Sorting Orders with the Sort Wall: A Grand Tour of Totes, Tables, and Triumph

In the bustling theatre of fulfilment, “sorting” is the genteel art of shepherding picked items from their wandering trolley to their rightful homes, ready for packing.

Helm’s Sort Wall orchestrates this rite with disciplined elegance: you first move picked goods to a non‑pickable staging area (“To Sort”), then assign totes to Sort Wall locations, and finally scan products into their designated totes. All the while, Pack Eye observes with hawk‑like vigilance, ensuring your opus is faithfully recorded should any client lament or litigate

Key Concepts

Pick status and sorting states:

• Picking → Picked: The standard route when you complete a normal pick

• Picking → Sorting → Sorted: The bulk‑and‑sort route, used when you intend to sort at the wall before packing

“To Sort” area:

A staging table, not a picking location. Think of it as a civilised holding salon for items awaiting their grand entrance to the Sort Wall

Sort Wall:

A physical wall or bank of bays (Sort 1, Sort 2, Sort 3, etc.) each capable of hosting one or more totes for order consolidation

Totes:

The receptacles into which products are sorted; each tote maps to an order during the sorting ritual

Pack Eye:

The unblinking auditor that chronicles scans and actions, preserving an evidence trail for quality control and client support

Prerequisites

• The pick for the order has been completed and its status transitioned to “Sorting”

• You know which Sort Wall bay (e.g., Sort 2) you intend to use

• You have physical totes to hand and can assign their barcodes in Helm

Step‑by‑Step: From Picked Goods to Sorted Orders

1. Move goods to “To Sort”

• On the picker app, complete the pick and explicitly change the status to “Sorting”

• Select the location “To Sort” (a non‑pickable staging area that functions as your sorting table)

• Confirm completion so the pick leaves the picker queue and enters the sorting workflow

2. Prepare the Sort Wall

• Go to Sorting → Manage Sort Wall

• Assign totes to the chosen Sort Wall bay (e.g., Sort 2). Each tote must be created/assigned before it can receive items

• Scan or enter the tote barcode (e.g., TOTE‑01) and bind it to the bay. This creates a clean ledger: Helm now knows which physical receptacle belongs to which virtual slot

Notes

• Totes can be edited, unassigned, or deleted from Sort Wall management

• Unassignment is a back‑office control; it cannot be undone from the mobile app

3. Sort Orders by Scanning Products into Totes

• Go to Sorting → Sort Orders

• Scan the bay/location first (e.g., Sort 2), then scan products

• For each product:

  • Scan the product barcode

  • Specify the quantity if prompted (e.g., 3 units of Boho Earrings)

  • Scan the exact tote barcode bound to the bay (e.g., TOTE‑01). Precision is paramount - “TOTE‑1” will not be accepted if the assigned code is “TOTE‑01”

• Repeat for each product in the order. When the final item is scanned into the correct tote, the order completes in sorting and the tote is ready for packing

4. Completion and Visibility

• Upon completion, the sort plan for that tote is marked complete

• The tote may disappear from the active bay’s roster, indicating it has fulfilled its destiny and progressed to packing

• If you need to add or change totes, return to Manage Sort Wall before continuing with additional orders

Operational Tips and Common Missteps

• Always create/assign totes first: you cannot sort items into a tote that doesn’t yet exist in Helm.

• Respect exact barcodes: The system is fastidious; scan the precise tote code assigned to the bay, not an approximation

• Use “To Sort” correctly: It is a staging table, not a pick site. Items rest here while you orchestrate the scanning ballet at the wall

• Bulk‑and‑Sort vs Normal Pick: Choose the path that matches your floor reality. Bulk‑and‑Sort will route you through Sorting states deliberately, keeping your ledger impeccable

• Totes are orders: Think “one tote, one order” during sorting. When a tote completes, the corresponding order has been fully sorted

Audit, Assurance, and Pack Eye

Pack Eye functions as the omniscient observer. It watches the sorting proceedings - locations scanned, products scanned, quantities confirmed, totes assigned - and preserves a time‑stamped chronicle

Should a client query the fidelity of fulfilment, Pack Eye’s record provides a scrupulous account of what was scanned, when, and by whom, conferring both accountability and tranquillity

Troubleshooting

“It won’t let me scan the tote”

• Verify the tote is assigned under Manage Sort Wall for the specific bay you are using

• Confirm you are scanning the exact barcode string the system recognises

“The product scan keeps asking for a tote”

• Scan product first, then the assigned tote for that bay, and ensure quantities match the pick plan

“My tote disappeared after sorting”

• That indicates completion. Retrieve it in the packing workflow; it has graduated from sorting and no longer clutters the wall’s active roster

Workflow Recap

1. Pick items

2. Change status to Sorting and place items in “To Sort”

3. Manage Sort Wall and assign totes to a bay

4. Sort Orders by scanning products into the assigned tote

5. Upon completion, proceed to packing with Pack Eye’s vigilant record preserving your honourable conduct