Order fulfillment is an important goal and a challenge for any company. The promises of a good order fulfillment are very important for the growth and scale of any company. Before we begin with improving your Ecommerce order fulfillment process, let us see some of the basics that you should employ. ERP (enterprise resource planning) system in your company should be highly functional and it should be connected. This will help you in a seamless integration of your order management system with the changing demands.
So these are 7 steps which will come in handy when you are looking to improve your order fulfillment process:
- Seamless integration for demand forecasting and order fulfillment. As a company, you are most likely to source your products from different distributors and store it in your warehouse based on the demand and shipping it to your customers. Here, the order management system (OMS) plays an important role in deciding your complete operation cycle. Hence it is very important to tie your OMS to all the feasible operations that your business is into. Right from placing an order to fulfillment it is important to maintain an integrated system.
- The second step is to keep everything live. You need to get the live update on all your orders. This is very important in managing end to end order fulfillment. If you have employed an outsourced order fulfillment partner, make sure they provide a dashboard which updates the data in real time. This will help in efficient order management system.
- A good shipper will hold the nerves when it comes to meeting delivery deadlines and this is very important in meeting customer expectations. Otherwise, you are just going to see a bunch of frustrated customers who are going to blame your products for your delivery lethargy.
- Upgraded order management system is essential in case of delayed shipment. This might cost you a little extra but keep your promises made to customers alive. If a shipment fails to have a backup plan of shipping so that the package reaches the customers on time. Again this is very important to maintain an efficient delivery system for guaranteed order fulfillment.
- Be strategic with your warehouse location. It is very important to choose a location which is easy for shipping and thus enabling easy pick-up facility. Using a hub and spoke model for your warehouse and inventory management will enable you easily pick and drop. Also, remember to employ smart shipping algorithms which will help you in finding the optimal route for faster shipping.
- Keep your customers up to date on the order by providing them proper updates on the order whereabouts. This will not only keep them updated on the delivery but also will help you in building trust among your customers.
