Order Administration

ALOM Manages Complex Orders in a Simple Manner

Orders come to ALOM from hundreds of different sources. They all flow into and integrate in our Mastershipper database. This sophisticated tool, developed by ALOM, tracks order source, characteristics, requested ship-date/time, authorization and allocation levels and a multitude of other specifics and business rules set up by customers.

Order Integration
Our customers have access to an online order management system to enter and review orders. The order module can be customized for each customer with their own business rules, such as restricted ship-methods, different cut-off times, quantities that certain groups are allowed to order, authorization levels, placing orders on hold for administrator authorization and a number of other restrictions.

Call Centers
The Mastershipper integration ties into a number of call-centers that are managed either by ALOM or by our customers. Integration can go both ways with the ability for the call center operators to have full visibility to inventory levels, order information, shipment information or delivery confirmation.

Shopping Carts
Orders can originate with different shopping carts and then transfer to the Mastershipper database using different types of EDI.

Enterprise Systems
From Oracle to the smallest off-the-shelf system, we can integrate our systems to import/export orders, inventory levels and financial information

Hard Copy
Orders come in via fax, e-mail, business reply cards, catalogs or other printed matter. These orders are entered into Mastershipper for immediate processing.

Read more about Mastershipper IT Integration.

Orders Are Managed Based on Customer Requirements

Upon receipt, Mastershipper electronically reviews the orders to ensure they can be shipped using the following criteria:

Address verification. For international orders, is all pertinent information available so customs documents can be created?

Product availability. Do we have sufficient inventory ready to ship, or do we need to produce or procure more inventory to meet demand?

Financial information. Does a credit card need to be charged at time of shipping, and - if yes - should it be pre-authorized?

Business rules. Does an order need to be approved prior to shipping or has allocation been exceeded?

Routing guides. Does shipment conform if shipping to retailers or other locations that have specific requirements?

Requested ship date. When should order ship?

After verification, orders go into a pre-release stage where an ALOM order administrator reviews the orders and releases them. Exceptions and problems are resolved based on customer instructions. The verification and release process is usually completed within less than an hour of order receipts.

Once an order is released, Mastershipper generates the appropriate paperwork and prioritizes shipments so fulfillment staff can process time-sensitive tasks first.

Finally, Mastershipper keeps track of the shipping status. This enables order administration staff to ensure that all orders ship by their deadline, before the order administration and fulfillment staff leaves.

Exceptions in order processing, such as credit card bounces or older, obsolete orders are visible to the customer and are handled on an individual basis.