Top 10 Frustrations with Order Processing

Processing orders manually is frustrating, expensive, and slow. Make a resolution to improve the bottom line and say goodbye to the headaches with sales order automation.

As we approach 2015, the New Year brings a tremendous opportunity for change. It’s the perfect time to look back and reflect on what went well in your business and also to identify areas for improvement. As you find yourself writing your next annual plan and defining your top resolutions, one key area to consider major transformation is order processing.

Even though it’s 2014, a surprising fact is that the majority of customer orders are still processed manually. This archaic method is the enemy of efficiency requiring a staggering duplication of effort. In the majority of cases, purchase orders received by email, fax, and phone need to be taken by a customer service representative and then re-entered by hand before they can be transformed into a sales order in their existing ERP system.

Not only is this process an inefficient use of resources, but it’s slow, expensive, and prone to errors. Sounds like a lot of downsides and no real upside. So why are so many busy distributors and manufacturers continuing to struggle with ineffective order processing? Here are some of the top frustrations we’ve seen from our research:

1. Backlogs of orders awaiting manual processing
2. Time-intensive manual order processing
3. Delays in order cycle times
4. Lost, misplaced or duplicate orders
5. Slow response times to customer inquiries
6. Storage challenges
7. Keying errors and incorrect orders
8. High overtime costs
9. High transactional cost of processing each order
10. Minimal customer contact and no time for customer service

Does this sound a little too familiar? Do you feel like there’s got to be a better way? Well you’re right. There is a better way. With automated sales order management software, you can manage every step of the order process without requiring a human touch. It’s all automatic, from the arrival of a purchase order to its creation as a corresponding sales order in your existing ERP system, and it can even extend to validation and order confirmation. An effective automation solution can allow you to handle higher order volumes faster, while reducing the cost of processing each order.

If you’re looking for a way to deliver big ROI in 2015 and you’re ready to answer the constant pressure to do more with less, consider switching to sales order automation today.