Special Orders Documentation

Special orders are used for items not currently in stock that need to be ordered from vendors. Perfect for custom products, out-of-stock items, and special requests.

Overview

Special orders in OrderMAX are designed for businesses that take customer orders for products not currently in inventory. Common use cases include:

• 🚲 Ordering bikes or parts from distributors
• ✨ Custom jewelry or personalized items
• 🎨 Special fabric, materials, or supplies
• 📦 Out-of-stock items being reordered
• 🏗️ Custom-built or made-to-order products

Special Order Statuses

Special orders use a workflow optimized for vendor ordering and delivery tracking:

• Pending - Initial status, not yet ordered from vendor
• Ordered - Purchase order sent to vendor
• In Transit - Items shipped, on the way
• Received - Items arrived at your location
• Ready for Pickup - Customer has been notified, ready to collect
• Completed - Order fulfilled and picked up/delivered
• Cancelled - Order cancelled

Creating Special Orders from Admin

Create special orders from the OrderMAX admin panel:

1. Navigate to Apps → OrderMAX in your Shopify admin
2. Click Special Orders in the left navigation
3. Click the Create Special Order button
4. Fill out the order details:
   • Customer: Search and select from Shopify customers
   • Priority: Set urgency (Low, Normal, High, Urgent)
   • Due Date: When customer needs the items
   • Estimated Date: Expected delivery date
5. Add order items:
   • Click Add Item
   • Search Shopify products or create custom products
   • Select vendor for each item
   • Enter quantity, cost, and price
   • Add product specifications or customization details
6. Add notes:
   • Internal Notes: Staff-only information
   • Customer Notes: Appears on invoices
7. Optional: Collect a deposit amount
8. Click Create Special Order

Creating Special Orders from POS

Take special orders directly at the point of sale:

1. Open Shopify POS on your device
2. Tap the OrderMAX Special Orders tile
3. Tap Create Special Order
4. Search and select the customer
5. Set priority and dates
6. Add items:
   • Search Shopify products or create custom items
   • Enter prices and specifications
   • Select vendor if known
7. Collect deposit if needed
8. Tap Create

Customers can pay the deposit immediately using your POS payment system, or you can send them an invoice later.

Managing Special Order Status

Keep customers informed by updating the order status as it progresses:

From Admin Panel

1. Navigate to the special order details page
2. Find the Status dropdown
3. Select the new status
4. Optional: Add notes about the status change
5. Click Update Status

From POS

1. Open the special order in the POS extension
2. Tap Update Status
3. Select the new status
4. Tap Confirm

Status Change Best Practices

Linking to Purchase Orders

Create purchase orders directly from special order items to streamline vendor ordering:

Creating a Purchase Order from Special Order

1. Go to the special order details page
2. Find the items that need to be ordered
3. Click Create Purchase Order
4. Select the vendor contact
5. Select which items to include in the PO
6. Review quantities and costs
7. Click Create PO
8. Optional: Email the PO directly to the vendor

The purchase order will automatically link to the special order items, making it easy to track what's been ordered.

Receiving Items

When items arrive from your vendor:

1. Go to Purchase Orders
2. Find and open the relevant purchase order
3. Mark items as received by entering received quantities
4. Special order automatically updates to show received items
5. Update special order status to "Received" or "Ready for Pickup"

Payment Tracking

Manage deposits and final payments throughout the special order lifecycle:

Collecting Deposits

It's common to collect deposits for special orders since you're ordering items specifically for the customer:

1. When creating the special order, set a deposit amount
2. Create a draft order for the deposit:
   • Click Create Draft Order
   • Select Deposit as the purpose
   • Enter the deposit amount
   • Create and send the invoice
3. Customer pays via the Shopify invoice link
4. Payment automatically records in OrderMAX

Collecting Final Payment

When items arrive and are ready for pickup:

1. Update status to "Ready for Pickup"
2. Create a draft order for the remaining balance:
   • Select Full Payment or Partial Payment
   • Select items to invoice (or all items)
   • System automatically accounts for deposit already paid
   • Send invoice to customer
3. Customer can pay before pickup or at time of pickup

Customer Notifications

Keep customers informed with automatic email notifications when order status changes.

Enabling Notifications

1. Go to Settings → Email Notifications
2. Toggle on notifications for special orders
3. Select which status changes should trigger emails:
   • Ordered
   • In Transit
   • Received
   • Ready for Pickup
   • Completed
   • Cancelled
4. Save settings

Notification Content

Each notification email includes:

• Order number and status
• Customer name
• Order details and items
• Estimated dates
• Store contact information
• Customer notes (if added)

Best Practices

For Retail Stores

• Always collect a deposit before ordering from vendors
• Set deposit amount to cover your vendor cost
• Add vendor information to items for easy purchase order creation
• Use estimated dates conservatively - better to over-promise and deliver early
• Update status to "Ordered" as soon as you send the purchase order
• Link special orders to purchase orders for tracking

For Custom Products

• Use specifications field to capture customization details
• Take photos and attach them as customer notes
• Set realistic production timelines
• Update customers frequently during production
• Collect higher deposits for custom work (50-100%)

For Communication

• Enable automatic notifications for key status changes
• Call or email customers when updating to "Ready for Pickup"
• Include tracking numbers in customer notes when available
• Update estimated dates if vendor timelines change
• Be proactive about delays - customers appreciate honesty

For Multiple Vendors

• Set up vendor contacts in advance with email addresses
• Group items by vendor when possible
• Create separate purchase orders for each vendor
• Track different vendors' delivery timelines