What is Order to Cash

What is Order to Cash

Learning objectives for this lesson are: Meaning of Order to Cash Process; Sub Processes under Order to Cash; Process Flow for Order to Cash; Key Roles & Transactions; Key Setups/Master Data Requirements.

Meaning of Order to Cash

  • Order to Cash (also known as O2C) manages the life-cycle of a sales process
  • This process encompasses the sub processes of receiving and processing customer sales
  • A contractual relationship is established with the buyer (This is an Optional step and some businesses need a formal agreement before they can execute orders)
  • Orders are received via different sales channels
  • Orders are fulfilled through shipping and logistics
  • Invoice is generated and booked as Sales
  • Debt is recorded and pursued through collections management
  • Funds are received and accounted using cash applications

Sub Processes under Order to Cash Functional area:

  • Credit Management
    • Managing the credit profile of your customer and putting checks and holds on amount of credit that can be extended to one customer
  • Order Management (Creation of order/Booking of order)
    • The process from taking the order and booking the same in the system
  • Order Fulfillment
    • Making sure that the firm has the product available that can be shipped to the customer
  • Distribution – Shipping and Logistics Management
    • Actual shipping of the product to the customer
  • Invoicing/Customer Billing – Account Receivable Process
    • Raising an invoice to the customer as per the regulatory requirements
  • Customer Collections
    • Dunning process and reminding customer about outstanding dues and collecting the money
  • Cash Application
    • Accounting for the cash against a particular invoice
  • Dispute Management
    • Handling disputes or adjustments arising in the natural course of business

Process Flow for Order to Cash Process

  • Sales Quotation
    • Providing a quotation about the quality, price and conditions of sale or product
  • Sales Order
    • Acknowledging the receipt of an order from the customer and its specifications
  • Credit Management
    • Ensuring the customer is credit worthy and credit can be extended to the customer
  • Shipment
    • Sending the goods to the Ship To location; and sending the invoice to the bill to location
  • Billing/Invoicing
    • Sending the invoice to the customer that is fully complaint with the legal framework
  • Collections Management
    • Reminding the customer, issuing dunning letters and collecting the money
  • Dispute Management
    • Addressing the disputes or adjustments due to various reasons
  • Customer Returns Management
    • Handling the goods that have been returned by the customer
  • Customer Payments
    • Receiving the payments from customers and depositing them in bank
  • Cash Application
    • Knocking off a particular invoice against the cash or payment that has been received
  • Accounting
    • Ensuring proper accounting during the process
  • Reporting
    • Making available the required reports to the management

Key Roles during the process - Order to Cash

  • Sales Personnel
  • Order Entry and Management
  • Account Receivable Accounting
  • Finance
  • Materials Management
  • Partner / Customer Management
  • Key Transactions during the
  • Order to Cash Process
  • Sales Quotation
  • Sales Order
  • Goods Shipment
  • Return from Customer
  • Return Material Receipt
  • Create Shipments from Orders
  • Sales Invoice
  • Create Invoices from Orders
  • Generate Invoices

Key Setups / Perquisites

Some key master elements or setups are prequiste to this process before transactions can take place in any ERP or system:

  • Sales Products
  • Prices configuration
  • Customers Setup
  • Credit Scores/Credit Management/Credit Holds
  • Shipping Rules
  • Ship to/Bill to Setups
  • Sales Document types
  • Sales Invoice Formats / Commissions and Accounting Rules
  • Taxes on Sales – Tax Setups
  • Sales Agreements Setups
  • Revenue Recognition Rules

Related Links

Creation Date Monday, 25 June 2012 Hits 38883

You May Also Like

  • Cross Docking Process

    Cross Docking Process

    One of the warehousing best practices that retailers like Walmart, Amazon, and Target have adopted is known as cross-docking. During this process the inbound products are unloaded at a distribution center and then sorted by destination, and eventually reloaded onto outbound trucks. In real parlance, the goods are not at all warehoused but just moved across the dock (hence the name).

  • Outbound Picking Process

    Outbound Picking Process

    When a customer wants a product that has been stored in the warehouse, the same need to be picked off the shelf (or off the floor) and get it ready for shipping. Depending on how big is the warehouse, picking can take a while. (Many distribution centers cover more than 1 million square feet.). Hence, warehouse order picking methods are an important aspect within any warehouse.

  • Outbound Shipment Process

    Outbound Shipment Process

    The Outbound process starts with routing the shipments. The Outbound execution process starts from the point when pick tasks are completed for an outbound shipment and ends at the point where the outbound packages are loaded into trailers. The Warehouse Outbound process includes managing and controlling outgoing materials starting from the download of orders through to the shipping of products from the warehouse.

  • What is the difference between Warehouse Management & Inventory Management?

    What is the difference between Warehouse Management & Inventory Management?

    The terms “inventory management” and “warehouse management” are sometimes mistakenly used interchangeably as they both deal with operations and products of industries. Despite their few similarities, there are many notable differences between warehouse and inventory management systems.

  • Warehouse Staffing & Roles

    Warehouse Staffing & Roles

    Resource Planning is the process of planning for expected workload and determining the number of resources required to complete each activity in the warehouse. There are many types of warehouse positions, and they also vary by the employer, the scale of operations and location. Discussed here are generic positions applicable to warehouse management processes.

  • Warehouse Returns Process

    Warehouse Returns Process

    In the normal course of business, customers are likely to return orders from time to time due to various reasons and business should design processes the manage and accept such returns. A well designed returns management process can reduce costs and issues associated with returns or exchanges.

  • Business Case of Multiple Warehouses

    Business Case of Multiple Warehouses

    Adding extra warehouses to business provides many benefits such as reducing shipping costs, increasing storage capacity, and having warehouses for specific purposes to simplify overall warehouse management. Multiple warehouses allow you to organize your inventory in a way that helps your business be more effective.

  • Miscellaneous Warehouse Processes

    Miscellaneous Warehouse Processes

    At the end of each inventory control, the Contractor provides the Ordering Person with an inventory report which contains a list of all stock adjustments. The Ordering Person uses the report to create, by use of his/her own means, necessary value and accounting adjustments related to the stock. Let us look at some to the mislaneous warehouse processes not covered earlier.

  • Distribution Network Planning

    Distribution Network Planning

    To stay competitive in today’s tough market, the location of your warehouse is vital. To grow retail business need to offer to customers faster and affordable shipping time, which is dependent on the  warehousing location as the location of the warehouse affects the transit time to ship orders to customers.

  • What is Order to Cash

    What is Order to Cash

    Learning objectives for this lesson are: Meaning of Order to Cash Process; Sub Processes under Order to Cash; Process Flow for Order to Cash; Key Roles & Transactions; Key Setups/Master Data Requirements.

Explore Our Free Training Articles or
Sign Up to Start With Our eLearning Courses

Subscribe to Our Newsletter


© 2023 TechnoFunc, All Rights Reserved