How Order Management Benchmarks Can Guide Smarter Business Decisions

Customer expectations are evolving fast — and today’s B2B Customer Service teams are expected to keep up. That means fewer delays, fewer errors and faster responses across every order. But how do you measure progress and prioritize improvements? The answer lies in order management benchmarks — a set of key performance indicators (KPIs) that allow Customer Service leaders to compare their performance against peers and industry best practices.

In Esker’s recent webinar on order management KPI benchmarking, attendees got a look at how modern teams are navigating the shift toward AI-powered operations. One of the most eye-opening stats? Manual order processing takes nearly four times longer than AI-driven automation — a median of 11 minutes per order manually versus 3 minutes with Esker Order Management, an automated solution powered by Esker Synergy AI.

By analyzing data from Esker’s global customer base, the webinar uncovered what top-performing B2B Customer Service teams are doing differently — and how these insights can inform smarter decisions within order management. Whether you’re looking to streamline processes, justify technology investments or improve your customer experience, these benchmarks offer a powerful foundation.

Why order management benchmarks matter

Order management benchmarks give visibility into how your team stacks up against peers, but more importantly, they show you what “good” performance really looks like. For many Customer Service managers, KPIs like average processing time, error rates and order handling automation levels are key indicators of operational health. These metrics can directly impact downstream functions like fulfillment, billing and customer satisfaction.

Esker’s data reveals that teams using AI-powered order management systems aren’t just faster — they’re also more accurate. For example, companies that implemented Esker’s automation solution saw error rates drop to below 1%, compared to a 9% error rate for manual order entry.

These insights help teams set realistic goals, justify automation projects and better support strategic planning efforts.

Key order management KPIs shared in the webinar

In the June 2025 webinar, Esker revealed benchmark data collected from hundreds of Customer Service departments using its AI-driven order management system. Here are a few standout KPIs:

Median Order Processing Time

• Manual order processing time: 11 minutes
• Adjusted order processing time using Esker Synergy AI: 3 minutes
• Top performers: Under 1 minute

Order Entry Error Rate

• Manual order entry error rate: 9%
• With Esker Synergy AI: <1%
• One company reported going from 5% to 0.3% after implementation.

Esker's Order Management solution uses Agentic AI to streamline processes and reduce manual order entry- reducing error rates for your company. Learn more about Esker's Order Management automation software.

Touchless Order Rate

• Average touchless order rate: 67% of orders processed without manual intervention
• Top performers: 90%+ fully touchless order handling

Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)

• Pre-automation baseline: 3.9 / 5
• Post-automation: 4.6 / 5
• Demonstrates the direct link between faster, more accurate order processing and improved customer experience.

Employee Satisfaction

• Pre-automation employee satisfaction rate: 62% average satisfaction
• Post-automation employee satisfaction: 74% average satisfaction
• A 12% relative increase in employee satisfaction, with CSRs reporting they can focus more on customer engagement and higher-value tasks instead of manual data entry.

Self-Service Impact

• Customers using Esker’s customer portal noted a 15-20% reduction in email volume, freeing up CSRs to handle more complex cases.

As one Esker customer shared during the session, “We were able to cut our order processing time in half and spend more time building customer relationships — not correcting mistakes.”

Using OM benchmarks to shape your order management strategy

With data like this, Customer Service and Supply Chain leaders can make more confident decisions. Are your current processes too manual or inefficient? Are errors creating downstream issues for other teams? Are CSRs spending too much time re-keying orders?

Benchmarking your performance helps identify:

• Where automation can deliver the biggest ROI
• Which metrics to track for continuous improvement
• How your operation compares to peers in your industry

AI-powered tools like Esker’s Order Management solution make it possible to process any order — email, fax, EDI, portal, or mobile — through a single system with visibility, speed and accuracy. Even better, they empower CSRs to focus on exceptions, escalations and value-added activities, not data entry.

The best part? These systems are scalable, ERP-integrated, and designed with built-in compliance and performance dashboards. That’s how B2B Customer Service teams can evolve from reactive to proactive — without missing a beat.

Let benchmarks be your guide

For companies serious about improving order accuracy, processing speed and customer satisfaction, the message is clear: Order management benchmarks are more than just numbers — they’re the roadmap to operational excellence. By measuring the most impactful KPIs and leveraging the right automation solution, teams can reduce manual effort, improve team morale and deliver a customer experience that’s nothing short of exceptional.

Why choose Esker for order management automation?

Esker’s AI-powered Order Management platform is trusted by B2B Customer Service teams around the globe to:

• Automate every order channel, including EDI, email and portals
• Reduce manual effort with AI and RPA
• Ensure end-to-end visibility from order to invoice
• Integrate seamlessly with your ERP and tech stack
• Scale globally with support for local compliance and teams

Ready to benchmark your success? Watch an on-demand demo of Esker’s Order Management solution to see how Eskers OM software can improve your processes.