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Make sure no order falls through the cracks

You'll come out knowing how to handle an order from start to finish: the four moments you tell the customer about, whatever statuses your dashboard uses, the right message to send for each one, and a ready answer for when part, or all, of what you already charged for is missing.

6 lessons37 min readBookings and orders

An order comes in, and from there it's a mess: you're not sure exactly where it stands, the customer messages asking about it and you have to go check, and when something you already charged for is out of stock, you don't know whether to swap it, refund that amount, or wait. Every order gets handled however you can manage that day, and what gets handled on the fly today gets forgotten tomorrow.

This course lays it out step by step: first you'll set the four moments you tell the customer about for any order (whatever statuses your dashboard uses), then decide what message to send for each one and how you'll send it, move on to the difference between an order picked up in store and one delivered to someone's home, continue with what to do when only half the order is ready, and finish with the situation that causes the most nerves: something the customer already paid for is missing. It wraps up with the WhatsApp link customers use to ask about their order, and what you show them before they even have to message you.

Who it's for

For anyone who's already taking orders and wants to stop keeping track of them in their head or in a notebook. If you're not selling anything yet and are still deciding what to sell, this isn't your course just yet.

What you'll walk away with
  • Set the four moments you tell the customer about (received, in progress, ready, delivered), whatever statuses your dashboard uses
  • Write the message you send at each stage, without overwhelming the customer
  • Apply the default rule for a partial order, plus its two exceptions
  • Decide what to offer the customer (a replacement, a refund, or a wait) when something they already paid for is missing
Before you start

It helps to already have a business that takes orders, even if you're jotting them down by hand today.

The 6 lessons

In the order it makes the most sense to read them.

  1. 1

    The four stages every order has to go through, not one more

    By the end, you'll know which four statuses to use to track an order, and you'll have the judgment to avoid adding a fifth just because it feels more complete.

    7 min
  2. 2

    What message you send at each stage, and to whom

    You decide which stage you give an update at, who gets it, and the exact message, so you don't overwhelm the customer with updates they don't need or leave them waiting in silence for something that's already ready.

    6 min
  3. 3

    Why "ready" doesn't mean the same thing if the customer is picking it up or you're shipping it

    By the end of this lesson, you'll have two different notifications written out and know exactly when to send each one: the moment it's ready if it's a pickup, the moment it leaves your hands if it's a shipment.

    4 min
  4. 4

    When only half the order is ready: deliver what you have or wait for the whole thing

    By the end, you'll have the default rule locked in, deliver what's already ready, the two exceptions that override it, and the exact notice that keeps a partial order from looking like your mistake.

    7 min
  5. 5

    Something the customer already paid for is out of stock: substitute it, refund that amount, or wait

    When you're out of stock on something already paid for, you'll know how to separate that item from the rest of the order and choose between a substitute, a partial refund, or a wait, depending on whether you know the restock date.

    6 min
  6. 6

    The reminder that answers 'where's my order?' before they even ask

    By the end, you'll know what an order notification needs to say so the customer never has to ask, and when it's worth adding a direct WhatsApp button too.

    7 min