Work orders let you schedule or assign a specific job or task to someone at the 3PL's warehouse.
Types of Work Orders
The 3PL Client Portal offers two types of work orders, so you can choose the one that best fits your project. Work orders are separate from your daily order volume.
Assembly Work Orders
An Assembly Work Order guides users through assembling SKUs. For example:
- Your store sells boxes of dog treats in various flavors.
- You want to sell a pre-built box containing a selection of those flavors.
- You coordinate with your 3PL to create a SKU for this grouping and the special packaging needed.
- Using an Assembly work order, you request a task to build these assemblies.
- Warehouse pickers pick the specified treats and packaging and hand them to the assigned packers.
- Packers pre-build the box with the flavors already packed.
- The pre-built package goes into receiving and can then be picked and packed as a single item.
Custom Work Orders
A Custom Work Order is a blank field where you can upload attachments or write instructions for a task.
How to Create a Work Order
- Go to Orders > Work Orders from the side menu in the 3PL Client Portal.
- On the Work Orders list screen, click Create Work Order.
- Choose the 3PL (if applicable), Warehouse (if applicable), and the requested due date.
- Name your work order and choose the type: Assembly or Custom.
- For an Assembly work order, choose an Assembly SKU. For a Custom work order, skip this step.
- Assembly work orders only: enter how many you want to create.
- Custom work orders: optionally type in instructions.
- Assembly work orders: optionally type in packing and assembly details.
- For both types, optionally upload attachments.
Supported file types: PDF, PNG, JPEG, JPG, DOC, XLSX, XLS, PPT, PPTX, and MP4 (video).
Work Order Statuses
Once a work order is opened, it moves through the following statuses:
- Awaiting Approval – Work orders submitted by customers to a 3PL for approval.
- In Progress – Approved or ready to go, but not yet picked.
- Ready to Pick – The 3PL has selected the picking locations for the components and the staging location (not applicable to custom work orders).
- Assembly in Progress – Components are deducted from the pick locations and moved to staging. Items are assembled and can be transferred to receiving during this step (not applicable to custom work orders).
- Done – All Assembly SKUs were made and received; the work order is 100% complete.
- Closed – The work order wasn't fully received and was closed as "partially done."
- Canceled – The work order is canceled.
Work Order Details Screen
Click any work order row on the list screen to open its details.
On this screen you can:
- Review the instructions.
- View the work order's organization information.
- Add attachments to share with the warehouse.
- Add notes.
- Review the timeline records for this work order.
- Cancel work orders.