How to Keep Track of Orders Small Business

Virginia Miller

October 14, 2024

In this article

Starting your own small business can be very exciting. However, keeping track of customer orders can be challenging. Several small businesses have faced difficulty keeping track of orders in recent times. But not tracking the orders will affect the delivery of the products and the overall customer experiences. It can even negatively impact the reputation of your small business. Therefore, knowing how to track orders matters a lot.

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Keeping track of the orders can help win the trust of your customers and ensure on-time delivery. It will enable small business owners to attract more customers while retaining the existing ones. This blog will learn about the best ways to keep track of your small business orders.

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What is Order Tracking and Why it Matters

Order tracking refers to monitoring and managing customer orders from the time they are placed until the product is delivered. For small businesses, order tracking is crucial for organizing orders efficiently and providing good customer service.

Benefits of Order Tracking

Here are some key reasons order tracking is important:

Streamlines the order fulfillment process
Ensures orders are not missed or processing issues overlooked
Minimizes buyer remorse and anxiety over order status
Allows small businesses to provide updates to customers
Helps manage inventory levels

How to Track Orders Effectively

Luckily, there are easy ways for small businesses to keep on top of order tracking:

Use Online Forms to Collect Orders

Create an online order form with Google Forms to easily collect key details like customer name, product/quantity, contact info, etc. Share form link so customers can submit orders.

Sync Form Responses with Spreadsheet

Link form responses to auto-populate a Google Sheet. This creates a centralized order tracking database that updates in real-time as orders come in.

Leverage Fulfillment Services

Third-party logistics (3PL) providers like Simpl offer fulfillment services that include tracking orders from placement to delivery. This solution saves small ecommerce businesses time and effort on order processing.

Order Tracking Brings Peace of Mind

While order tracking may seem daunting, it's an invaluable practice for small ecommerce businesses. Following some simple systems helps business owners stay organized, provide good customer service, and focus their energy on other aspects of running their company.

FAQs

Why is order tracking important?

Order tracking allows small businesses to closely monitor orders, provide status updates to customers, ensure accurate fulfillment, and identify any issues needing resolution.

What are some order tracking best practices?

Best practices include creating online order forms, linking form submissions to spreadsheets, communicating with customers, double-checking accuracy, and leveraging fulfillment services.

What order tracking tools are available?

Top tools include online forms from Google, Microsoft and other platforms to collect orders, spreadsheets to store/organize orders, shipping carrier tracking APIs, and fulfillment service platforms.

How can outsourced fulfillment help with order tracking?

Third-party logistics (3PL) providers manage the entire post-sale order process including tracking shipments, customer communication, returns, etc. so businesses don't have to handle this in-house.

What order tracking metrics should I measure?

Key metrics to track are order processing times, shipping times/costs, order accuracy rates, customer satisfaction scores (CSAT), return/exchange rates, and inventory issues.

What are common order tracking errors and how can I avoid them?

Failing to communicate ETAs, order inaccuracy, shipping delays, and lack of coordination across teams are common issues fixed by implementing standardized processes.