EZ order manager Documentation
Functional Overview

The following hyperlinks relate to sections in this document.

 

Receiving Orders

Orders enter the system in one of three ways:

Manual orders allow you to take phone orders or to key in mail-order items into EZom. A new order is created in the database. Information is manually entered to create the order. The input screen is simple and easy to use. Items can be looked up by clicking the binocular icon next to the UPC field. If the UPC is known, it can be directly entered. Customer information can be retrieved if they are an existing customer. Otherwise, the customer information (Billing Info) needs to be entered.

Orders can also be automatically incorporated into the system via a real-time web service process. Real-time update is currently supported for Yahoo!® Stores, Shoplink, Mal´s Cart and other widely used shopping carts or store hosts. Other cart/store import methods can be easily and quickly created for you if you have a need. Contact Support with your request.

Manual order updates can be done via a simple a two step process. First is to download your order information into a CSV (comma separated value) file. Then a map is applied against this file telling the system which columns should be imported into which fields within the database. Only the Site Administrator can create maps. However, once created you can use these maps to import orders, inventory or other data to the system. Again, contact support via email for help with the import process.

Most of the major Cart/Store providers support some type of real-time ecommerce capability. We currently support the following Cart/Store providers. Other's can be added as needed.

 

Verifying Orders

The EZom system is intended to simplify and speed your order processing. To accomplish this we have implemented an order verification process that can be tailored to meet your individual business needs. An order enters the system in the Received state. When selected and viewed in the Order Detail page, the order can be verified against some common criteria. Following verification, the order listing will be color coded to indicate the result of the verification process..

Orders with a green background indicates that there were no verification errors or warnings as a result of checking the order.
Orders with a yellow background indicates that a potential problem was found during verification. Many times these warnings can be safely ignored but EZom wants to inform you of problems that it sees so you can make an informed decision. An example would be a less than favorable AVS response from the credit card processor.
Orders with a red background indicates that the system has identified a failure in the verification process. This means that the order did not meet the verification criteria you have established and no further action can be taken on it until the problem which caused the failure is corrected.

Detailed verication messages can be viewed by viewing the order in order detail mode and clicking the View Verification Messages link in the order´s general information area. The general information area will also have the background color of the verification status.

 

Shipping Orders

Orders can be shipped by one of the following methods:

Batch shipping is the easiest and least invasive way to ship. When your company is configured to use one of the supported batch shipper's products (like UPS WorldShip, UPS Online Shipping, Endicia USPS, etc.) you can process all items in the Order Queue by simply pressing one button. You would then use the shipper´s product to ship the order and it will return the ship date along with the associated tracking numbers and other information. The status of the order will be changed to Shipped for you and it will be ready for the next step in the order processing flow which is to apply payments.

If you utilize one of the Cart Suppliers who provide an API for processing orders on their site (such as Google and PayPal), information will be sent to these providers so your customers can easily know where their orders are at in the process. Also, following shipment of an order, a "charge request" is sent to the Payment Provider if one is utilized. Hence, completion of shipping generates a request to pay.

You can also ship orders manually. Simply go through your normal shipping process and when complete, select the checkbox assocated with each item and click the green Process Items button. If a Shipping Reference Number does not exist for the order, you will be prompted for it. You can also choose to ignore reference numbers if your company allows you to do so see the section on Company Preferences in the Documents/Operations page.

Shipping through a drop-shipper or fulfillment house is just as easy. Each supplier you use is configurated to tell the system whether to send an email requesting shipment or to send the information in a variety of data formats via FTP. Again, this operation is done in batch mode so all orders destined for the drop-shipper or fullfillment house are processed together. Purchase orders are automatically created for each shipment request sent to a drop-ship supplier or fullfillment house. Purchase order tracking can be turned off via a Company Preference if you prefer. But it is nice to see all your outstanding purchase orders for a particular supplier on the supplier detail page.

 

Processing Payments

Similar to shipping, payments can be processed by one of the following methods:

Automatic payments can be defined in several ways based on the capabilities of your Payment Provider. Generally the system can be configured to apply payments immediately upon receipt of the order, or to transact the payment during the order process. Please see the section on configuring your Cart/Payment Providers for details of all the capabilities.

After an order is shipped and there is Balance Due, you will be prompted to enter the payment information once the item is selected for Payment Processing. The system will adjust for imbalances if your company allows it. The system defaults to the order amount for the Payment Amount and today's date for the Payment Date. You may change the amounts or dates for each order as you require.

 

Exporting to Accounting

Not yet implemented.

 

Managing Inventory

The system utilizes inventory information to determine the inital status of items within an order. When there is no inventory of an item, the system will automatically set the status to Backordered. This can be disabled via Company Preference settings if you choose. This applies to items in your inventory and for items provided by your drop-ship suppliers. Additionally, cost/profitability calculations are based upon accurate inventory information. You can adjust inventory information in several ways:

EZom provides a standard inventory CSV file (Standard Inventory Spreadsheet) for your use or we can make a new Import Map that is tailored to what you are currently using. Importing CSV files is easy and is a very simple way to keep EZom in sync with your physical inventory.

You can use the information from the invoices you receive from your suppliers to update your inventory with current costs by using the Rcv button next to an inventory item on the My Inventory page. There are several costing options available and you can add marketing or shipping costs that will be reflected in the Unit Cost of the item. This will give you a much clearer view of your profitabilty.

You can also manually enter information into inventory. There are two ways to do this. The My Inventory page shows 10 items at a time (by default, but is changeable via the Search dialog) and you can enter information for each item and update them all at once. Or, if you prefer, you can click the Edit button for each item and enter complete inventory information for that item on the Item Detail page for each item.