Final answer:
Sales order processing is included in the first step of the order-to-cash process. Pick and pack and billing are subsequent steps. Responding to customer inquiries occurs at a different stage.
Step-by-step explanation:
The first step in the order-to-cash process is sales order processing. This involves receiving and processing customer orders, verifying inventory availability, and generating sales orders.
Once the sales order is processed, the next steps in the order-to-cash process include pick and pack, where the products are selected from inventory and prepared for shipment, and billing, where the customer is invoiced for the products or services.
While responding to customer inquiries is an important part of customer service, it typically occurs at different stages of the order-to-cash process and not specifically in the first step.