Regardless of the products that a company produces and distributes, the process of completing orders is always very similar. Orders come in, often in a variety of formats, including email, fax, phone, and online forms. Then, a staff member must sift through each order and format in order to extract the order information needed to fulfill the purchase. Finally, once that information is extracted, it is passed on the next staff member who will fulfill the order and get it sent to the customer.

Though this system has been in use for years by many companies, it is far from effective. It is time consuming and requires many employees working to translate and complete orders as they come in. It also relies too heavily on the work of staff members who spend long hours staring at order figures, which leads to the risk of human error.

Streamlining the Ordering Process

A variety of new technologies offer options for manufacturers looking to streamline the ordering process. But many of these technologies require orders arriving in just one format. For manufacturers who have been servicing customers for many years or even just a few months, asking a client to change the way that they place orders is definitely a mistake, especially when the client is another company with its own internal system for placing orders.

But a new technology is overcoming these restraints and allowing manufacturers to streamline their order processing without changing how clients place orders. Order automation is a system that is able to process orders as they come in in any format, including emails, fax, online forms, and more. This technology sifts through the order to extract the necessary details, and delivers them via a simplified, compiled order form. The process is seamless, with 100 percent accuracy, eliminating the potential for error that comes with manual entry.

While this system revolutionizes the ordering process for the company, it doesn’t change the way that consumers place their orders. This means no confusion or loss of sales during the transition period to this new system. Loyal customers can continue to place orders as they have in the past, likely without even knowing that a change has occurred. It also requires less staff members to complete the ordering process. Rather than having someone processing orders as they come in, the orders can go straight from the client to the manufacturer.

The Need for Rugged Tablets for Use with Order Automation

But delivering order information directly to the manufacturer means that this technology is now in use in production areas and warehouses, where conditions may be dusty, dirty, humid, or otherwise less than ideal. A standard laptop or computer isn’t up to the challenge of working in this environment, and even a rugged laptop means that staff must be seated in order to fulfill orders as they come in. Tablets offer portability that can speed up the order fulfillment process, but consumer-grade versions are not built to withstand the conditions manufacturers face. Luckily, there’s a solution.

Rugged tablets offer a product that can withstand any conditions, while still offering the high level of processing power that is needed to run order automation software and receive large numbers of orders. With rugged industrial tablets in use on the factory floors, manufacturers can receive orders straight from the client, allowing them to process and fulfill orders in record time, and with fewer errors.

Cybernet offers a variety of rugged tablet options that deliver the power and durability that manufacturers need to implement order automation in the field. The Rugged X10 10.1” Industrial Tablet is built with military grade components, making it waterproof and shockproof, with drop protection up to five feet. It runs on the energy-efficient Intel i5/i7 CPU with vPro, allowing it to process an ever growing number of orders. It also comes equipped with dual hot swappable batteries, which eliminates the need to stop working in order to charge it up. Plus, cellular 3G/4G LTE options makes this tablet great for communicating in real time with all members of the manufacturing team.

By implementing rugged tablets equipped with order automation software, manufacturers are able to process higher number of orders much more quickly, with a reduced risk of error. These systems offer increased flexibility, as more orders can be processed without the need to hire additional staff members. It can also be integrated into a manufacturers system without the need for lots of training, as the staff members working from the manufacturer’s factory floor receive orders just as they always have, though now in a streamlined, simplified process.

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