Zach Zalowitz recently joined Perficient as a Principal within our Order Management (OM) practice, bringing more than 15 years of experience in omni-channel supply chain solutions and hands-on experience with a focus on retail apparel and consumer packaged goods. We sat down with him to discuss his experience and thoughts on all things OM.
Can you tell us about your background and experience in order management?
I’ve been a staunch advocate of the need for order management for the past 15 years from my time spent as an implementation lead and solution designer at Manhattan Associates, then as independent advisor for how to operationalize OMS around stores/call-centers, and then finally as a product director for one of the leading solutions in the industry. In total, I’ve implemented, designed, tested, and delivered more than 40 projects in those 15 years.
Why is getting order management right so important for brands?
OM sits at the intersection of supply and demand. It’s where the promise is made to the customer that what you order will be delivered when and where you said it would. That trust comes from accurate inventory and availability, supported by order routing and orchestration capabilities which service customer care centers and enable store fulfillment specialists. At a time when every brand is delivering with speed, service becomes one of the main differentiators, and OMS sits at the intersection of taking that order and then seeing it through the whole lifecycle.
Where are you seeing brands struggle with order management right now?
Given how central and often how complex OM solutions can be, they are ripe for being overly customized and poorly architected, which leads to delayed or rushed implementations. This ultimately impacts the customer’s experiences. Organizations that have not yet transitioned off mainframe or ERP solutions are missing out on cost-containment capabilities related to things like shipping costs and operational overhead of serving an order. Brands that have invested 8+ years ago in OM solutions have yet to make a jump to a more extensible and flexible cloud-based solution.
What experience do companies need to provide customers to stand out from other brands?
Brands should bring the combination of fast delivery, with a high degree of clear and accurate delivery communication. Also, when issues arise, brands need to have a proactive response that shores up any lost trust and gives customers confidence in ordering again and retaining loyalty.
How will your background and experience help Perficient clients improve their capabilities and customer experience?
I’ve been fortunate enough to experience multiple perspectives of the process of defining, rationalizing, and implementing the solution. More specifically, I just joined Perficient from leading a global technology team at Foot Locker. I believe that gives me an edge and relatability with our current and future customers as I’ve understood more deeply and lived the pain of what inefficient or underdeveloped software solutions can do to the customer experience.
What are you passionate about outside of work?
I love to be outdoors and am an avid golfer. When not working or golfing, I spend time with my wife and enjoy cooking in the evening with a nice cocktail and some relaxing music in the background.
Tell us something we don’t know about you.
I actually hiked up Mount Kilimanjaro a few years ago. We ascended the morning of New Year’s Day, and it was a few days before my 30th birthday. It was an amazing moment to see the sunrise from the highest point in Africa and one of the biggest transitional moments in my life.
