Managing deviations and deviated orders

Topics covered in this article

What is an order deviation
How to flag an issue
How to resolve the deviated orders
When is the order flagged as deviated?
Sort and filter orders
Order comments

What is an order deviation

A deviation is used when an issue prevents an order from being picked as normal. 

If a port worker discovers a problem while picking items, such as missing products, incorrect items in the bin, or damaged goods, the order must be flagged as deviated. This stops the order from being packed and shipped until the issue is resolved.

Reasons for picking issues

The most common reasons for these issues to occur are when the port worker adds the wrong quantity when storing the items. Either by wrongly counting the items and adding too few to the bin or shelf location, or by adding it manually to the app instead of using a scanner to count each item into the Pio location.

Another common scenario is when the port worker doesn't use a scanner to scan the barcode to select the product to store, and instead searches manually and selects the wrong SKU for storing (especially when similar products exist). 

A third reason might be a product leaking something and causing damage to other products in the bin.

The last reason is when items are removed without updating the inventory. This can typically occur when someone needs to borrow a product and take it out of inventory temporarily for some reason, and doesn't update the quantity directly in the Search.

Three types of order deviations

There are currently three categories for flagging issues:

• Missing item
• Damaged item
• Wrong item

How to flag an issue

During picking, you may encounter situations where the order cannot be fulfilled due to issues in the bins.

Common examples include:

• Wrong product, size, or color in the bin
• Damaged items
• Incorrect stock quantity 

If the bin contains products that cannot be picked and shipped to the customer, this must to be reported and flagged before continuing to pick the next order. If all picks for the problematic order are completed without flagging the issue, the order will be marked as fulfilled.

When you need to report a deviation, click the three dots in the top menu and select 'Report issue':

Select one of the issue categories and press 'Next'. Remember to add a comment with details on the issue with the items in the bin or the shelf location. This will make it easier for the warehouse manager to resolve the issue later.

When using the category 'Missing item' or 'Damaged item', you will be asked how many products you picked for this order. Select 0 if you couldn't find a matching SKU for the order.

Any damaged or wrong items should be left in the bin/shelf location that you are flagging. The bin issue will then be flagged as a bin deviation in the Housekeeping section of the Pio app.

After clicking 'Confirm', you will see a message depending on the issue category.

The order will now be flagged as Deviated. You cannot pack and send this order until the Warehouse Manager has resolved the issue. Leave the order in the deviation area (a designated shelf or box in the workstation area) so it is easy for the Warehouse Manager to find the order.

How to resolve a deviated order

Only Pio Admins and Pio Managers can resolve deviated orders. Navigate to the Admin Dashboard and find the 'Order deviations' in the 'Issues' section. 

Click the 'Orders deviated' link to view a list of all deviated orders. This link will show a filtered view of the Admin > Order > Overview:

Click the deviated order from the list to view more details about which product has been flagged as deviated.

Depending on the issue that was flagged, you first have to find a replacement or the missing product that caused the deviation, and finish the package for the customer.

The shipping label can be printed when resolving the deviated order.

You will find a 'Resolve deviations' button below the order status in 'Order Details' view.

When the order is complete, and any issues with the remaining products in the bin is sorted, the next step is to mark the order as resolved. Clicking the button will present a dialogue where you have to confirm that the deviation has been resolved. This step is to complete the order fulfillment both in Pio and in Shopify, and must only be done after the manual handling of the order is complete, and all missing or damaged products are dealt with.

Choose between the options 'Continue without printing shipping label' or 'Print shipping label'. The second option will also require to choose in which port to print the shipping label.

When is the order flagged as deviated?

An order should always be flagged as deviated if there is a lack of stock or if an item is determined to be damaged by the port worker.

Port workers reporting deviations are prompted to add a message about the reason for the deviation that you can access by hovering over the order in the list.

Deviated orders need to be handled manually as they usually require customer service intervention.

Sort and filter orders

You can filter by order status ’Deviated’ to get a full overview of orders that need your attention. Go to Dashboard > Orders > Filter > Status: Deviated. All deviated orders can also be viewed from the link on the Dashboard.

Order comments

Deviated orders can have a message from the port worker attached to them.

Always encourage port workers to add as many details about the issue as possible because this will help customer service to resolve the deviated orders.

How to resolve a deviated bin

When a SKU is flagged as damaged or missing, a bin deviation is created in addition to the order deviation. The bin deviations need separate attention from resolving the order issues. 

A bin deviation can be solved without having to resolve the order deviation. 

Read more: Resolving bin deviations