How a workflow assessment plays out

What was breaking

The problem was not the tools — it was the absence of any defined process connecting them.

• Orders, returns, and fulfilment exceptions had no single owner — issues surfaced only when a customer complained
• Support worked from Shopify data while ops referenced the 3PL portal — neither had the full picture
• Exceptions lived in a spreadsheet updated manually twice a day, with no escalation path in between

What changes before automation

Automation applied to an unclear workflow speeds up the confusion. First:

• Exception ownership by type — each category (delayed fulfilment, stock discrepancy, unconfirmed return) gets a named owner and response protocol
• A single exception log pulling from both Shopify and the 3PL, reviewed at a fixed daily cadence
• Written escalation rules and handoff criteria — what triggers an alert, when ops hands to support, and with what context

What gets automated once the workflow is clear

• Daily exception report auto-generated from Shopify + 3PL data — replacing the manual spreadsheet entirely
• Exceptions auto-routed to the correct owner; delay notifications sent automatically when an order hasn't moved in 48 hours
• A live fulfilment dashboard giving ops and support one shared real-time view

Before and after workflow map

Projected results after redesign

• ~65% fewer manual exception checks — exception paths documented and assigned, so the team stops reviewing everything each morning
• Exception resolution: 3–4 days → same day — clear ownership and escalation rules surface issues the day they occur
• One unified order status view across Shopify, 3PL, and support — both teams working from the same data

What was breaking

Inbound request handling had never been formally designed — it evolved through habit, and every gap required a human to compensate.

• No standard triage across email, forms, chat, and portal — each channel handled by individual judgment, in the order seen rather than by priority
• SLA timers started inconsistently — sometimes from the email, sometimes from ticket creation — making reporting unreliable
• Handoffs were verbal or via Slack with no documentation trail, so clients had to chase for status

What changes before automation

Structure the process first so automation reinforces something that already works:

• A unified intake point — all channels feed one queue with documented intake rules
• 3-tier priority classification (Critical / Standard / Low) — each tier with a defined response time, owner, and criteria any team member can apply
• One defined SLA start point and required handoff fields — plus a client-facing status layer so clients see where requests stand without asking

What gets automated once the workflow is clear

• Auto-classify and route inbound requests by source, keyword, or client tier — with auto-acknowledgement setting SLA expectations at ticket creation
• Escalation alerts triggered before an SLA breach, not after
• Clients auto-notified at key transitions — received, assigned, in progress, resolved — eliminating the follow-up loop

Before and after workflow map

Projected results after redesign

• 80%+ of requests routed correctly on first touch — triage rules eliminate manual reassignment after intake
• ~70% fewer client status follow-ups — status is visible, so clients stop chasing and the team stops sending manual updates
• Consistent delivery regardless of who handles the request — the process is the constant, not the individual

What was breaking

Every location was generating operational data — but it was fragmented, delayed, and needed manual effort before it could support a decision.

• No centralised view — the manager contacted each location individually, via WhatsApp messages and calls that were informal and untracked
• Issues often reached guests before reaching the operations manager, because no escalation path was defined
• Weekly reporting took 2–3 hours of manual spreadsheet consolidation, and task follow-up was inconsistent

What changes before automation

Define the reporting and escalation structure first — automation built on an undefined process produces automated confusion.

• A structured daily check-in format per location — same categories, same format, so data consolidates without interpretation
• Defined escalation categories — what escalates immediately vs end-of-day vs weekly review, documented so any team member can apply them
• One weekly report template and a task ownership system — every task gets an owner, a deadline, and a confirmation step

What gets automated once the workflow is clear

• Daily property status summaries pulled automatically from POS and scheduling tools — replacing the manual morning check-in
• Escalation alerts triggered when thresholds are crossed — the manager is notified before the issue reaches a guest
• The weekly operations report auto-generated from structured inputs, turning a 2–3 hour task into a review-only step

Before and after workflow map

Projected results after redesign

• Real-time visibility across all locations from a single view — no more calling each site for status
• ~80% reduction in weekly reporting time — minutes to review instead of hours to build
• Issues escalated to the right person before they reach guests — teams know exactly when and how to escalate