The Order Status System

Overview

The Order Status System was developed to provide those retailers whose shopping cart systems do not accept order status information from an outside source, such as Stone Edge Order Manager, a way of communicating order status and tracking information to their customers. This system cannot function as a standalone application – it requires a copy of Stone Edge Order Manager to be installed on at least one workstation which acts as the Shared Stack Controller.

The benefits of the Order Status System are as follows:

• it provides order status information for manual and Point-of-Sale orders, as well as imported orders
• it supports multiple tracking numbers for split shipments
• it adds a new level of sophistication to the retailer’s web site
• it improves the customer service experience for your customers by providing a self-service portal
• it saves time and money by reducing the “Where’s my order?” telephone calls

How Does it Work?

It all starts with SEOM, which has about thirty status events that can trigger a status label to be applied to an order or item and sent to the Order Status System, such as Order Received, Payment Received, Ship Date Entered, Tracking Number Imported, etc. The retailer decides which of those events to track, and selects the status text or “label” to use for each event. Different status labels can be entered for each event in the status life cycle of an order, as well as for the status life cycle of each line item in the order.

Whenever a selected status event occurs, SEOM immediately sends that information to the Order Status servers. The retailer includes links to the Order Status System portal in their e-mail messages and on their web site.

To check the status of their order, the customer can either select a tracking link in the e-mail they receive from the retailer, or they can go to the retailer’s web site and enter their Zip Code and order number. The portal responds with the up-to-the-minute order status information. The response page can include the retailer’s HTML header and footer, so the page will have the same “look and feel” of the retailer’s web site. If tracking numbers exist for the order, there is a hyperlink to the UPS, USPS, FedEx, or other carrier’s order tracking pages.

Getting Started

The Order Status System requires a copy of SEOM to be installed and configured, it cannot run standalone. There are three steps complete in order to use the Order Status System:

1. Purchase a subscription to the Order Status System by emailing sales@stoneedge.com or by calling 844-667-3279.
2. Set up the Status Events feature within Stone Edge Order Manager.
3. Set up the Order Status System account.

Setting Up the Status Events

About the Status Events Feature

The Status Events feature in SEOM lets the retailer define a set of status labels which can be automatically applied to order and/or line items when certain events occur. An event is defined as an action that takes place in SEOM, such as approving an order, logging a payment, returning a line item, etc.

The Status Events system only sets status labels within SEOM unless it is also configured to also transmit order information to the Order Status System, or a shopping cart or marketplace.

As changes are made to various orders, Stone Edge Order Manager can transmit those changes to the Order Status System portal in real-time, assuming an Internet connection is available, so your customers can easily view up-to-the-minute information about their orders. As shipping carrier’s tracking numbers are added to Stone Edge Order Manager, they are also sent to the Order Status System portal. Tracking numbers are displayed as hyperlinks, which take the customer to the appropriate carrier’s package tracking system.

Information posted to the OSS portal include the following:

Bill To Name

Bill To Zip Code (for security purposes only – it is not displayed)

Bill To Email Address (for security purposes only – it is not displayed)

Bill To Phone Number (for security purposes only – it is not displayed)

Ship To Name

Order Manager Order Number

Shopping Cart Order Number (if applicable)

Current Order Status

Line Item SKU

Line Item Quantity Orders

Line Item Quantity Shipped

Line Item Quantity Needed

Line Item Status

No payment or address information is sent to the web site. Only the fields listed above are ever sent to the Order Status server, so there is no reason to worry about confidential information being exposed to the Internet.

Reviewing the Status Events

SEOM comes with a set of standard, or pre-defined, status events which are listed in the chart below:

Review the Standard Status Labels

SEOM has pre-defined status labels you can use, or you can define your own status labels.

Backorder Canceled	Item Canceled	Payment Edited
Backorder Filled	Item Exchanged	Payment Received
Credit Issued	Item Returned	Payment Voided
Drop Shipment Canceled	Order Approved	Pending
Drop Shipment Ordered	Order Backordered	Pending Shipment
Item Added	Order Canceled	Shipped
Item Backordered	Order Received	Tracking Number Edited

Be advised that some shopping cart systems only accept a specific set of status labels. See the shopping cart’s Knowledge Base page for details.

Configuring SEOM

Setting System Parameters

The following system parameters can be set through the Order Status Section of the Store Setup Wizard or through the Set System Parameters screen.

1. Enable the Status Events feature by setting parameter UseStatusUpdates set to TRUE.
2. Enable the transmission of status information from SEOM to the Order Status System by setting the following system parameters in the SETI parameter group:

SETISendStatusUpdate  – set to TRUE

SETID – enter the Order Status System user name provided by Stone Edge

SETIPassword – enter the Order Status System password provided by Stone Edge

SETIMerchantID – enter the Merchant ID provided by Stone Edge for use with the Order Status System

SETIURL – enter the URL to the Order Status ASP page provided by Stone Edge

SETIStatusLinkURL – enter the URL which is presented in the e-mail link customers select to access the order’s status information. The default URL is “http://www.stoneedge.net/orderstatus/checkstatus.asp”. It is possible to enter a URL from your web site which redirects inquiries to the Order Status System URL, instead. Refer to Appendix A.

Creating Custom Status Labels (Optional)

If the standard SEOM status labels do not fit your needs, use the List Maintenance feature to define your own status labels. Labels should not exceed 50 characters and they cannot contain single (‘) or double quotes (“).

Open the List Maintenance screen from Main Menu>Settings>Data Functions>List Maintenance, the List Maintenance button on the Status Events screen, or via the Enter Status’ button on Page 2 of the Order Status Section of the Store Setup Wizard. If the status labels are added via the Store Setup Wizard, it is not necessary to choose a list type from Select List, as seen in the figure below, they will already be loaded.

Adding Status Labels

Figure 1: List Maintenance screen

1. Choose the Status from Select List.
2. Enter the name of the new status label in Status.
3. Select Save or press the Enter key twice.
4. The entry appears in the List Entries section of the screen. The entries are in alphabetical order.
5. To add more entries to the same list, repeat steps 2-3 as often as necessary to create all of the new status labels.

Deleting Unwanted Status Labels

1. Select the Status label to be removed from List Entries, and it is populated in the Status field.
2. Select Remove.
3. The entry disappears from List Entries.

Assign a Status Label to a Status Event

Use the Status Events screen to designate the status label to apply to an order or line item when a given status event occurs. Applying status labels is optional for any given event. If no label is applied to an event then the existing status is not changed.

The Status Event screen can be accessed via the Main Menu>Settings>System Functions or at Page 2 of the Order Status System section of the Store Setup Wizard.

The Event column lists the various SEOM events that can change the status.

In the Item Status column, select the label to apply to affected line item or items when the event occurs. If an event is item-related, the label is applied to the single affected line item. If an event is order-related, the label is applied to all line items in the order.

In the Order Status column, select the label to apply to the order when that events occurs.

The Notify Cart column indicates whether the program should send the changes in order/line item status to shopping carts. Verify your shopping cart system accepts status updates from an outside source before checking the box in the Notify Cart column, as it may adversely affect program performance if updates are not accepted. Depending on the shopping cart system, other system parameters may also need to be set. Refer to the Knowledge Base topic for the specific cart being used.

Notify Cart has no effect on the sending of updates to the Order Status System, however. Status changes are always sent to the OSS as long as the Send Status to Order Status System box is checked on Page 1 of the Order Status System section of the Store Setup Wizard.

Figure 2: Status Events screen

In the example shown in the figure above, the status event Order Add Tracking Number is assigned the status label of Shipped. When an order has new tracking information added to it, the status of the order changes to Shipped when the Status Event is triggered by the Process Tracking Numbers function. For more information about that function, see the Related Topics at the end of this article. If Notify Cart is selected, the program also sends the status update to shopping carts.

Apply a Status Label to an Event

1. Put the cursor in the Item Status or Order Status column in the row for a particular event.
2. Select a status label from the drop-down list, which displays the list of status labels supplied with the program and those added via the List Maintenance screen. It is not possible to type in a new entry into the field here, any new labels must be added via the List Maintenance screen.
3. Choose the status label to assign to the order or item when the event occurs by selecting it from the list.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 for any other events used. Changes made at this screen take effect immediately.

Remove a Status Label from an Event

1. Select the label in the Item or Order Status columns in the row of the appropriate status event.
2. Press Delete or Backspace to remove the label.
3. The change is saved immediately. Repeat as often as needed.

 Viewing or Changing the Current Status

To view the current status of an order or line item, go to the Process Orders screen and select the Order or Items tabs.

Manually Set the Status of an Order

1. Select one of the status labels from Set Order Status to, or manually type a status label. Any status label added here only affects the current order, it is not added to the list of status events used elsewhere in the program.

Figure 3: The Process Orders screen – Order Status tab

1. Select Set to apply the label to the order, which is then visible in Current Order Status.

Figure 4: The Process Orders screen – updated Order Status tab

Manually Set the Status of a Single Line Item

1. Select the item to be changed from the list. The selected item’s background is blue.

Figure 5: The Process Orders screen – Item Status tab

1. Select a status label from Set Item Status to, or manually type in a status label. Labels added here are unique to the current order and are not added to the status events list used elsewhere in the program.
2. In Set Item Status for, choose Selected Item (below).
3. Select Set to apply the chosen label to the selected line item, which is then visible in the Status field of the item.

Manually Set the Status of All Line Items in an Order

1. Select a status label from Set Item Status to, or manually type in a status label. Labels added here are unique to the current order and are not added to the status events list used elsewhere in the program.
2. All Items (below) is selected by default in Set Item Status for.
3. Select Set to apply the chosen label to all line items in the order, which is then visible in the Status field of each item.

Figure 6: The Process Orders screen – Item Status tab

Clearing a Status Label

1. Leave Set Order/Item Status to blank, or manually clear data entered there.
   1. To clear the status of a single line item, select the item and choose Selected Item (below) from Set Item Status for.
   2. To clear the status of all line items, select (All Items below) from Set Item Status for.
2. Select Set.

Refreshing the Order or Line Item Status at the Order Status System Portal

Occasionally, changes may not get posted to the Order Status System for a variety of reasons.

If it becomes necessary to re-send the current status information to the Order Status portal, select Send Status To Web.

Setting Up the Web-Based Order Status System

The Order Status System has a web-based interface where the retailer selects the fields to include in their order status displays, as well as enter HTML headers and footers to format the data, etc.

All account settings are maintained at the following URL: http://www.stoneedge.net/orderstatus/admin

Administration Login

To access your account, it is necessary to enter the User Name and Password assigned by Stone Edge when the Order Status System subscription is purchased. That information is found in the order confirmation e-mail sent to the e-mail address specified in our customer account record. Select Login.

Figure 7: The Order Status System Admin Interface

Navigation Pane

The left-hand side of the screen is the Navigation Pane, which includes links for accessing the functions available in the Order Status System, which are organized by purpose.

Order Tracking

Check Orders

Use this screen to view order status information outside SEOM. It is possible to sort the list of orders by date, order number, web order number, billing name or shipping name.

Figure 8: Check Orders screen of OSS Admin

Generate HTML

This page displays a generic non-formatted HTML or JavaScript source code that can be copied and pasted for use on your site. Choose which fields (Email, Zip Code or both) should be included along with the order number field and select Generate HTML Form.

It is recommended to use both the Zip Code and Email fields, although the example in the figure below shows only the Zip Code field included along with the order number field.

Figure 9: Generate HTML screen of OSS Admin

Of course, you are free to create your own forms from scratch or from any HTML editor that you use. If you are creating your own form, please be aware of the following required and optional fields and the appropriate formatting:

Field Name	Required?	Expected Value
MerchantID	YES	Merchant Provided: Your assigned MerchantID
Order Number	YES	Customer Provided: Either the web site order number or the OMS order number
Zip and/or Email	Both can be specified alone or together, but at least one of them is required to be present.	Customer Provided: The Bill To: Zip Code or the customer’s e-mail address that was used for the order

The values passed to the Order Status System to do the actual lookup, such as e-mail address, Zip Code, or order number, are not case-sensitive. The key/value pairs can be submitted in a URL or from a form using either the POST or GET method.

Create Hosted Landing Pages

This screen contains URLs for your hosted landing pages.

Figure 10: Create Hosted Landing Pages of OSS Admin

Settings (Global)

This page is where you control how your customers view their order’s status.

After making your selections, click Save Changes.

Figure 11: Settings screen of OSS Admin

POST Methods

Generic and Formatted methods are most widely used.

1. Generic Post Method – this is the “no frills” format. The customer sees the status of their order on a white page with black text.
2. Formatted Post Method – this method is recommended for most retailers because it gives the them a lot of control over the appearance of the data without any special programming. Copy and paste the HTML from your existing site into the header and footer. Use this method when you want the same “look and feel” as your web site.
3. Query String to URL Post Method – this method should only be attempted by users with advanced programming skills

When using this method, the order status data is sent to a web page you specify. Contact Stone Edge to obtain more information about using this method, however, Stone Edge does not provide the technical resources necessary to implement this type of custom modification.

1.  XML- only Method – this method should only be attempted by users with advanced programming skills

This method gives the retailer the most control over the data displayed in the Order Status System. Contact Stone Edge to obtain more information about using this method, however, Stone Edge does not provide the technical resources necessary to implement this type of custom modification.

Default Font:

Choose the font used to display the order status information.

Days before Deleting Orders:

All orders are automatically deleted out of the system depending on the number of days specified here. The maximum number of days to keep the orders in the Order Status System is 60. If you need to retain order information for a longer period of time, contact Stone Edge Technologies. Additional charges may apply due to increased storage requirements.

Select which fields to use:

This section of the screen is where you choose which Order, Item and Tracking/Shipment data fields are visible to customers.

Inquiry Settings

This page gives the retailer control over the e-mail inquiry feature, which allows your customers to send you an e-mail inquiring about an order.

Figure 12: Inquiry Settings screen of OSS Admin

Mail Settings

1. Select “Enable Customer email form?” to permit e-mail inquires. Clear the field if you do not want to accept e-mail inquiries from customers.
2. Specify the subject line to appear on every inquiry e-mail, along with the e-mail address to which the inquiries are sent.

Form Settings

1. Specify the text for the hyperlink in the customer email in the first text box.
2. The second field is optional and is used to specify a title at the top of the mail form, such as “Please enter your message below”, or “Compose a message about your order”, etc.
3. The third box is where you enter a confirmation message which is displayed to the customer after they have sent an e-mail inquiry. Plain text or formatted HTML can be used.
4. (Optional) The fourth box and fifth boxes are where HTML code can be added to the header and footer of the e-mail inquiry pages to maintain the “look and feel” of your web site.

Account Information

Account Information

1. Edit the information in the text boxes as needed.
2. Click Submit to make the changes.

Change Password

1. Enter your Old Password (current password), the New Password, and re-enter the new password in Confirm New Password.
2. Select Submit to make the change.

Help

Contact Us

Contact Support at 844-667-3279 or support@stoneedge.com

Documentation

Opens this page of the Stone Edge Knowledge Base.

Login/Logout

This link is labeled Login or Logout depending on your current session status.

To Login, enter your credentials, or select Logout to end your current session and log out of the OSS Admin interface. Refer to Figure 4  at the beginning of this topic.

Appendix A

Add a link to the Order Status System portal in an e-mail template

1. Open the Email Template Editor, which is accessed at Main Menu>Settings>Report Functions and select the template to provide tracking information to your customers. The e-mail templates used for various purposes are identified in the Email section of the Store Setup Wizard.
2. Insert the <<Status Link>> tag into the body of your e-mail template. The tag can be located using the All or Orders radio buttons.
3. Save the changes to the template.

Create a “Check Status” form on your Web site

Retailers typically set up an HTML form on their store site where customers can retrieve orders status information. To get their order status information, customers enter their order number and e-mail address into an online form.

1. To generate the HTML for a “check status” form, select Generate HTML on the navigation bar of your Order Status System Web Services page.
2. Choose which type of form you want and which fields to include.
3. Select Generate HTML Form. Copy and paste the HTML to the area or page you have designated on your web site.