Order blocks

A block is an indicator that specifies whether the items in an order cannot be released to fulfillment. Only order items that are not released to fulfillment are affected by order blocks.

There can be a list of block reason codes at the store level. We can enable or disable some reason codes and turn off the other reason codes for the store.

Order block states

Order blocks have two states: unresolved and resolved.

• Blocks in the unresolved state prevent the release to fulfillment of order items.

• 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 can be released to fulfillment.

When a block is first added to an order, it is in the unresolved state. Orders with unresolved blocks are called "blocked orders"; 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 release to fulfillment. All blocks on an order must be resolved before items are release to fulfillment.

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 by using WebSphere Commerce Accelerator.

We can add a block to an order that is in any state.

Resolving a block can also be done automatically by WebSphere Commerce as part of the orders work flow or manually by using WebSphere Commerce Accelerator. Some blocks that are added automatically can be resolved automatically, whereas all blocks can be resolved manually using the WebSphere Commerce Accelerator. Each block on an order must be resolved individually; we 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:

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 block resolves 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 block resolves automatically when the shipping charge is approved.

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

Manual order blocks

We can block an order manually for the following reasons:

• You suspect fraud

• The buyer is on a denied-party list

• Exports to the destination country are restricted

• A discontinued product is part of the order

• An Administrator identified another reason

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

Access control

We 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.

Tickler generation

In the block reason code configuration user interface, we can enable or disable the tickler to generate on any of the blocked reasons.

Store relationships

We can enable a store relationship for a blocked reason. As a result, even when a blocked reason code is not enabled on a hosted store, but is enabled on its assets store, the blocked reason code is respected on the hosted store.

• Adding order block codes
  Each block on an order has a block reason code. In addition to the order block reason codes with WebSphere Commerce, we can add additional order block codes to meet your business needs. These new order blocks can be added manually to orders.

• Enable or disabling order blocking
  Order blocks are controlled by the order block manager. We can enable or disable order blocking on a store-by-store basis. By default, order blocking is enabled when you publish a starter store.