Putting Orders On Hold

What On Hold Does

Putting an order On Hold pauses it while you sort something out, such as a payment check, an address query or a customer who has asked you to wait. A held order cannot be picked or despatched until you release it, so it cannot leave the warehouse by mistake.

On Hold sits alongside the order's status rather than replacing it. A Backorder that is put on hold is still a Backorder, it is just paused. Your team can still open the order, add notes and make changes while it is held.

Example: a customer emails to say they have moved house the day after ordering. Customer service puts the order on hold, waits for the new address, updates it and releases the hold. The order then carries on through picking and despatch as normal.

How to Put an Order On Hold

One order

1. Open the order from Orders.

2. Under Order Details, click Hold Order. The hold applies straight away.

A warning appears at the top of the order: you cannot despatch this order because it is on hold. Hold Order changes to Release Hold.

Several orders at once

1. In Orders, tick the orders you want to hold.

2. In the bulk actions, choose Set > Hold > Set Hold.

Bulk holds run in the background and show in the Jobs Queue. You can also use Set On Hold from the three dots on an order's row.

How to Release a Hold

• One order: click Release Hold under Order Details, or Click here in the warning at the top of the order.

• Several orders: tick them in the order list and choose Set > Hold > Release Hold.

Once released, the order carries on from the status it was in. Both the hold and the release are recorded in the order's timeline with the name of the user.

Holding Orders Automatically

Order Rules can put orders on hold for you. Use the Set Order On Hold action to hold or release orders that match your filters, for example orders above a certain value or from a new customer. It applies to orders from New Order onwards, so drafts, despatched and cancelled orders are left alone.

Rules can also react to holds: the On Hold trigger runs a rule when an order is held or released, for example to send a notification or add a tag.

Best Practices

• Add a note when you hold an order so colleagues know why it is paused and what needs to happen next.

• Check held orders daily. A hold has no end date, so a forgotten one can leave a customer waiting.

• Use a rule for regular checks, such as high-value orders, rather than relying on people to remember.

• Hold before picking where you can, so stock is not pulled for an order that may change.

FAQ

Use On Hold whenever an order needs a pause, and release it as soon as the question is answered so it goes out on time.