Order Fulfillment - Procurement

Order management is the process of receiving, fulfilling, and reporting on customer orders throughout the designed life cycle. The faster a business can receive and fulfill an order, the more of a guarantee it has to secure the sale, therefore, remaining competitive amongst its peers. With the advent of the Internet, businesses are utilizing the Web and email technology to accept orders and effectively communicate with customers. This approach greatly increases the marketplace due to global reach, saves time on receiving and executing customer orders, and streamlines communication internally as well as externally.

Order management is considered a mission critical operation in most businesses that sell products directly to the customer. The reason it is critical is simple - customer interfacing, setting expectations, and creating impressions. This process is the cornerstone of business credibility when it comes to quality, convenience, promptness, and reasonable pricing. Any impediments, small or large, in the order management process can easily cost a business the sale. Adding insult to injury, it can help competitors gain the upper hand not only in acquiring the lost sales, but also in the automatic perception that their products are better.

The process starts with a visual display of a competitively priced product either through actual presentation, printed brochure, or website. Upon enticing the customer and gaining their confidence to purchase the product from the representing business, it's time to build/package/ship the product according to the specifications provided by the customer. Once the customer receives the product, typical businesses appreciate such feedback as whether the product is up to the customer's expectations, suggestions, and fulfillment process efficiency. Lastly, the customer understands the protocol (return/exchange/credit) involved in resolving order disputes such as damaged or unsatisfactory goods.