Introduction
The task of developing an ordering system has proved to be very challenging for many organizations. Customers of such organizations find it difficult to make their orders effectively and therefore end up looking for other organizations that have well-established ordering systems. Many companies have therefore lost customers because they lack proper ordering systems ( Frauendorf, 2006). This paper will therefore look at the various ways of developing an ordering system for the Digital Camera Company to serve as an alternative to its current ordering process.
Ways of developing an ordering system
Product information
Product information is a very essential component to incorporate in an ordering system. A customer should be able to acquire all the information relating to the product that he desires to acquire ( Frauendorf, 2006). The company should therefore ensure that all the attributes of a product are properly described. It can do this by hiring a team of professionals who are qualified in conveying information to the customers by making use of the most popular means of product promotion in the target markets.
Suppliers
Suppliers should be considered while developing an ordering system for an organization. The ordering system needs to ensure that the company has reliable suppliers who would supply all the materials that the company requires without failure or lateness. This would enable the company to produce products that the customers demand without any delays. It is, therefore, necessary for the company to have several suppliers to ensure continued production just in case one supplier fails to supply materials to the company because of inevitable circumstances.
Customers and prospects
The customers are the ones who make the operations that any organizations engage in to become successful. It is, therefore, necessary for the company to come up with a way in which it can identify its real customers. By identifying its real customers, the company will be able to know what the customers expect and therefore design products that will meet their needs. The company should therefore have a team of researchers who would interact with the customers to identify their real needs.
Order entry and customer service
The entry of orders and customer service are essential because they influence the attitudes that customers have towards an organization. It is therefore essential for the company to ensure that it has effective means of noting the orders that customers make. The mode of service delivery to the customers should also be of high quality ( Yao, 2010). This would significantly influence the future ordering potential of the customers. Therefore, the order entry and customer service team should possess exceptional skills to improve the services that are delivered to customers.
Financial processing
Finances are an integral part of an organization. The company should therefore ensure that it has an effective financial processing system to ensure that any payments made by the customers are well accounted for. Financial processing should mainly focus on means of payment that different customers use such as credit cards, payments on account, and billing. The systems and the personnel handling such means of payments should be regularly checked for consistency and efficiency.
Order processing
The process of selecting orders to be shipped to customers requires effective communication between the retailers and wholesalers. Retailers are the ones who are supposed to give out the requirements of the customers to the warehouses. The retailers should therefore ensure that they make the best use of the ordering system to give correct information to the warehouses. The warehouses would then pack goods as required by the customers. They should also instruct plants to produce products that fully incorporate the specifications of customers.
Advantages of a web-based ordering system
A web-based ordering system is very convenient for customers and organizations. The customers can easily make their orders regardless of how far they are from an organization with just the click of a button. Customers love it when the orders they make are addressed quickly. By making their orders using a web-based system, an organization can meet the demands of the customer faster than when the customers use manual ordering systems. This way, customers become more reliant on the ordering system of the organization.
A web-based ordering system is cheap. This results in reduced costs of production by an organization (Esker, 2011). A web-based ordering system also provides more details and product information without the customer having to inquire from other sources. The customer can therefore find all the information that he wants about a product before deciding on whether to order the product or not.
Conclusion
It is evident from the analysis that a well-established ordering system is very beneficial to an organization. It is therefore the responsibility of organizations to ensure that they formulate effective ordering systems because this will not only increase their customer base, but will also enable them to carry out their operations in a much efficient manner.
References
Esker. (2011). Sales order processing for ERP applications. Web.
Frauendorf, J. (2006). Customer processes in business-to-business service transactions. Berlin: DUV.
Yao, J. (2010). Web-based support systems. New York: Springer.