SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT | 4 minute read
It’s a vision shared by virtually all global business owners: a highly efficient, cost-effective supply chain strategy that keeps customers happy and requires minimal manual input.
Where does flexible order routing come into play? It’s one of the secret ingredients for successful international inventory management and order fulfillment.
What is flexible order routing, you might ask?As your business grows (particularly if you expand internationally), your warehousing needs will inevitably become more complex. Flexible order routing, also known as automated order routing, allows you to manage inventory per location and route your orders to the correct location at the click of a button.
This is hugely beneficial for ensuring businesses have enough stock on hand at multiple locations and can easily move stock to meet changing demands.
Smart automated inventory software focuses on centralizing operational processes – and flexible order routing is just one of the features that offer increased visibility and control of your inventory. With smart order routing, you can:
As you dip your toe into international waters and begin to expand your business globally, having an efficient system of order routing is critical to successful order fulfillment. The benefits are far-reaching:
Ultimately, order routing allows you to get your orders to customers faster while keeping stock at an optimal level across multiple warehouses – and that’s a game-changer for businesses selling globally.
Automation is a supply chain automation tool designed to automate repetitive and time-consuming workflows on a global scale. Here’s what that looks like in practice:
Route orders based on quantity:
Automatically assign orders with large quantities to be fulfilled from a warehouse of your choice.
Route orders based on customer location:
Automatically fulfill orders from warehouse locations that are closest to the customer (orders are also automatically routed to a fall-back warehouse of your choice if the closest warehouse is running low).
Route orders based on real-time stock levels:
Fulfill international orders from the nearest warehouse based on advanced geo-routing logic and real-time stock level updates.
Funnel orders into pre-designed workflows:
Create custom workflows based on order value, quantity, channel and more.
CRM:
Utilize automated order confirmation emails for customers.
Internal communications:
Keep your team on top of orders through triggering emails, or Slack notifications.
In an environment where customers are less loyal, price-conscious, expect fast delivery and will jump to a competitor if the predicted delivery time is too long, flexible order routing – as part of an optimized supply chain strategy – is essential to keeping customers happy and maintaining a competitive edge.
