With all the resources and benefits an order management platform can offer, a surprising number of merchants still do not focus on digitizing that process. Whether the company is small or large, an order management platform, such as the one provided by Magento, is necessary for continuous growth and profitability.
Combined with a strong digital commerce platform, an order management solution can help provide the additional capabilities needed to meet rising customer demands and expectations. With competition this tight, the company needs more than traditional methods of order management. It is important to invest in an up-to-date system that offers integrated functionality for orders, tracking, customer service, and omnichannel.
The order management process starts when a customer places an order and ends when the service or the items are received. From the moment a sale is made until the moment it is delivered, the whole process needs to be as transparent as possible for the customer. The order management solution needs to make the process flow at every touchpoint. It also needs to happen without delays or other problems.
If a customer has a problem, a failure, or something perceived as a failure in the overall buying experience, that person is more likely to be unhappy with the company. If the order management system, or the lack of one, cannot meet or exceed customer expectations, you risk losing them, and they will take their business elsewhere, to the competition.
Centralized customer service
Today, customers expect to be informed at every step of the purchase, with regular email updates, tracking information, and delivery-status alerts. Without order management solutions to compile customer information and filter data into a single place, there are more opportunities for error.
With Magento’s centralized customer service, all customer and order information is centralized in one place. That keeps every customer service representative better informed through a complete view of sales channels and fulfillment centers, so they can resolve any question about shipping, delivery, or even cancellations.
We are seeing drops in call-center volume ranging from 40 to 60%, because customers can track order status online. This shift toward more transparency in shipping and delivery is something customers are starting to expect whenever they make a purchase.
Making the omnichannel store real
From buy online / pick up in store (BOPIS) to same-day shipping, customers expect as much choice in delivery as in the channels they use to engage. Shoppers expect to be able to fulfill an order in the way, at the time, and in the place most convenient for them. Every touchpoint on the journey is an opportunity to provide an excellent customer experience and to increase retention and revenue.
Magento’s omnichannel capabilities offer customers the kind of options expected today: ship from store, ship to store, BOPIS, and an endless aisle of inventory. That endless aisle gives customers more options to buy items from a global inventory that can be fulfilled anywhere.
Global inventory and source
The size of the business should not limit its opportunities to grow. Showing the customer live inventory is incredibly powerful, and it is something an order management system can enable. With the option to use global inventory control, customers can see real-time information on where they can buy and obtain the products or services they need. Even with a few inventory locations — for example, a store and a warehouse — Magento’s global inventory and source let you determine the fastest and most economical way to get products to customers.
If you are managing several channels, you can have finer control of inventory to specify which SKUs, and what quantity of those items, are sold on which channel. That lets you prioritize channels to align with demand and margin, which is essential for success in peak sales periods such as Black Friday.
Investing in an order management system
Today it is about complexity, not size. If you have several stores, warehouses, or sales channels, and sites in several countries, and you want to try to bring them together, order management makes sense. With order management, you can bring all of those different platforms for different countries into one place.
The benefits of an order management system for larger global companies are apparent, and smaller companies can benefit as well. What is notable about Magento’s order management system is that, however small the business, you can keep pace with the platform. As the company grows, you can add customizations and extensions so the order management system does what you need. From e-commerce purchases to store locations, consumers expect products and services to be delivered quickly and accurately. The benefits of using an order management system include the ability to keep inventory and tracking aligned, and to provide a direct and indirect experience to customers.
