5 Types of Systems for Order Management and Material Handling Automation

Are you one of the business owners who are looking for effective assistance with automated material handling solutions? Are you looking for a robust solution to streamlining your business operations? AI-powered order management software is all that you need. 

OMS has the following functionalities: 

  • Automates and facilitates order fulfillment processes
  • Reduces the time from order to cash cycle 
  • Improves order processing efficiency for suppliers and  wholesalers
  • Streamline overall business operations
  • Boosts customer satisfaction levels 

Order management system let business users 

  • Enter and covert order quotes easily
  • Search and identify trends from past invoices 
  • Verify shipping preferences  
  • Maintain a visual on stock levels 
  • Modify pricing using a single system

The move away from the pen-paper method of inventory management and the acquisition of warehouse control systems was a huge revolution. Companies can take their order management and material handling equipment to the next level with the growth of radio-frequency identification (RFID) systems and other alternative order management solutions. Different businesses have different requirements when it comes to ordering management for material handling automation. There is no one size fits all system or solution. You need more wider-reaching order fulfillment software when your business gets complicated over time. 

Let’s explore five different types of systems for material handling automation and order management. 

A Digital Operations Platform Tailored Retails 

Digital operation platforms tailored to retail are the option for those brands that take order management and other back-office operations seriously. Such an order and warehouse management system encompasses all aspects of the order processes. Digital operation platforms tailored to retail unify and centralize all company operations and data. Moreover, digital operation platforms connect the following spoke of your business: 

  • Inventory planning and forecasting 
  • Business reporting and intelligence 
  • Inventory planning and forecasting 
  • Controlling supply chains 
  • Customer relationship management (CRM)
  • Fulfillment and shipping 
  • Reverse logistics   
  • Inventory management 
  • Multichannel order management 
  • Accounting 

Enterprise Retail Platform (ERP) Software 

Businesses that run into constraints of standalone solutions usually turn to enterprise retail platform (ERP) software. ERP software unifies numerous business departments and operations. Also, ERP software spans numerous areas rather than being limited to order fulfillment solutions. 

ERP software includes the following: 

  • Inventory management system 
  • Human resource (HR) and payroll 
  • Customer relationship management (CRM) 
  • Warehousing and logistics 

The goal of ERP software is to integrate numerous strands of eCommerce business. It works to combat obstacles between different business operations and departments. A business suffers less from siloed data with the help of ERP software. More information is accessible to the immense number of people across the organization. 

But the fact that cannot be neglected is that every coin has two sides. Everything has downsides, so has the ERP software. According to an estimation by Gartner, 55 percent to 75 percent of the ERP projects fail to meet their goals and objectives. 

Standalone Order Management Software

Numerous firms head towards standalone OMS while looking for an effective order management solution. Standalone order management software has become a part of the firm’s work and retail tech stack with other solutions. Standalone tool in warehouse control software introduces all the fundamental elements of order management. Such OMS allows firms to centralize and track order data. Also, standalone OMS provides effortless access to the customer’s data. 

The primary limitation of standalone order management software comes during the integration process. The software should work along with other existing solutions within the organization. It can be tough to align standalone order management solutions with accounting, POS, shipping, inventory demand planning, and more. It can result in a lack of scalability, miscommunication, data silos, and other unwanted issues.  

Using an eCommerce Platform

You use an eCommerce platform if you sell your products online. It’s the kind of solution in which customers place orders while visiting the website. Small scale and medium scale platforms use eCommerce platforms as an OMS. Utilizing an eCommerce platform as an order management system can be effective in certain circumstances. Such platforms keep track of order details and record such details which are accessible by the customer service team effortlessly. 

Relying on an eCommerce platform is a great option only when the following is true: 

  • You need simple order fulfillment processes
  • You don’t have any significant growth plan
  • Your customer service staff have complete access to eCommerce platforms.
  • All order channels come through your site. There are no third-party channels. 
  • Your office and website are closely connected to your warehouse, permitting you to keep fulfillment and order details up to date. 

Manual Order Management 

Manual order tracking and management are not advisable at all. Manual order management is suitable only for small businesses.  You can save all the details in a ledger or through spreadsheets. It involves building a comprehensive sheet in excel or a similar program. You might be able to keep pertinent order details up-to-date and together. 

The manual order management system is labor-intensive. Lack of scalability is the principal argument against a manual order management system. All in all, a manual order management system is not a good approach concerning productivity and efficiency. 

Conclusion

It’s high time for businesses to drop all the order management myths and acquire an appropriate material handling technology. The market size of warehouse management software is increasing with the speed of light, so does its significance. Keep business complications in mind, they must acquire an order management system before it’s too late.   

Are you tired of exploring tons of order management software and still couldn’t find one which is suitable for your business? Do you have no time for thorough research and deep analysis? MWI Solutions get your back. 

MWI solutions provide innovative material handling solutions to enhance the profitability and sustainability of your supply chain. They deliver their optimistic services to a broad range of industries, including frozen food storage, athletic shoe distribution, retail, manufacturing, eCommerce, and more. Their decades of exposure to various types of operations give them a unique capability to find solutions out of the box for different types of industries. Not only this, their warehouse control system InterSort provides a modular approach to solve complex business operations. InterSort handles all aspects of information and control management in one box.

So stop procrastinating. Browse the official website of MWI Solutions and request a free walk-through site elevation before tomorrow!