© 2013 Esker, Inc.
Sales Order Processing
Better Order Management: A Path to OTC Excellence
and Competitiveness
Steve Smith
www.esker.com
May 2013
Better Order Management: A Path to OTC Excellence and Competitiveness SALES ORDER PROCESSING
Better Order Management: A Path to OTC Excellence and Competitiveness SALES ORDER PROCESSING
Downside of Manual Order Processing
How is it hurting your company?
Affects customer & employee satisfaction.Time spent manually entering orders interferes with time spent servicing high-value customers
Slows / complicates process.Manual order entry is a slow, labor-intensive process that often leads to poor data quality and increased errors
Reduces visibility and control.In an “untamed” sales order process, poor visibility affects your ability to accurately track and report orders
Better Order Management: A Path to OTC Excellence and Competitiveness SALES ORDER PROCESSING
Challenge No. 1 — Customers
Why can’t they just be electronic?
Electronic documents are not that simple
– No one can agree on 1 standard format
– Fax & email are easy– Built into all ERP solutions
– Anyone can receive and read them
Many customers have an unwillingness or inability to use EDI
– Force customers to EDI?– Are you ready for EDI?– Customers do as they please … and
who’s going to refuse an order?
EDI
Customers
Better Order Management: A Path to OTC Excellence and Competitiveness SALES ORDER PROCESSING
Challenge No. 2 — Semi-Structured Forms
Consider the complexities of order formats …
Number of line-items on the average orderAbility to update document capture formatsHandling multiple orders within a single transmissionSend to Bill-to or Ship-to?
– Sometimes multiple Bill-to or Ship-to locations
Shipping requirementsEarly payment discount?Inaccurate data on order
– Wrong part numbers– Wrong pricing– Customer does not exist in your database
Order confirmation issues– Customer calls asking if order is received and
processed.
Better Order Management: A Path to OTC Excellence and Competitiveness SALES ORDER PROCESSING
Avoid saddling your infrastructure with too many tools and technologies
Multiple point-to-point systems
– Fax, imaging, OCR, capture, formatting
– Email– Validation, workflow,
exception handling– EDI, data conversion,
archiving
High costs– Administration– Knowledge– Maintenance– Hardware
Application modification is
costly and time-consuming
Challenge No. 3 — IT Landscape
Customers Your Company
Fax Machines
POs manually gathered and filed
Manager
CSRs
EDI
EDI
Customer Service
Fax Server & OCR
EDI Software
& VAN
Archive Solution
& Scanning
Email Distribution
Better Order Management: A Path to OTC Excellence and Competitiveness SALES ORDER PROCESSING
Challenge No. 4 — Other Pitfalls
What other considerations should businesses understand before automating orders into your ERP?
Historic automation limitations– Basic OCR and imaging vs. intelligent capture
– Accuracy rate
– Handwriting
– Templates impractical for variations in order format• Paper and manual intervention often still required
Limited connectivity with your ERP– Lack of integration with your ERP can create inaccurate data
Better Order Management: A Path to OTC Excellence and Competitiveness SALES ORDER PROCESSING
Upside of Automated Order Processing
According to research by IT industry analyst, IDC, the benefits of automated order processing can be organized in three categories:
1)Enhanced productivity– Reduced number of errors and returns
– Reduced time spent on order management
2)Increased market competitiveness– Better cost management and cash flow
– Reduced customer order processing and storage costs
3)Improved customer satisfaction– On-time shipping and delivery
– Ability to track orders and attend to customers’ requests
Better Order Management: A Path to OTC Excellence and Competitiveness SALES ORDER PROCESSING
Upside of Automated Order ProcessingContinued …
Why is now an opportune time to implement an automated order processing solution instead of adding headcount?
Even with order volumes rising for many businesses, economic uncertainty has caused a reluctance to increase headcount
Companies are looking for ways to become more efficient to manage growth
Automation is a much more cost-effective and resourceful solution for businesses ordering products on an “as-needed” basis
Better Order Management: A Path to OTC Excellence and Competitiveness SALES ORDER PROCESSING
Find Out More by Watching our Recorded Webinar…
Follow Us on Twitter @EskerIncand learn more at www.esker.com
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