The online retail market is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. As people become more reliant on technology, more business owners are finding success through e-commerce businesses. However, as this digital marketplace continues to expand, so does the complexity of managing its various components. Thankfully, workflow automation management can facilitate highly efficient operations.
Whether you choose to sell beauty products, clothing, eco-friendly packaging solutions, or food items, implementing smart workflow management techniques will enable you to streamline your processes, reduce unwanted mistakes and inaccuracies, and improve your chances of success.
What is Workflow Automation Management?
Workflow automation management refers to effective strategies businesses can adopt to streamline their processes. The central idea is identifying crucial but repetitive tasks and manual processes that can be better handled using computer software, apps, or other tech programs. By taking these tasks out of your employees’ hands, you reduce staff hours wasted and mitigate human error.
There are many processes that can become automated across all departments, including inventory management, email marketing, and refund claims.
Key Tasks for Automation
Online retailers have access to a wide range of tech programs and other software tools to automate business processes. These tools allow retailers to save money, time, and effort, which can be used to boost their businesses’ success in other areas.
Vendor & Supplier Onboarding Processes
All successful e-commerce companies have effective processes for quickly and efficiently onboarding new suppliers and vendors to their systems. Many new companies choose to complete these processes using spreadsheets and email, which significantly slows things down and increases the risk of inconsistent and inaccurate data.
Using automation software will not only speed up the task itself but also streamline the entire process and ensure that each new onboarding follows the same steps, allowing for consistent and accurate data across the board.
Inventory Management
Accurate and updated inventory management is crucial for all online stores. If your company is understocked, you won’t be able to fill incoming orders in a timely manner, which could lead to negative customer interactions or reviews.
Alternatively, being overstocked can waste valuable and costly warehouse space. By automating your inventory management, you can ensure you always have the appropriate amount of stock to meet your customers’ needs.
Refund Claims
One of the most common sources of dissatisfaction for e-commerce companies is refunds. When customers file for a refund, they often send an email, which can easily get lost in a busy inbox. Many new e-commerce companies choose to process complaints and refunds manually, which not only wastes valuable time and effort but can also result in a negative experience for the customer should any delays or inaccuracies occur.
Thankfully, this process can easily be automated using the proper workflow system, which is equipped with the necessary features to align with your company’s needs and desired outcome. Ideally, you will want to select software that contains Service-Level Agreement (SLA) tracking capabilities. This contract defines the services a company will deliver to a customer and the expected level of performance.
Purchase Order Approvals
Workflow automation technology allows you to upgrade your purchase order approval system from email communication and confirmation to an automated program that routes approvals based on value, item category, vendor, and other categories. This allows for fast and accurate purchasing from your suppliers.
With automation, you can increase or decrease purchase orders based on incoming sales. When your stock is reduced to a predetermined level, a new order is generated automatically, factoring in first-choice suppliers for specific items.
Furthermore, order tracking is more straightforward and streamlined with automation. Instead of flipping between multiple documents, everything is processed and tracked within one management system.
Catalogue Listings Approval
Multiple internal approvals are often needed before new items on your site are made available for purchase. By automating this process, you will not only improve the speed and efficiency of your listings, ensuring your site is always updated with your latest offerings, but you can also guarantee that each listing is consistent with your business standards and contains all the necessary information for customers to make considered purchases.
By providing clear and accurate item listings, customers are better informed about what they are buying, which often leads to lower product returns and customer complaints.
Non-refund Customer Complaints
While inconsistent and unreliable refund processing can result in poor reviews and negative publicity, ignoring non-financial complaints and feedback can destroy the overall value and perception of your company over time. Attempting to process complaints and negative feedback manually often results in poor handling of the issues, leading to distrust and dissatisfaction within your customer base.
By automating this process, you can ensure that every customer complaint is acknowledged and handled in sufficient time in a consistent and fair manner. It will also guarantee that the complaint reaches the correct department or employee, who can adequately address the issue and provide conclusive results. Additionally, it will enable you to respond to negative reviews, comments, or ratings, reflecting a genuine and sincere desire to solve problems.
Also Read: Handling Recruiting and Training in E-commerce: An Overview
