Overview
Pack Mode prevents your packers from shipping the wrong items to your customers. In this guide, we'll go over how to get started with Pack Mode, recommendations for your operation, and the various settings used to configure it.
Table of Contents
Video Guide: How to use Pack Mode & Ship in Upright Lister
Getting Started
By default, Pack Mode will show up on your order page in Lister.
Click "Pack orders" in the top menu of the Orders Manager page
Scan a pack slip or product barcode, or type in an order number to open Pack Mode
Once Pack Mode is open, the packer will need to confirm each item by scanning the product barcodes or manually clicking to verify each item
Assign at least one shipping box to the order. The packer won’t be able to proceed unless the order is 100% correct
Click the green "Confirm order" button. This will give the packer credit for packing the order and record the boxes used in the Shipments report
Depending on your workflow (see below), the associate will be prompted to either ship the order or start packing another order. See our recommendations below on which one is best for your operation.
Workflows
Pack and Ship at Same Station (All-in-One Packing and Shipping)
For smaller organizations, your order fulfillment workflow might involve one person packing and shipping an order. If your operation packs and ships at the same station, we recommend enabling our feature that requires packing before shipping.
Admin Settings
Follow the steps below to combine shipping and packing into one workflow in Lister:
Click the gear icon in the top right navigation menu to go to the Admin settings page
Click "Shipping" in the left navigation menu
Toggle ON the option for "Require packing before shipping"
Toggle ON the option for "Auto-select packer"
Click the blue "Save" button at the bottom of the page
All-in-One Packing and Shipping Workflow
Click "New Shipment"
Scan a product barcode in the order or the order pack slip barcode to begin either verifying the items in the order via Pack Mode or creating the shipping label
Review the package and order information
Purchase and print a shipping label, apply to the box, then repeat steps 3-5 until all orders are shipped!
Separate Packing and Shipping Stations
For larger organizations, your order fulfillment workflow might involve one person packing and another person shipping an order.
Admin Settings
Follow the steps below to separate the shipping and packing workflow in Lister:
Click the gear icon in the top right navigation menu to go to the Admin settings page
Click "Shipping" in the left navigation menu
Toggle OFF the option for "Require packing before shipping"
Click the blue "Save" button at the bottom of the page
Packer Workflow
Click the shopping cart icon in the top right navigation menu of Lister to navigate to the Orders page
Click "Pack Orders"
Scan a product barcode from the order
Scan any other product barcodes that are part of the order
Scan a box size from the packing control sheet (example below), or manually select the box from the dropdown
Attach either one of the product barcodes or a printed pack slip to the outside of the shipping box
Pack Mode has multiple ways to print barcodes or pack slips: Reprint a product SKU via the product description, print a pack slip via the blue "Print pack slip" button, or scan the "Print pack slip" barcode on the packing control sheet (example below)
Scan the "Confirm" barcode from the packing control sheet (example below), or click the green "Confirm order" button and return to step 3 to begin packing the next order
Once a box is packed, you'll need a way for the shippers to pull up the order again. You'll have a few options on how to do this based on your equipment.
Barcode Printer
If you have a spare barcode printer, we recommend you reprint a single product barcode and place it on the box. That way, a shipper can scan the barcode in shipping and continue the order. This is the fastest and most recommended way to track packages.
Paper Printer
If you have a spare 8.5x11" printer, we recommend printing a pack slip, placing it in the box, leaving the box open for your shippers to scan, or placing it in a packing list envelope.
Leaving Box Open
If you're unable to procure more equipment, you can leave product barcodes on each item and leave the packed box open. Your shippers would then need to scan a barcode in the shipping box. This is not a recommended practice, and we suggest using a printer instead.
Scan Sheets
Pack Mode can be controlled without having to touch a mouse by using our scan sheets. These are 8.5x11" sheets of paper that have barcode commands that you can scan into Lister to control Pack Mode. Scan sheets can be printed either from Pack Mode (under the box selector) or in Admin > Shipping Boxes.
Here's what it looks like:
Scan Sheet Controls
Here's what all of the controls do:
Confirm: Scanning this is the same as clicking "Confirm order" in the top right of Pack Mode.
Reset: This will reset Pack Mode to a blank slate. This is the same as clicking "Reset" in the top left in Pack Mode.
Print pack slip: This will cause a pack slip to open in a new tab for printing. This is the same as clicking "Print pack slip" in Pack Mode.
Custom: This will assign the order's box as "Custom," meaning the shipper will input custom dimensions when shipping the item. Use this for one-off boxes.
Your boxes: Scanning one of these will automatically select the corresponding box in Pack Mode.
Scan Sheet Customization
You can customize what boxes go on the scan sheet in Admin > Shipping Boxes by checking off the "Include on scan sheet" column. Aside from "Custom" box, all boxes will be ordered by name (A-Z) on the scan sheet.
Remove Box Confirmation
Pack Mode will require your packers to select a box each time they confirm an order. Adding a box in Pack Mode removes an extra step when you ship the item and records the boxes used in the shipments report. It is recommended you leave this as a requirement in Pack Mode.
However, if you find you don't need this extra step or assign the box in the shipping step, you are free to remove this requirement. To do so, navigate to Admin > Orders, and deactivate the "Require box selection" toggle option.
Next time you go to pack an order, the box won't be required.
Require Packing Before Shipping
By default, packing an order is not required to ship an item out. For organizations that pack and ship at the same station, it might be advantageous to enable this. Not sure what you should do? See our section on recommended workflows above.
To require packing before shipping, go to Admin > Shipping, and make sure "Require packing before shipping" is checked ON.
When you turn this setting on, the "Pack Orders" link will disappear from your order manager in Lister. This is because Pack Mode will now show up when your associates go to create shipping labels. For multi-item orders, Pack Mode will always show, but if you scan a product barcode, Pack Mode will be skipped since your associate already has the right item. When Pack Mode shows is modeled below:
Related Guides
Have questions? Reach out to us at support@uprightlabs.com or via chat anytime between 9am-6pm ET, Monday to Friday