Signs that you need a B2B order management system

Posted in B2B sales & distribution.

While it is certainly a pleasant thing to see your business growing, it is extremely important that you are well equipped to hold on to that growth steadily. While some people are born to see that destiny, a lot of businesses often face problems and find themselves unsure about how they should handle all the business coming their way. The increased workload resulting from increased orders means that you need a way to manage all that traffic. This is the point where you step back and let something built to handle this level of ordering work for you. That something is a B2B order management system and here are the most obvious signs that you should get one immediately.

Insufficient Resources

The growth of a company means growth in workload as well, and often companies do not have sufficient staff to manage the increase. Adding buffer staff is too expensive and hiring new people is simply going to take too long, and again, cost a lot of money. Having a system that can take care of the newly increased orders and assign them smartly is much cheaper and practically pays for itself in no time.

Incorrect Accounting Records

One of the first places where you will see problems occur as your ordering grows is your accounting system. With such a large amount of data coming in, a person making manual entries is bound to make mistakes. Having a system in place that automates the accounting entries should help make things much easier. An order management system would not only do that, it would also relieve any previous pressure, allowing you to utilise your staff more efficiently.

Disgruntled Customers

With a struggling ordering system and faults coming your way in multiple departments, you are eventually going to upset your customers in some way. This could either be in the form of delayed orders or even problems with the orders that you have already processed. The result would be customers complaining to you constantly about your performance in catering to their needs. A proper order management system would automate a vast part of the ordering procedure and not only make sure that every order is taken accurately, but the customers will also be able to track their order status. This would also create time for you to concentrate on fulfilling the orders you are getting and ensure customer satisfaction.

Inefficient Order Management

A lot of companies these days are trying to find multiple avenues of revenue to stay afloat and competitive. Dealing with multiple sales streams could be a huge problem for your staff if they are not equipped to handle that pressure. To make sure no one fails at their task, you can implement an order management system that can take in orders from every direction. The system automatically manages and categorises the orders for your staff to process seamlessly within their domain. You can also keep the orders coming 24/7, thanks to the fact that computers never take a leave or work limited hours of the day.

Improper Inventory Management

While you may be getting a lot of orders, you also need to make sure that your stock is always at the right level. The most efficient method, which can also lead to the most profitability, is to keep just enough stock to fulfil orders, no more and no less. A good order management system also provides this information to you constantly and you can make sure your stock levels are always optimal.

In case you are seeing any of the signs discussed here in your system, it is time for you to invest in a B2B order management system right away.