Sales Order Management Software 101: What It Is and Why You Need it

Are you still trying to manage sales orders manually, using an Excel document or even a pad of paper? Or maybe you’re using sales order management software, but find too often you are missing the features and capabilities you really need. As companies increasingly see the value in process automation and revenue intelligence, sales order management has taken on a new kind of relevance for sellers — particularly as it helps them manage the influx of orders coming through different channels and channel partners.

Let’s take a closer look at what sales order management is (and why you need it).

What is a sales order?
In simple terms: a sales order confirms the details of a transaction between a buyer and seller (quantity, price, delivery time, and more). Orders come in multiple formats — from an email to an e-commerce transaction to a video call.  Even with so much technology at our disposal today, sales orders are still often manually entered into a management platform, creating opportunity for human error and other inefficiencies like costly admin hours and delaying time to delivery.

What is sales order management software?

With the proliferation of newly available sales channels, having the right technology in place to help manage your sales orders, accounts and reps is more critical than ever. Sales order management software uses technology to streamline and create efficiencies within the sales management process, with the added ability to track and measure performance. Some sales order processing systems make it possible to manage orders from receipt to fulfilment using a single platform.

Integrated sales order management software goes a step further, giving sellers and their customers full visibility into different stages of the order cycle and promoting transparency across organizations. In addition, automated integration helps eliminate the need for manual re-entries and assures all necessary information is included for an order. Some cloud or SaaS sales order management platforms can be accessed both on and offline, meaning sales reps can take orders directly from the field using a tablet or even a smartphone. Orders are then submitted and automatically routed to the appropriate destination within the system.

In addition to handling sales orders, integrated sales order management solutions can help sellers automate their back office business processes, promote collaboration between departments, and connect with e-commerce, accounting and other ERP systems.

Why do I need sales order management software?

Integrated sales order management gives sellers control over all of their direct and online sales channels. This kind of technological oversight boosts an organization’s capacity for demand, so they can scale to meet the growing needs of today’s buyers.

Key benefits include:

• Streamlining efficiency – Automating sales order management means less paperwork and man hours spent on manual processes.

• Cutting costs and boosting ROI – When you save time, you also save money. By eliminating cost-intensive manual processes you improve accuracy, reduce transaction costs, and speed your order-to-cash cycle — meaning sellers get paid faster.
• Managing your inventory – From instant order fulfillment to real time inventory checks, sales order management software can give sellers the tools they need to optimize their supply chain — from sourcing through dispatch, shipping and delivery.

• Sharing actionable business insights – With meaningful data points at your fingertips, sales order management solutions can give you greater visibility into the sales cycle — from order fulfilment cycle times to individual sales rep performance.

• Improving customer satisfaction – Today’s buyers increasingly expect self-service and intuitive digital experiences. Sales order management helps ensure you never miss an order, boosting customer satisfaction, and reducing returns.

Sales Order Management with Aleran

Aleran’s omnichannel sales platform automates the most essential parts of the sales order management process and puts valuable intelligence at your fingertips. Our all-in-one solution saves you time and money by automating day-to-day operations and giving you actionable sales intelligence so you can manage your team, track your sales, and grow your revenues.

With the Aleran platform you get:

• An all-in-one, integrated solution across B2B and B2C, including marketplace
• Real-time order delivery and management
• Automated commissions tracking & reconciliation
• Real business intelligence with robust reporting dashboards, vendor and product performance, customer maps and suggestive selling
• Low total cost of ownership
• Reduced implementation time you can realize ROI sooner
• No technical expertise required
• 24/7 cloud-based availability
• No-strings-attached subscription pricing with zero long-term commitment

Want to see what our omnichannel sales platform can do for your business? Request a demo today!

 

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