Advanced orders Order blocks

A block is an indicator added to an order that indicates if the items in an order can be released to fulfillment. Only order items that have not been released to fulfillment are affected by order blocks. That is, if an item from an order has already been released to fulfillment, it is unaffected by an blocks added to an order.

Order block states

Order blocks have two states: unresolved and resolved. Blocks in the unresolved state prevent the release to fulfillment of order items, while blocks in the resolved state do not prevent the release of the items. When all blocks on an order are in the resolved state, the items in an order can be released to fulfillment.

When a block is first added to an order, it is in the unresolved state. Unresolved blocks on an order prevent the release to fulfillment of the items in an order. An order with unresolved blocks are called "blocked orders" and adding a block to an order can be referred to as "blocking the order". An order can have multiple blocks corresponding to different reasons for preventing the release of order items.

Blocks in the resolved state allow items in an order to be released to fulfillment. All blocks on an order must be resolved before items are release to fulfillment. Resolving all blocks in an order

Adding and resolving order blocks

Blocks can be added to an order automatically by WebSphere Commerce as part of the order work flow or manually through the Multichannel Sales Center or the WebSphere Commerce Accelerator.

You can add a block to an order when the order is in the NEW, PRC, or EDT states. If an order is in any other state, you cannot block the order

Resolving a block can also be done automatically by WebSphere Commerce as part of the orders work flow or manually using the WebSphere Commerce Accelerator. Some blocks that have been added automatically can be resolved automatically while all blocks can be resolved manually through the WebSphere Commerce Accelerator. Each block on an order must be resolved individually - you cannot resolve multiple blocks at one time.

All blocks on an order must be resolved before the order can be released to fulfillment. Resolving all blocks on an order can be referred to as "unblocking an order".

Automatic order blocks

Orders can be blocked automatically as part of the following parts of the order process:

Business to business Order approval
If an order requires approval, the system blocks the order and sends notification to the appropriate person for approval. The system resolves the block automatically when order is approved.

If the order approval is denied, the block remains unresolved, prevent the order items from shipping.

The order approval process in stores using standard orders does not use order blocks.

Negotiated pricing
The limit on the discounted pricing that a Customer Service Representative (CSR) is allowed to offer is determined by the administrator, who assigns each CSR group a limit. If a CSR tries to offer a price that exceeds this limit, the system blocks the order, and sends notification to the appropriate person for approval. The system resolves the block automatically when the offered price is approved.
Negotiated shipping
The limit on the discounted shipping that a CSR is allowed to offer is determined by the administrator, who assigns each CSR group a limit. If a CSR tries to offer a shipping charge that exceeds this limit, the system blocks the order, and sends notification to the appropriate person for approval. The system resolves the block automatically when the shipping charge is approved.

With customization, other parts of the order process can also be subject to automatic order blocking.

Manual order blocks

You can block an order manually in the Multichannel Sales Center or the WebSphere Commerce Accelerator for a variety of reasons, including:

The reasons for blocking an order available to you depends on your company.

Access control

You must have access as a Seller, Operations Manager, Customer Service Representative, Customer Service Supervisor, or Sales Manager in order to manually add or resolve an order block.

Feedback