Order clerks receive and process orders for a variety of goods or services, such as spare parts, consumer appliances, gas and electric power connections, film rentals, and articles of clothing. They sometimes are called order-entry clerks, order processors, or order takers.
Orders for materials, merchandise, or services can come from inside or from outside of an organization. Inside order clerks receive orders from other workers employed by the same company or from salespersons in the field. In large companies with many worksites, such as automobile manufacturers, clerks order parts and equipment from the company's warehouses.
Many other order clerks, called outside order clerks, receive orders from outside companies or directly from consumers. Order clerks in wholesale businesses, for instance, receive orders from retail establishments for merchandise that the retailer, in turn, sells to the public. An increasing number of order clerks work for catalog companies and online retailers, receiving orders from individual customers by telephone, fax, regular mail, or e-mail.
Computers provide order clerks with ready access to information such as stock numbers, prices, and inventory. The successful filling of an order frequently depends on having the right products in stock and being able to determine which products are most appropriate for the customer's needs. Some order clerks—especially those in industrial settings—must be able to give price estimates for entire jobs, not just single parts. Others must be able to take special orders, give expected arrival dates, prepare contracts, and handle complaints.
Many order clerks receive orders directly by telephone, recording the required information as the customer places the order. However, a rapidly increasing number of orders now are received through computer systems, the Internet, faxes, and e-mail. In some cases, these orders are sent directly from the customer's terminal to the order clerk's terminal. Orders received by regular mail are sometimes scanned into a database that is instantly accessible to clerks.
Clerks review orders for completeness and clarity. They may fill in missing information or contact the customer for the information. Clerks also contact customers if the customers need additional information, such as prices or shipping dates, or if delays in filling the order are anticipated. For orders received by regular mail, clerks remove checks or money orders, sort them, and send them for processing.
After an order has been verified and entered, the customer's final cost is calculated. The clerk then routes the order to the proper department—such as the warehouse—which actually sends out or delivers the item in question.
In organizations with sophisticated computer systems, inventory records are adjusted automatically, as sales are made. In less automated organizations, order clerks may adjust or verify inventory records. Clerks also may notify other departments when inventories are low or when filling certain orders would deplete supplies.
Some order clerks must establish priorities in filling orders. For example, an order clerk in a blood bank may receive a request from a hospital for a certain type of blood. The clerk must first find out whether the request is routine or an emergency and then take appropriate action.
Work environment. Most order clerks work in areas that are clean, well lit, and relatively quiet. These workers sit for long periods of time in front of computer terminals, which may cause eyestrain and headaches.
Order clerks usually work a standard 40-hour workweek. Clerks in retail establishments typically work overtime during peak holiday seasons, when sales volume is high. Some firms may have shifts round-the-clock to accommodate customers' time zones.
| 1. | Obtain customers' names, addresses, and billing information, product numbers, and specifications of items to be purchased, and enter this information on order forms. |
| 2. | Prepare invoices, shipping documents, and contracts. |
| 3. | Inform customers by mail or telephone of order information, such as unit prices, shipping dates, and any anticipated delays. |
| 4. | Receive and respond to customer complaints. |
| 5. | Verify customer and order information for correctness, checking it against previously obtained information as necessary. |
| 6. | Direct specified departments or units to prepare and ship orders to designated locations. |
| 7. | Check inventory records to determine availability of requested merchandise. |
| 8. | Review orders for completeness according to reporting procedures and forward incomplete orders for further processing. |
| 9. | Attempt to sell additional merchandise or services to prospective or current customers by telephone or through visits. |
| 10. | File copies of orders received, or post orders on records. |
| 11. | Compute total charges for merchandise or services and shipping charges. |
| 12. | Confer with production, sales, shipping, warehouse, or common carrier personnel in order to expedite or trace shipments. |
| 13. | Recommend merchandise or services that will meet customers' needs. |
| 14. | Adjust inventory records to reflect product movement. |
| 15. | Collect payment for merchandise, record transactions, and send items such as checks or money orders for further processing. |
| 16. | Inspect outgoing work for compliance with customers' specifications. |
| 17. | Notify departments when supplies of specific items are low, or when orders would deplete available supplies. |
| 18. | Recommend type of packing or labeling needed on order. |
| 19. | Calculate and compile order-related statistics, and prepare reports for management. |
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