Order Automation Overview
How does Order Automation work?
Order Placement:
Once an order is placed on your sales channel by one of your customers you will receive a order notification e-mail from your store/marketplace. From there you go into your Order Manager dashboard to view and process your orders.
Your dashboard should look something like this:
If you see the "Process" button, all you have to do is click it and it will send that order to your supplier so they can now process it.
If you see "Resolve" where the "Process" button should be you'll need to resolve what the error that is listed below it.
Also, here is what an individual order will look like within the Interface...
Once you process your order the order will then be shown in "Order History" tab which will look something like this:
Here you'll be able to see where the supplier is in the process and see if there are any orders that the supplier may have flagged with an error. You can see if the supplier has processed the order, canceled the order, shipped the order, or if there were any fails or errors that prevented the supplier from fulfilling the order.
Single and Multi-Supplier Ordering:
When you're signed up with multiple suppliers, and one of your customers purchases a few things off of your website, if both suppliers are integrated with your Channel Manager, you'll see the SKU's for that order in one area so you can track and few them easier. When either of your suppliers takes action on that order you'll see it all in one spot. You'll see the tracking numbers and any information associated with that order regardless of which supplier it's going to the correct information will show in your order history within that order.
Shipment Tracking:
All tracking information that is associated with an order can be found under order history within that order. You can view the Order Audit Trail by clicking the blue book next to the SKU that is associated with that order. This Order Audit Trail will show you what has been done with the order. Anything in regards to the order will be shown here. From when the order was pulled into Channel Manager to when it's processed by you and by your supplier as well as any supping information that pertains to that order with any time stamps that are logged.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Inventory Source pass the tracking back to our store/ marketplace?
Yes. Once your supplier has shipped the products to your customer, they will add the tracking information to the associated order. This information you can see on your dashboard when you go to "Order History" and find that order.
This information will also be accessible to your customers on your website when the tracking information is given. They can then plug that information into the given shipping methods of choices website and see where the order is.
If you would like to view any information associated with an order you can simply click the icon that looks like a blue book, you can find this next to the associated SKU for that order, and once you click that the Order Audit Trail will show up. As shown above.
Who determines the shipping method?
When using our Order Automation service, you will want to configure your "shipping mappings" to automatically send the preferred shipping method to your supplier (e.g. UPS Ground) for the Store Shipping Rate that is selected by your customer (e.g. "Free Shipping").
You will first want to consult with your supplier to understand which shipping methods they offer and then build your shipping store rates. When creating your shipping store options they can often be based on weight, order value, or other factors, but regardless they all have a name in your store. To find out more please read Order Automation Shipping Mapping.
Can I edit orders before I submit them?
Yes, by default we automatically set your service up to ensure that you check, verify, and correct anything needed before sending it off to your supplier. Here if anything needs to be resolved, edited, or changed you can do it before sending it off.
Let's say you received an order for 3 of one product but then you've received an e-mail from your customer that says they've accidentally ordered 3 instead of 2. You can edit the order in your "Processed Orders" tab and edit the quantity ordered to what it needs to be and then from there if everything looks up to date you can process the order and send it too your supplier.
Can I auto process orders?
Yes, If you're wanting to do an effortless processing of orders that come in, which means just sending them straight to your supplier without checking the order, we can do that for you. You can go to Order Manager > Channels > Select the settings gear next to your store > Orders > Auto Order Processing> Update
It's important to keep in mind, you will still need to check your dashboard on a regular basis to make sure there are no orders that need to be resolved.