In the fast-evolving landscape of commerce, managing the lifecycle of an order—from placement to delivery—has become increasingly complex. An OMS serves a vital function in streamlining and automating core business operations for greater efficiency and accuracy. As businesses scale and customer expectations continue to rise, an efficient OMS becomes not just a convenience but a necessity. Interestingly, many companies are now integrating order systems with time tracking solutions to gain better visibility into workflows, delivery timelines, and employee productivity. This blog explores what an order management system entails, its core features, and how pairing it with time tracking solutions can enhance efficiency across departments.
The Basics of Order Management Systems: What Every Business Should Know
An order processing solution is a digital platform designed to manage every stage of the customer order journey. It streamlines order processing, manages inventory, monitors fulfillment, and guarantees precise and timely delivery of orders. Whether you’re managing an e-commerce business or a large-scale B2B operation, an OMS centralizes and streamlines your backend operations. Pairing an OMS with time tracking solutions can offer more details about processing speeds, staffing efficiency, and order fulfillment timelines.
Why Order Management Matters in 2025?
The rise in multi-channel retailing, globalization, and remote teams has introduced more variables into the order fulfillment process. Customers expect same-day deliveries, accurate tracking, and responsive service. Businesses must respond with systems that adapt in real time. Many of these organizations are discovering that time tracking solutions, when linked with order data, allow them to identify bottlenecks, measure team productivity, and optimize staffing for peak periods.
Core Capabilities of Today’s Order Management Systems
1. Unified Order Management
A strong OMS brings together orders from various sales channels—such as eCommerce sites, marketplaces, and physical stores—into a single, centralized dashboard for streamlined processing. This eliminates the risk of errors caused by manual entry or platform switching. Time tracking solutions help monitor how long it takes for orders to be processed once received, offering insights to improve turnaround time.
2. Inventory Management
Live inventory tracking helps avoid stock shortages and over-selling. Integration with warehouse systems ensures accuracy. When paired with time tracking solutions, it becomes easier to measure warehouse efficiency and improve order picking and packaging speeds.
3. Automated Invoicing and Billing
Many OMS platforms auto-generate invoices and integrate with payment gateways. Finance teams often use time tracking solutions to record the time they spend on billing queries or payment reconciliation tasks, thereby enhancing the efficiency of finance workflows.
4. Fulfillment Tracking
OMS tracks every stage—from order confirmation to shipping. With real-time status updates, customers and staff stay informed. When connected with time tracking solutions, fulfillment teams can better allocate time to high-priority deliveries.
5. Multi-Location and Omnichannel Support
Modern OMS platforms support multiple warehouse locations and sales channels. Coordinating all these touchpoints is easier with time tracking solutions that identify delays or resource inefficiencies across locations.
Integrating OMS with Time Tracking Solutions
Time tracking solutions bring a new dimension to order management by adding visibility into human performance and operational timelines. When these systems work in tandem, organizations benefit from
- Improved resource allocation
- Accurate project cost tracking
- Enhanced employee accountability
- Identification of workflow inefficiencies
- Data-driven decision-making for staffing
Whether you’re in logistics, e-commerce, or manufacturing, pairing OMS with time tracking solutions can make operations more predictable and efficient.
Use Case: E-Commerce Business
Consider an e-commerce company managing hundreds of daily orders across several platforms. By integrating an OMS with time tracking solutions, they can:
- Measure how long it takes to process each order
- Track the time spent by customer service resolving order issues
- Please identify which team or shift processes orders more efficiently.
- Use data to automate reminders and optimize workflows.
In this way, time tracking solutions become essential for performance management and order efficiency.
Benefits for Remote Teams
Remote work adds complexity to order management, especially in hybrid customer support or fulfillment teams. Time tracking solutions ensure visibility into how time is spent, even when employees are not co-located. This creates accountability without the need for micromanagement. Some OMS platforms now come with built-in time tracking features or integrate seamlessly with popular time tracking solutions, further simplifying system deployment.
Reporting and Analytics
Modern OMS platforms offer powerful reporting tools. By layering in time tracking solutions, businesses can generate detailed performance metrics, such as:
- Average time per order type
- Hours spent per order category or client
- Fulfillment time by location or shift
- There is a correlation between the number of labor hours and the accuracy of fulfillment.
This makes forecasting and budgeting more precise and rooted in actual performance data.
Key Considerations When Choosing an OMS
When choosing an order management system, consider the following key factors:
Connectivity with Existing Tools
Ensure it integrates with your existing ERP, CRM, and time tracking solutions.
Scalability
The solution should scale effortlessly with your evolving business needs. while effectively managing increasing order volumes and the number of employees.
Customization
Look for flexibility in how workflows, statuses, and notifications are handled.
Support and Onboarding
Training, documentation, and support are crucial, especially when integrating with time tracking solutions and other platforms.
Top OMS platforms with time-tracking integration
The following OMS providers stand out for their exceptional integration with time tracking solutions:
- NetSuite
- Zoho Inventory
- Skubana
- Orderhive
- TradeGecko (now QuickBooks Commerce)
These platforms offer API support, plug-ins, and real-time sync with leading time-tracking solutions like Harvest, Toggl, or Clockify.
Challenges to Watch Out For
Despite the benefits, integrating an OMS with time tracking solutions can present hurdles:
- Data synchronization issues may arise if the platforms do not integrate natively.
- Users may resist adopting new systems and workflows.
- Training overhead
- Companies may face challenges due to an over-reliance on time data for performance reviews.
To mitigate these, companies should focus on change management, ensure regular training, and maintain transparency in how data is used.
Future of Order Management
As AI and automation continue to mature, order management systems will become more predictive. Integration with time tracking solutions will evolve to offer proactive alerts when timelines are at risk or when certain processes take longer than average.
Future OMS platforms may include embedded productivity tools, scheduling software, and smart forecasting—all drawing from time tracking data.
In 2025, the efficiency of order fulfillment hinges not just on order systems but on how well businesses can measure and manage time. A modern order management system, when integrated with reliable time tracking solutions, transforms how companies operate. It delivers operational transparency, faster delivery, and better customer experiences.
As the pace of commerce quickens, investing in solutions that combine operational control with workforce accountability is more essential than ever.
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