Two Stage Stock Checking

With OrderFlow 4.4.1 we have introduced a two stage stock checking feature. With the initial stock check, any anomalies identified by the warehouse operator do not result in an actual stock adjustment. Instead, the stock will be flagged as ‘held for checking’.

A subsequent stock check on that location will be performed by a qualified user who has the permissions required to apply any resulting stock adjustments. OrderFlow facilitates this second stage stock check with both a dashboard and a dedicated handheld process.

This two stage approach to stock checking can be applied to ad-hoc stock checks, short picks and structured cycle counts.

User Preferences

In the latest release we have introduced a framework for persisting and applying user preferences. This allows certain choices made by the users in OrderFlow to be ‘remembered’, and applied in subsequent sessions.

The first application of this feature is to retain the user’s selection of sites and organisations (or channels) on the desktop GUI. We expect support for other user preferences to be introduced in coming releases.

Short Dated Stock

OrderFlow 4.4.1 introduces a new feature to manage short dated stock. From a business perspective, this prevents perishable stock that is close to expiry being sold at full price, but allows it to be sold at a discount as a short dated product. Th short dated product is represented on the system using a separate SKU, distinct from the originating product. Importantly, it is possible for these two products to use the same barcode, removing the need for any relabelling. OrderFlow is able to apply intelligence to determine which of the products should be identified based on the current operation, and to prompt for a choice where this identification is not possible.

When stock for the originating product lot gets close to its expiry date, the stock is automatically debited and applied to an equivalent lot against the short dated product.

Back Order Line Merge

With OrderFlow 4.4.1 we have introduced a new feature to allow back orders to be merged into new orders from the same customer.

The feature is relevant for B2B environments where customers place regular orders. If an earlier order is short of stock from some products, it may be desirable to save on shipping costs by merging the associated back order lines into a more recent order from the same customer. This feature allows for the back order to be ‘held for merge’, or alternatively, released for separate despatch either manually or via an automated process.

Courier Delivery Event Import

In the most recent release we allow for post-despatch status updates provided by the carrier to be imported into OrderFlow. These are stored in the database and can be reported on as required. Note that this feature is still basic, and does not include any user interface elements at this stage.

Other Enhancements

In the most recent release we’ve added over 60 enhancements and bug fixes.

Some of the noteworthy miscellaneous enhancements include:

• adding the ability to feed scoped property values into reports as parameters (without the need for additional user input)
• updating the Royal Mail integration to support a recent change that introduces separate options for sending SMS and email notifications
• enhancing our full or part licence plate picking feature to allow for multiple picks from the same pallet stock, where this is applicable