Splitting Orders in Helm

Sometimes a customer’s order isn’t ready to ship all at once. For example, one item might be on backorder, coming from a different warehouse, or still being prepared by a supplier, while the rest of the items are in stock and ready to go. In these situations, you may want to send the available items now and ship the remaining items later as a separate consignment. That’s where splitting orders in Helm comes in.

When you can split an order

Before you start, a few important rules apply:

• The order must contain more than one item or line item.
  You can only split an order if there is something to separate. Single orders cannot be split.

• The order must not have been picked or shipped.
  Splitting must happen before the warehouse starts processing the order. Once an order is picked, it should be treated as a single unit.

• The order should be in an open status.
  Typically this means:

  • New Order

  • Draft

  • (Possibly) Back Order, depending on your workflow and configuration

Why you might split an order

Common reasons for splitting orders include:

• Partial stock availability – Some items are in stock now, others are on backorder. You want to ship what you can today.

• Different fulfilment locations – Part of the order needs to ship from another warehouse or supplier.

• Customer experience – A customer is keen to receive certain items sooner (for example, a gift needed by a specific date), even if that means multiple shipments.

Example scenario:

An order contains three items – dinner plates on backorder and two other products that are in stock. You may choose to ship the two in‑stock products immediately and split out the dinner plates into a separate order that will ship once stock arrives.

How to split an order in Helm

Follow these steps to split an order into multiple orders.

1. Open the order

   1. Go to your Orders view.

   2. Locate the order you want to split.

   3. Confirm that:

      • The order has more than one item or line item.

      • The order status is New, Draft, or Back Order (and has not yet been picked).

2. Decide what should ship now vs later
   Review the order lines and identify which items:

   • Are in stock and ready to ship now, and

   • Should be held back (for example, on backorder or shipping from another location).

3. Select the line(s) to split

   1. Inside the order, select the line item(s) you want to move into a separate order by clicking on the appropriate check box.⁠

   2. When you select the line, a contextual menu or action bar will appear at the bottom left of the screen.

4. Use the Split from Order action

   1. From the menu, choose the option to Split from Order.

   2. Adjust the quantity if you want to only move some or all of the item.

   3. Confirm the action by clicking Split Items.

5. Review the new orders
   After the split, you will have:

   • The original order, now containing only the lines that will ship together, and

   • A new order, containing the line(s) you moved.

6. Review both orders to ensure:

   • Items are on the correct order.

   • Addresses, shipping methods, and any references (such as customer PO numbers) are correct.

   • Notes and internal comments reflect why the order was split, if relevant.

7. Proceed with fulfilment

   • Process the order that is ready to ship through your usual picking, packing, and despatch flow.

   • Leave the remaining order in the appropriate status (for example, Back Order) until the items are available or ready to ship.

Example: Splitting a backordered item

1. A customer orders:

   • 1 × Set of dinner plates (backordered)

   • 1 × Mug

   • 1 × Bowl

2. The mugs and bowls are in stock, but the dinner plates are awaiting replenishment.

3. You open the order, confirm it is a New Order and not picked.

4. You select the dinner plate line and choose the Split action.

5. Helm creates:

   • Order A: Mug and bowl – ready to be picked and shipped now.

   • Order B: Dinner plates – to remain as a backorder until stock is available.

6. You process Order A immediately and leave Order B in Back Order status.

Best practices and notes

Split before picking

Always split the order before any picking starts. Splitting a picked order can cause confusion in the warehouse and discrepancies in stock movements.

Communicate with customers

If you regularly split orders, consider updating your customer‑facing communication (emails, terms, FAQs) to explain that orders may arrive in multiple shipments.

Internal notes

Add a brief internal note to either or both orders explaining why the split was made (e.g. “Split due to backordered dinner plates / partial fulfilment”).

If you are unsure whether an order should be split or kept together, follow your company’s shipping policy or check with your operations team before proceeding.