4 Best Order Management Software Systems for a Streamlined Back-end

What is Order Management?

Order management involves the tracking and managing of customer orders, from the time they are placed until they are delivered. It includes tasks such as order entry, invoicing, order tracking, shipping, order fulfillment, and customer service. An effective order management system helps businesses keep track of their inventory levels, know when to reorder products, avoid stock-outs, and identify opportunities for upselling and cross-selling.

The best order management systems also generate reports that help business owners discover bottlenecks in the system -- whether in the supply chain, inventory and warehouse management, or enterprise resource planning.

Good order management is essential for any business that sells products. It helps ensure that customers are happy and that order processing is prompt.

There are different types of orders a business may receive. Depending on the customer profile, the orders may vary. Then, for each order, the transaction mode could be different -- from sales, to cash purchases, to returns. Each requires a slightly different management approach.

An order management system keeps track of all order types. In addition, it helps streamline the process by keeping track of customer information like shipping details and inventory levels. This enables employees to focus on fulfilling orders, rather than be caught up with paperwork related to payments or product availability.

Order management systems can sometimes help create unforgettable customer experiences as well. For instance, a recent social media post won McDonald's many plaudits. What did the food chain do? One of its UAE franchise stores realized a regular customer had placed an order from a hospital. So McDonald's delivered the order with a card wishing the customer well and not charging them for it. "This is how brands should use the customer data," wrote one social media user, sharing the post.

How Does a Good Order Management System Help a Restaurant?

A restaurant's order management system (OMS) is software designed to help manage orders from start to finish. Efficient OMS include a robust order entry system, payment getaways and well-integrated software systems, so that the customer experience is always good.

Growing your restaurant business involves taking care of a growing number of tasks and touch-points. Flourishing restaurants activate a multi channel approach, keeping the customer's interest at the core of their business. This increases customer loyalty and sales.

Order Management systems can help restaurants in several ways-

1. It can help streamline the ordering process for both, customers and staff.
   
2. With a well-designed order management system, customers can promptly track their order, if it is an online order, reducing customer frustration and increasing revenue.
   
3. To give the restaurant management team real time access to every order input, an efficient order management system ensures it has real time visibility across all channels. So everyone knows the status of every order.
   
4. It can help ensure accuracy by providing alerts to the management when an order is not picked up or delivered on time.
   
5. It can generate reports that show performance over time, helping restaurants identify areas for improvement.
   

Order Management Software No. 1 - QuickBooks Commerce

With QuickBooks Commerce, a business can monitor and manage all orders on a single integrated platform. It helps a business stay on top of orders by tracking and fulfilling orders from connected sales channels so that nothing falls through the cracks. In addition, it lets you keep tabs on inventory and makes cash flow and revenue management easy. It is a multi channel order management system that provides a business with several features, like the flexibility to access multiple suppliers, actively track sales and receive notifications for low inventory.

QuickBooks Commerce enables 24/7 hassle-free remote access with a robust cloud based data backup. It also includes multiple reporting tools for data insights and connects with online sales data to help track income, expenses, and sales tax. It is available for $52.50 per month for the first three months, after which it has a quote-based price.

Order Management Software No. 2 - Zoho Inventory

Zoho Inventory is a cloud-based inventory management and order management software that streamlines business processes by allowing businesses to manage their inventory levels, track orders, and process returns. To simplify things, Zoho Inventory allows businesses to create and print invoices, packing slips, and labels from the app itself.

Additionally, the system automatically syncs stock quantities across all sales channels; any changes made in one channel will instantly reflect across all others, minimizing errors. Zoho Inventory keeps a business organized with features like barcode scanning, real-time reports, and automatic reordering.

In addition to managing purchase orders and sales quotes, it integrates with other Zoho applications such as Zoho CRM and ZohoBooks, making it a comprehensive solution for businesses. It has a free version available for the first 50 orders and 50 shipments per month. After that, the standard version costs $59 per month for 1500 orders and 1500 shipments.

Order Management Software No. 3- Toast

Toast's order management system is comprehensive and covers everything, from invoicing and payments, to delivery and fulfillment. It can manage orders from a centralized dashboard, keep track of inventory levels, and create custom reports. Plus, Toast integrates with popular accounting software like QuickBooks and Xero to help keep finances in order. Its built-in CRM functionality makes it easy to track customer preferences and orders, providing a personalized experience. It also lets a business offer loyalty benefits to customers.

Toast helps with front-of-house and back-of-house operations, such as table management, guest ordering, food costing, inventory management, and menu management. Toast includes features designed precisely for nightclubs and bars, such as happy hour pricing and liquor control. The starting cost for the plan that supports digital ordering, delivery services, and takeout is $169 per month.

Order Management Software No. 4- Brightpearl

Brightpearl is a software that helps businesses streamline their inventory management, warehousing, order management, shipping, purchasing, fulfillment, accounting, retail BI, and more. The software also helps businesses make data-driven decisions and achieve their goals. It is an all-in-one operations platform that integrates with popular sales channels. It offers functionality, including but not limited to- automated order fulfillment, returns management, multiple sales channels, in-store pick-up, POS integration for online sales, and more.

With enterprise resource planning (ERP)-grade functionality, Brightpearl can swiftly scale-up from 1,000 orders per month to 25,000 orders. It can blur the lines between an ERP system and an order management system by offering medium to large businesses a range of features that make operations easier. It has quote-based pricing.

Conclusion

An order management system can help a business monitor its order processing and ensure that its deliveries are accurate and effortless. In addition, most order management platforms have a multi channel approach, which makes processing orders seamless. These systems also provide businesses with data sets that can be used to streamline the back-end.

When choosing an order management software, a business should always ensure that it is easy to use and integrates with other restaurant management software, including supply chain management, inventory management, and point-of-sale systems. A well-integrated system is the backbone of any restaurant business.