Cloud-Based Order Management as the Key to Smarter Business Operations

A cloud-based order management system (OMS) is a tool you can use to manage orders hosted on secure online servers, which can be accessed by users anytime via the internet. This is different from older (yet still used erroneously) systems that rely on on-site servers. 

Such OMS systems are easy to use and do not require heavy lifting.

All you have to do is set them up and you'll be ready to manage orders from the moment the customer clicks "buy" to when their package arrives. It also acts as a digital command centre for 3PLs that need to handle order fulfilment from multiple clients or for ecommerce retailers. 

The best part of cloud-based order management solutions is that they synchronize data on different orders without requiring costly IT setups. But what else can you use them for?

Let’s take a quick dive into what order management could look like without an OMS in place:

Manual order processing

If you were a warehouse manager in, say, Leeds who'd still be handwriting order details from an email, you risk mistyping important details such as the buyer's postcode. With a manual system, you'll have to worry about all sorts of delays and typos, wasting hours fixing the mistakes.

Inventory visibility

Regardless of what you're selling, relying on a spreadsheet that doesn't contain accurate and real-time data can lead to overselling. 

Your spreadsheet might not have updated stock details after a flash sale or maybe you simply forgot to add new items after a delivery. Without real-time data, stockouts or angry customers are what you'll have to handle every day.

Multi-channel order management

eBay, Etsy, your own website... all of these add up to a point where handling everything manually isn't feasible anymore. When systems aren't connected, you can miss out or double book an order. The result? Costly chaos.

Shipping management

Just remember the last time you had to call couriers one by one to book deliveries for 50 orders. Without automation, shipping becomes a bottleneck, delaying parcels and hiking costs.

Customer experience

A customer in Glasgow orders a jacket, but a manual error sends them the wrong size or worse, sends the product to the wrong address. A one-off mistake can cost you money on returns and more deliveries. Potential delays or non-responsiveness from the support team can also lead to poor communication and unhappy customers.

The best cloud-based order management systems will deliver through these features:

Data security

Cloud-encrypted data hides and keeps safe any sensitive client and order-related data. Customer addresses, payment details, and order histories are locked behind strong security protocols, which give business owners peace of mind. With a straightforward feature like this, you won't have to worry about data breaches or faults in GDPR compliance.

Integrations

Sync your OMS to Shopify, WooCommerce, eBay, Xero, or whatever other tools you're using to run your business and save administrative time. Orders coming in from five different platforms will all be flowing into one dashboard so that your operational manager can get a holistic view of them when checking daily sales progress.

Order processing

Order automation is a core part of order processing capabilities you can use to send orders directly to your warehouse without delay. This is similar to a warehouse assignment process that could route, for example, a £50 T-shirt order to the closest picker without requiring manual entry. 

This transforms the time taken for processing from minutes to seconds. This is most useful when high volumes of sales take place, such as during Black Friday or any holiday season. Back to our T-shirt example, with cloud OMS, orders for the £50 items will be validated, checked against stock, and then passed on to the warehouse queue.

Stock control

Cloud-based order management tools display real-time stock levels across various warehouses. A wholesaler, for instance, will never overstock or over-sell because they can see exactly how many units are left for all items. The best OMS platforms can even warn you if there are 50 in stock but only 45 are sold online. 

This will have its benefits to the multi-site operations, like a 3PL which manages pet food with Hull and Swindon warehouses. In this scenario, you can use the OMS to track pallets of pet food from both locations so a client isn't promised more than you can deliver.

Picking and packing

Fulfilment centre workers can use these platforms to track and prioritize high-value orders or group the items by location. In fact, you can use an OMS to set up custom workflows that can promote quicker picking and packing processes. Moving over to shipping…

Order shipping

You can connect an order management system to courier tools to choose the best possible options for cheaper and faster delivery (or extra benefits where applicable). In some cases, a 3PL can choose to automatically switch from Royal Mail to DPD for next-day delivery. Or, you can use these systems to generate labels and tracking numbers without your staff having to lift a finger.

Reporting and analytics

There's a lot to track and the right cloud-based order management app will help you monitor the performance of your bestsellers, certain items outselling others, stock order levels, and more. You should be able to use this data for all operations including sales, returns, and even handling busy times.

Let’s see just how you can best use cloud-based OMS systems to make the most out of your investment:

Automated order processing

Say goodbye to manual data entry. You’ll now be able to process hundreds of orders daily error-free. This also frees up your time so you can focus on delivering personalised packaging experiences or improving client relationships.

Enhanced inventory management

Simply put: You’ll know exactly how many items you have in your warehouse at any given point. Real-time stock visibility prevents over- and underselling.

Seamless integration for multi-channel sellers

You’ve probably always wanted to unify all your sales channels. That’s exactly what an OMS does and the most useful part is you can even bring in data from your brick-and-mortar stores.

Plus, this comes with a series of additional benefits when it comes as centralised control simplifies order fulfilment with easier order processing, shipment preparation, and information updates.

Intelligent courier management

Let's go through a couple of different common struggles here. 

Do you want to lower costs for long-distance deliveries? Use an OMS to automatically pick the best shipment solutions at a lower price. Need to ship heavy items? The OMS automatically selects a courier for cost-effectiveness, reducing shipping expenses.

Improved customer experience

Faster deliveries, more accurate order fulfilment, and increased buyer satisfaction are just some advantages you can expect on the customer experience side. An OMS can also track orders in real time and keep the communication going across sales channels, promoting transparency and customer confidence in purchases.

Some companies still use manual methods or ERP systems instead of cloud-based OMS. A retailer that does 10 orders a day can manage them using just Excel. 

Once you've scaled though, anything beyond that and errors would become the norm. ERPs are also popular for handling orders, finance, and HR, but for smaller businesses, they're too complex and tend to be pricey.

Others might consider on-premises order management software when local servers are available. While this does offer some control, it’s a poor fit for growing businesses. 

A 3PL alone can end up spending as much as £5,000 on hardware, only to find it becomes outdated in two years and can’t grow with their client base. Plus, it lacks the anywhere-access of cloud systems, tying staff to the office.

For more details, read our guide to order management and discover what types of order management systems you can choose from.

Mintsoft provides a top-class cloud-based order management solution for 3PLs, ecommerce retailers, and wholesalers. For those who are still fed up with their spreadsheets and their madness, as well as warehouse managers who want to accurately handle multi-channel operations, Mintsoft stands out thanks to:

• Live stock updates: Get the status of stock for 1,000 SKUs across all your warehouses instantly.
• Quick integrations: Connect to Shopify, eBay, Amazon, DHL, and more within minutes.
• Automated custom workflows: Handle hundreds of orders a day faster
• Robust analytics: Track performance and spot trends to make smarter decisions. 

See Mintsoft in action with a free custom demo.