Managing orders

What is order management? 

Orders are purchases from your customers, they are how you will make money from your online store. Managing orders means honoring or delivering on an order that was placed.

Our order management features allow you to update your orders and progress them to the next step. We have made it easy for you to manage orders by suggesting the next logical step in the process which will ensure a seamless customer experience. Your customers will be updated every time a milestone is updated. 

Why do you need to manage orders? 

Effective order management will result in a better customer experience and by being on top of your orders and processing them immediately you will ensure that there are no delays for your customers receiving their goods. The better you process your orders the more likely you are to see repeat orders and receive better ratings. 

Please note:  Should it be brought to BoxCommerce's attention that legitimate orders are placed but not being fulfilled, your store account will be deactivated (after thorough investigation of said matter).

How to manage orders and what to expect.

Receiving orders 

You will be notified either by email / SMS / push notification (or a combination of these) when a new order is received. When navigating to Orders in the menu your latest orders will be on the top of your order details page. You can use the filters to sort your orders and refine your search. 

New orders from customers will reflect an order status as "Confirmed". The payment status will reflect as "Paid" and the "Delivery" status will reflect as "Pending." The order is now waiting for you to manage the next step. Simply click on the "Manage" button to view the Order details and initiate the next step.

Scroll down to see the customer details, delivery details and order notes. You can also download a PDF version of the invoice from this section. The next step is to arrange collection / delivery of the items. Click on the manage button and select the relevant option.

Arranging collection for orders with integrated delivery partners.

When an order has been placed and the customer has chosen an integrated delivery partner as the delivery provider, you will see an option to "Arrange collection". You should do this when the item is ready to be collected by the courier company. A screen will pop up for you to input a collection date and time and any relevant notes you would want the delivery partner to be aware of. After completing the information and clicking arrange collection, the information will automatically be sent to the delivery partner who will collect the goods from you and deliver them to the address your customer stated during checkout. 

What happens next?

You can sit back and relax, the process is automated from here onwards. 

1.  Your customer will receive an email from your store telling them that their goods are on the way. They will also receive a tracking number so that they can track the delivery progress.
2. The delivery partners system will automatically update the order with all the major milestones.
3. When the delivery provider has confirmed that the order was successfully delivered the Order status will automatically update to complete. 
4. Two days after the order has been completed the customer will receive an email from your store to thanks them for the order and to rate the product/s and delivery. 
5. Your order is now complete.

Arranging collection and marking orders as complete for orders with a Flat rate delivery fee.

Flat rate fees allow you to set up rates for your own delivery partners. As a result, these delivery partners are not integrated into the BoxCommerce platform, and you will have to manually update your orders to ensure that your customers are kept informed during the delivery process. 

NB Please note: Although flat rate fees are not integrated with the BoxCommerce platform, good order management is still supported when using this feature. When you manage these orders well and you have trustworthy flat rate fee partners, your customers will not experience any difference in the process. It does require a bit more work from you though.

Follow these steps to ensure you manage flat rate deliveries effectively.

1. When your order is has been collected by your flat rate delivery partner, you should immediately update your order status so that your customer is kept informed. Click on the manage order button and you will see an option to capture delivery details. Click on this option. 
2. If your delivery partner has a tracking number and tracking URL you can enter it on the pop-up screen. You can also enter a delivery note for your customer.
3. When you click proceed, the customer will receive an email from your store telling them that the order is out for delivery. If you included a tracking number and URL this will be included in the email to the customer and the customer will be able to click on the URL and enter the tracking number. If this is not available, the email will not contain these details.
4. The notes you entered will be included on the email to your customer.
5. The status of the delivery will update to Shipped on your order details page. 
6. As soon as your Flat rate delivery provider informs you that your delivery has been completed you will need to manually update the order status. 
7. Click on the manage order button again and mark the order as complete. 
8. Your customer will be sent an email from your store to thank them for the order and to rate the products and delivery. 

9. The order is now closed. 

Arranging collection and marking orders as complete for an in-store pickup order.

When a customer has opted to use your in-store pickup option and the order is ready for collection, you will need to arrange collection by clicking on the manage order button. When you do this an email will be sent to your customer from your store telling them that their order is ready for collection. You can add a date, time and note for collection and this information will be included in the mail to your customer. 

1. Click on the manage order button and then click on arrange collection. 
2. Enter a date and time and optional collection note.
3. An email will be sent to your customer from your store with these details, it will include the address of the in-store pickup point that the customer chose during checkout.
4. If required, you can cancel the collection. You can also reschedule the collection again if needed. When cancelling an order, you will have an option to add these items back to stock. 
5. Once the customer has collected the order you will need to click on the Mange order button and mark the order as complete. 
6. Your order is now closed, and your customer will receive an email from your store asking them to rate your products.