Working a brand

The Brand Work Desk is the single screen where you act on everything happening for one brand: outstanding work, conversations, orders that need attention, inbound shipments, shipping errors, reference knowledge, and a running activity log. This page walks through each section so you know what it shows and where to go for the detail. It is for everyone — both 3PL operators and brand users.

A "brand" is the same thing the Directory screen calls a Group — the two terms refer to the same entity.

Overview

Open a brand from your home screen to land on its Work Desk (route /brand-workdesk/:brandId). The desk is organized into collapsible sections — Work, Orders, Shipping, and Info — each holding one or more accordions. Tap a section header to expand or collapse it, and tap an accordion to open its list. Most accordions show a count chip telling you how many items need attention.

The Work and Info sections always appear. The Orders and Shipping sections appear only when the brand is connected to your WMS, and which accordions show is controlled by Configure Views.

Screenshot: The Brand Work Desk with its expandable sections. (pending capture)

Review Open Tasks

The Open Tasks accordion (in the Work section) lists every task that is still open for this brand, with a count chip. Use the Search tasks... bar to find a specific task, or tap the + to add one inline without leaving the desk.

  1. Expand the Work section, then open Open Tasks.
  2. Tap a task card to view or update its details.
  3. To add a task, tap the + and fill in the inline create form.

Creating a task is available to members with permission to do so. For the full task workflow, see Tasks and Creating tasks.

Work Threads

The Threads accordion (in the Work section) collects the conversations attached to this brand's orders, tasks, and inbound shipments. An unread dot marks threads with new messages, and a count chip shows the total. Tap the + to start a thread on an order, task, or shipment.

  1. Expand the Work section, then open Threads.
  2. Tap a thread to read it and reply.
  3. If the list is empty, open an order, task, or inbound shipment to start the first thread.

Threads use Packr's built-in messaging. For more, see Channels and threads.

Orders on Hold

The Orders on Hold accordion (in the Orders section) shows orders the warehouse has placed on hold so they are not shipped until someone clears the issue. The count chip shows a + when there are more than the displayed page. Use Search orders... to find a specific order.

  1. Expand the Orders section, then open Orders on Hold.
  2. Tap an order card to see why it is held and what to do next.

This section appears only when the brand is connected to your WMS. For details, see Orders.

Orders on Backorder

The Orders on Backorder accordion (in the Orders section) lists orders that cannot fully ship because one or more items are out of stock. As with holds, the count chip shows a + when more orders exist beyond the page, and Search orders... finds a specific one.

  1. Expand the Orders section, then open Orders on Backorder.
  2. Tap an order card to review the short item and its status.

This section appears only when the brand is connected to your WMS. For details, see Orders.

Urgent Queue

The Urgent Queue accordion (in the Orders section) lists this brand's orders that are in one of the fulfillment statuses your workspace has marked as urgent, so the orders that need prioritizing surface in one place. The count chip shows how many are waiting, and Search orders... finds a specific one.

  1. Expand the Orders section, then open Urgent Queue.
  2. Tap an order card to open it and act on it.

The Urgent Queue is optional and off by default. A workspace admin turns it on for a brand from Configure Views (see Customize what you see), and chooses which order statuses count as urgent under Settings -> Urgent Queue. Once an admin enables the section, everyone with access to the brand sees it. Like the other order accordions, it appears only when the brand is connected to your WMS. For details on orders, see Orders.

Open Inbound Shipments

The Open Inbound Shipments accordion (in the Shipping section) shows inbound shipments — stock arriving at the warehouse — that are still open. Use Search shipments... to find one, or tap View All Shipments to see the complete list.

  1. Expand the Shipping section, then open Open Inbound Shipments.
  2. Tap a shipment card to view its contents and status.

This section appears only when the brand is connected to your WMS. For details, see Inbound shipments.

Unreviewed Shipping Errors

The Unreviewed Shipping Errors accordion (in the Shipping section) surfaces order shipping errors that no one has reviewed yet, so problems do not go unnoticed. The count chip shows how many are waiting, and a threads label next to the title tells you how many of them are on orders that already have a conversation attached.

  1. Expand the Shipping section, then open Unreviewed Shipping Errors.
  2. Open an error card to read the detail and mark it resolved once handled.
  3. To see the order behind an error, select its order number on the card.

This section appears only when the brand is connected to your WMS. For how to work through them, see Shipping errors.

Reviewed Shipping Errors

The Reviewed Shipping Errors accordion (in the Shipping section) is the history of everything already marked reviewed for this brand, most recently reviewed first, so an error you have handled is still findable instead of just disappearing. Reviewed cards are greyed out with the error type struck through. The list is capped, so it shows the most recent reviewed errors rather than every one ever recorded.

  1. Expand the Shipping section, then open Reviewed Shipping Errors.
  2. Select an error card to read what was recorded, or select its order number to open the order.

This accordion shares the shipping-errors setting in Configure Views with Unreviewed Shipping Errors — turning shipping errors on or off shows or hides both. Like the other WMS accordions, it appears only when the brand is connected to your WMS. See Shipping errors.

Add and scan Drive content

The Drive accordion (in the Info section) holds the articles and files attached to this brand — the reference material Pax draws on when answering questions. The count chip shows how many items are attached. Tap the + to open a menu with three choices:

  • New Article — write a Context article for this brand.
  • Upload File — add a Drive file.

  • Scan for context — Packr scans the last 48 hours of this brand's activity and suggests context to capture. While it runs, the menu shows Scanning the last 48 hours…

  • Expand the Info section, then open Drive.

  • Tap an article or file to open it, or tap + to add or scan.

For more, see Context articles, Drive, and the Drive overview.

Read the Timeline

The Timeline accordion (in the Info section) is a running activity log for the brand — a chronological feed of what has happened, such as tasks, orders, shipments, and other changes. Tap an entry to jump to the item it refers to.

  1. Expand the Info section, then open Timeline.
  2. Scroll the feed and tap any entry to open the related task, order, or shipment.

Customize what you see

The Configure Views button at the bottom of the desk controls which optional accordions appear. The Open Tasks, Threads, Drive, and Timeline accordions always show; the Orders and Shipping accordions are opt-in. The Urgent Queue accordion is admin-only in Configure Views — only a workspace admin can turn it on for a brand — but once enabled, everyone with access to the brand sees it.

Admin only

The Archive Channel action at the bottom of the desk is available only to workspace and 3PL admins, and only when viewing a custom channel. Archiving a channel is an admin-only task.

Common questions

What do the cards on my Work Desk mean? Each accordion groups one kind of work for the brand — open tasks, threads, orders on hold or backorder, inbound shipments, shipping errors, and knowledge. The number chip on an accordion is the count of items in it; a + on an order count means there are more beyond the current page.

Where do I see orders that need attention? In the Orders section: Orders on Hold shows orders the warehouse is holding, and Orders on Backorder shows orders waiting on out-of-stock items. Both appear only when the brand is connected to your WMS. See Orders.

Where do shipping errors go after I review them? They move from Unreviewed Shipping Errors to the Reviewed Shipping Errors accordion in the same Shipping section, most recently reviewed first. Nothing is deleted, and the error also stays on its order. See Shipping errors.

What is the Timeline? The Timeline (in the Info section) is the brand's activity log — a chronological feed of recent changes across tasks, orders, shipments, and more. Tap any entry to open the item it refers to.

Why are the Orders and Shipping sections missing? Those sections appear only when the brand is connected to your warehouse (WMS) and the matching views are turned on in Configure Views. See Connecting your WMS.

What is the Urgent Queue? The Urgent Queue (in the Orders section) collects the brand's orders in the fulfillment statuses your workspace has marked as urgent. It is optional: a workspace admin turns it on for a brand in Configure Views and picks which statuses count under Settings -> Urgent Queue. Once enabled, everyone with access to the brand can see it.

What does "Scan for context" do? In the Drive accordion, Scan for context reviews the brand's last 48 hours of activity and suggests reference material to capture as an article. See Context articles.