Most Linnworks teams don’t have an automation problem. They have a collection of small manual jobs that each seem too minor to fix. Someone sets the payment method on orders. Someone files the manifest at the end of the day. Someone checks a list of orders by eye before anything is dispatched.
Each task takes a few minutes. Together, across every order and every day, they take up a large part of a working week, and they are where most avoidable mistakes come from.
This post lists ten processes that are usually worth reviewing. You may not need to automate all of them, but you should know which ones are costing you.
Why small manual tasks add up
Take a simple example. If a task takes two minutes per order and you ship 150 orders a day, that is five hours of staff time every day. This is only an illustration of the arithmetic, so swap in your own figures. The pattern is real, though: tasks that feel instant for one order become a significant cost at volume.
The cost has three parts:
- Time: repetitive work that a rule or macro could handle.
- Cost: staff hours spent on low-value tasks, plus the cost of correcting mistakes afterwards.
- Risk: every manual step is a place where an order can be missed, mislabelled or sent with the wrong service.
10 processes worth reviewing
1. Assigning payment methods
If staff set the payment method by hand, the correct value usually depends on the order’s source and sub-source. That is a rule, not a decision. A macro can assign it automatically.
2. Choosing the shipping service
Picking a service for each order is slow and inconsistent, because different people choose differently. Rules can assign the service by channel, weight or order value instead.
3. Routing orders to the right location
If orders are routed by hand because the Rules Engine hasn’t kept up with new channels, you have a rule gap. Reviewing the routing logic is often the quickest win. See our Linnworks Rules Engine services.
4. Flagging and holding problem orders
Checking orders by eye for holds or flags (high value, unusual address, awkward item) depends on someone noticing. Rules can flag and hold these orders automatically, so the check happens every time.
5. Filing the daily manifest
Manifest filing is a classic end-of-day chore. It is predictable and repetitive, which makes it a good candidate for an automated routine.
6. Setting despatch dates and splitting packages
Doing this order by order is slow. One-click on-screen automations can replace several manual steps with a single action.
7. Sending tracking back to channels
If tracking numbers reach marketplaces late or by hand, customers chase you and channel metrics suffer. This is usually an integration issue. See our Linnworks API integration work.
8. Monitoring stock and sync
Stock that differs between Linnworks and another system leads to overselling or lost sales. A scheduled sync, with alerts when something fails, replaces periodic manual checks.
9. Routine reporting
If someone exports data every Monday to build the same report, that report should be scheduled. Custom SQL reports can run on a timetable and arrive ready to use. See our Linnworks reporting and SQL services.
10. Passing order data to accounting or ERP
Re-keying orders and invoices into another system is slow and error-prone, and it makes reconciliation harder. An integration can post the data as orders are processed.
A practical example
Imagine a multi-channel seller whose team spends the start of each day setting payment methods, picking shipping services and checking orders for holds, then files the manifest at the end of the day. None of these tasks is difficult, but they run in a fixed order and take most of the morning.
On review, the team finds that:
- Payment method follows a simple source and sub-source pattern, so a macro can assign it.
- Shipping service follows channel, weight and value, so rules can assign it.
- Hold conditions can be written as flag-and-hold rules.
- The manifest can be filed by an automated routine.
The people stay involved, but their time moves from doing the task to checking exceptions. That is a typical shape for this kind of review. The exact savings depend on your volumes and setup.
How to decide where to start
Not everything is worth automating. Score each process on three things:
- How often it happens. Daily and per-order tasks come first.
- How long it takes. Small tasks at high volume still matter.
- What a mistake costs. Tasks where an error means a wrong shipment or an unhappy customer are the strongest candidates.
Start with the tasks that score high on frequency and error cost, and leave rare, complicated exceptions to people.
Rules need maintaining too
Automation that was built once and never reviewed can cause its own problems. Rules written for last year’s channels may conflict with new ones, and a fix that worked at low volume may not scale. Reviewing what already runs is as important as adding something new. Our Linnworks optimisation work covers exactly that.
Not sure which of these applies to you?
We offer a free, no-obligation 30-minute Linnworks Efficiency Review. We look at how your setup runs today and point out where manual work is costing you the most, before any work is discussed.
Book your free Linnworks Efficiency Review
If you’d like an experienced team on call once the changes are in, see our Linnworks technical support retainer.