Order Tracking System: The Operational Backbone of Fulfillment Visibility

Order tracking breaks down when systems are fragmented

An order tracking system is no longer just a customer-facing feature. It is the operational backbone that connects fulfillment activity, inventory movement, and customer communication. Research shows that brands struggle most when order tracking relies on disconnected tools, delayed updates, or manual status changes. When systems are fragmented, visibility collapses.

Brands that come to G10 often describe the same experience with previous 3PLs: multiple dashboards that did not agree, order statuses that lagged reality, and customer service teams stuck explaining information they could not verify. These are not staffing problems. They are system problems caused by weak order tracking infrastructure.

As Maureen Milligan said, "Most of the customers who come to us from another 3PL, their challenges have always been access to their data, order accuracy and efficiency, and basically just meeting the committed requirements. So we've seen a lot of people come disillusioned by their last 3PL, where their orders weren't getting fulfilled in time, their inventory accuracy was not there, and they were not able to satisfy customer orders." A unified order tracking system addresses this lack of alignment.

An effective order tracking system requires real time data

An order tracking system must reflect what is happening right now, not what happened an hour ago. Real time data ensures that order status progresses as work is completed, not after the fact. Without real time updates, tracking becomes misleading and trust erodes.

Bryan Wright explained the level of real time visibility required when he said, "Absolutely. We have portals that show you the data. We have history that shows you all of that tracking. It shows the product landed on the dock at 8 o'clock. At 8:10, John picked it up and took it to location XYZ, and at 10 o'clock, we picked two items off of that pellet in the location 1, 2, 3, 4, order, you know, ABC, and at 11 o'clock, we packed it, we put it in this box and put this label number on it, and all the way through the process onto the truck and to the customer." An order tracking system must capture this full lifecycle.

Scan-based execution keeps tracking accurate

Order tracking systems depend on clean inputs. When warehouse activity is not captured consistently, tracking data becomes unreliable. Scan-based workflows ensure that every pick, pack, and ship event updates the system automatically.

As Connor Perkins said, "You want everything to be scanned in the warehouse, nothing done on paper. You can lose a lot of money in this industry by you know having people ship stuff wrong, or store it wrong, and now it's lost somewhere. So having a 3PL and WMS that is 100% scan-based is crucial." An order tracking system built on scans reflects reality.

Connor also said, "One of the pain points our clients have experienced with previous 3PLSs is inventory accuracy; maybe their previous 3PL wasn't great at picking the orders accurately. So they were losing money by shipping wrong items or wrong quantities of items." Inaccurate execution undermines tracking credibility immediately.

Visibility portals extend the order tracking system to customers

An order tracking system becomes far more valuable when brands and customers can access the same source of truth. Visibility portals eliminate confusion and reduce support burden by providing direct access to order status and history.

As Maureen said, "We're in the last stages of developing a new portal that will give customers real-time visibility to their on-time order fulfillment, inventory accuracy, and even inventory levels so that they can monitor those things directly in our systems. They'll have visibility to what the statuses of their orders-are they getting processed as they expect?-and things like that." This transparency depends on a reliable order tracking system.

She added, "A lot of the 3PL customer expectations are that order fulfillment is happening extremely timely, that our inventory is accurate, that we're able to execute on their orders very quickly, and get them shipped the same day. So what these real-time portals provide our customers is 100% visibility." That visibility starts with unified tracking.

Reporting turns tracking data into operational insight

A strong order tracking system does not stop at current status. It provides historical reporting that helps teams understand delays, identify bottlenecks, and improve processes.

As Connor said, "Our clients get best-in-class visibility and transparency. They can see their daily orders, they can see KPIs, and they can see historical transactions. They can look at a daily level or go into the more granular version where they're looking at transactional history on an item." This reporting capability strengthens tracking accuracy over time.

He also said, "You have easy access to reporting and you can export to Excel, or really any format that you like you know directly from our WMS portal." Reporting flexibility makes order tracking actionable.

Early visibility prevents customer frustration

An order tracking system reduces customer anxiety by showing progress before questions arise. When customers can see movement, they are far more patient with delays.

As Maureen said, "We will take in your inbounds, we will get them received and reported back to you within our SLAs, and oftentimes more quickly than what we contracted for. We will ship your orders out the day they're required. And our inventory accuracy is generally right there at that 99.7% that we agreed. So that's one of the areas where we really do excel, and where we've been able to win business." Accurate tracking reinforces this reliability.

Order tracking systems rebuild confidence after failed 3PL relationships

Brands often leave 3PLs because they lost confidence in order status information. A reliable order tracking system restores confidence by aligning data with reality.

As Maureen said, "For customers who have come to us from a bad 3PL relationship, they experience relief. They're suddenly seeing their business scaling, that the data supports what we agreed to, and then the trust begins to build." Unified tracking systems play a key role in that relief.

An order tracking system is now a baseline requirement

As ecommerce competition intensifies, order tracking systems are no longer optional enhancements. They are baseline infrastructure. Brands that cannot provide accurate, real time order status risk losing customers and partners.

As Connor said, "This is one of our strengths. G10 is on the cutting edge for this kind of transparency and feedback for clients." Order tracking systems are one of the clearest expressions of that transparency.

If your brand wants fewer support tickets, clearer communication, and stronger post-purchase confidence, investing in a reliable order tracking system is essential.