Tracker B2B Order Management System
Tracker B2B Order Management System
B2B eCommerce is on the rise. It’s probably being driven by the fact that many of today’s buyers and purchasers have grown up as part of the digital age. They’re used to the convenience of being able to order online, and they’re carrying that through to their business practices.
If you want to be making the most of this growing trend, you need to have a streamlined B2B ERP order management system in place.
Core Components
Extension Options
Customisation
Integrated With The World's Best Apps
B2B Orders Are Complex
Also known as procurement management systems, a purchase order system is a means of managing business expenditure. It’s a dedicated solution that enables purchasers to use historical data to make time-sensitive and logical purchasing decisions to prevent stock mismanagement.B2B orders are likely to be more complex than the average B2C online sale. Securing these orders often costs more, and the average buying cycle tends to be much longer and require more advanced technologies.
However, using online order management software combined with strong workflow practices and an effective strategy, your organisation can improve its operational efficiency and overcome the challenges that can be associated with B2B order management.
Integrated With The World's Leading Marketplaces
B2B Order Management
B2B order management is the process of tracking orders placed by your commercial clients and then managing the fulfillment of those orders. Traditionally, a sales representative would enter the order details onto the system. The system may have been an ERP system or manual spreadsheets. Either way, taking time and costing the company money.
Now, using an ERP system that fully integrates with your website, you can reduce the time it takes to accept and process the customer’s order as they place the order themselves. They then receive an order confirmation.
Again, traditionally, the items on order would have to be reserved and allocated to the order manually, taking time and relying on accurate stock level recording. With an ERP, stock is automatically checked and allocated to the appropriate order before picking, packing, and dispatch. Any out-of-stock items are back ordered. The customer is notified of the dispatch.
What about returns, exchanges and refunds? Instead of dealing with them manually, adding them back into stock (where possible), an ERP system deals automatically with the process.
"You need a professional system"
– Archie, A Hume Country Clothing
Challenges of a B2B Order
As we’ve already discussed, there has been a rise in B2B ecommerce. Along with this rise is a rise in expectations of seamless service but also a rise in complexity.
Rise in global supply chains
Thanks to technology, the world is getting smaller. Your business could be coming from anywhere in the world. Whether its third-party logistics (3PL) or dropshipping companies, rather than the traditional in-house supply chain, there are a wide range of ways in which to fulfill orders and complete shipments cross the globe.
When working with a 3PL, regular product shipments are sent to the logistics provider, who deal with fulfilling the orders. With dropshipping, orders are forwarded to the supplying company, who are responsible for the fulfillment of the order complete with the original company’s branding, with the customer being unaware that a third party was involved.
Either way, an effective trade order management system is essential for managing these orders to ensure successful fulfillment and happy customers.
Physical Product Distribution
Tracker was designed by Will after two decades of working in ‘physical product’ businesses. He found there was no system that was meeting the needs of those organisations, so he created his own.
Since 2018, Tracker has become the purchasing order system of choice for a number of organisations within the personalisation, schoolwear, clothing and eyewear industries. It’s ideal for businesses of all sizes, offering a purchasing order system as part of an end-to-end ERP solution.
Manage orders over all sales platforms sales platforms
The most effective B2B ERP systems allow for multi-channel ordering. This means that customers can order in the way that best suits them, whether it’s person-to-person or online. Either way, the right system means that orders can be placed easily and rapidly, and stock levels managed effectively for accurate order fulfillment.
It also allows for your organisation to view your historical and current orders easily, making predicting client needs and therefore stock requirements a piece of cake.
Unique to Tracker B2B
More online orders mean more orders to fulfill. This can create a strain on your business if it lacks an effective trade order management system. It can also create stock control issues, especially if your ordering system doesn’t update inventory across channels in real time.
In addition, if you’re both a retailer and a B2B supplier, you need ‘two speed’ order management. That’s because your larger but fewer B2B orders are likely to take longer to complete, while more frequent but smaller retail orders usually take less time.
More online orders mean more orders to fulfill. This can create a strain on your business if it lacks an effective trade order management system. It can also create stock control issues, especially if your ordering system doesn’t update inventory across channels in real time.
In addition, if you’re both a retailer and a B2B supplier, you need ‘two speed’ order management. That’s because your larger but fewer B2B orders are likely to take longer to complete, while more frequent but smaller retail orders usually take less time.
Cloud management systems are increasingly common and there’s a good reason: they enable businesses to go paperless. This improves efficiency, saves money, and helps the environment.
Data becomes easily accessible from anywhere across the globe, and physical documents become a thing of the past.
If orders are centralized, inventory data becomes more accurate, and so it’s easier to control your ordering process.
From order to picking to shipping, orders can be easily tracked and monitored. This applies regardless of whether you ship directly or use third party suppliers.
Tracking inventory can be complicated without the right ERP system. With the right programme, inventory can be tracked anywhere, from a single site to across the globe.
This means you’ll never find yourself promising a delivery you can’t fulfill.
As already mentioned, B2B orders are typically more complex than their B2C equivalents. However, they’re also likely to be worth much more. There’s plenty of competition for their business, so it’s important to stand out.
One way you can differentiate yourself from your competition is to offer an enhanced service to your customers. An advanced ERP system allows you to do just that. From customising key stages of order-to-payment cycle for each client, to differentiated pricing structures, it all helps to make the right impression.
Signs You Need A Trade Order System
Not sure if you need a B2B ERP system? If you’re experiencing issues with successfully servicing your trade sales, then chances are you’re experiencing at least one of the following issues.
Struggling to manage sales channels
Even if you have online ordering, when it comes to B2B orders, you may still be receiving orders via the telephone, in person, or from online marketplaces. The more sales channels you’re dealing with, the more complex managing your stock and processes is.
With multiple sales channels, there are more chances for human error, bottlenecks and – consequently – delays.
An efficient trade management order system enables a centralised overview of orders, inventory and order status, even if you’re working across multiple channels and locations.
How do you store your information? Many businesses use several different systems: one for ordering, one for accounting, and perhaps a separate B2B ecommerce platform. Data is separate and hard to collate.
Staff are required to log into different systems to find the information they need, and real-time insights are impossible. This results in inefficiencies, out-of-date information, and inaccurate sales reports.
An ERP system collates all of this information into one place, linking everything from ordering to accounts. Real-time information is at everyone’s fingertips, increasing efficiency and profits.
Customer expectations are constantly rising. Your B2B customers want to be able to check up on their order status, have clear answers to questions and queries, and know that their products are available and will be delivered in a timely manner.
If you can’t manage all this, customers will become dissatisfied and may start to look at other suppliers. The right ERP system enables anyone within the organisation to answer client questions and ensure that their B2B customers are happy.
Key Features
Multi Channel Sales
Sales & Purchasing
Website
E-commerce and Marketplace integration
Warehouse automation