data
The result? Orders that flow seamlessly—and correctly—from customer to fulfillment.
Measuring Order Accuracy
To improve it, you have to measure it. Here are three key metrics to track:
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First Pass Yield:
How many orders are processed successfully without human correction? -
Order Error Rate:
What percentage of orders contain at least one mistake? -
Customer-Facing Incidents:
How often do errors lead to returns, credits, or customer complaints?
Benchmark your current performance, then work to improve these over time.
Case in Point: Accuracy as a Differentiator
A mid-sized industrial distributor using Conexiom recently increased their first-pass order accuracy from 83% to 98.7% in just four months. The results?
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Fewer customer escalations
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30% reduction in order-related support tickets
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Higher renewal rates across top accounts
It wasn’t just a process improvement—it was a relationship builder.
Final Thought
In B2B, trust is built on consistency. And nothing tests that consistency more than how well you process and fulfill orders.
If you want to keep your customers, you have to get their orders right. Not most of the time. Every time.
Ready to improve your order accuracy and customer loyalty? Learn how Conexiom’s automation platform helps leading distributors and manufacturers reduce errors and retain more customers.