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Creating high-quality inbound shipments will help expedite the receiving of your SKUs and avoid issues that may lead to delays. The step by step instructions and video below will demonstrate how to create Inbounds.

 

Note: Please make sure your products are properly prepped before shipping your inventory. Review the Shipment and Product Preparation Guidelines before getting started, especially if you intend to ship mixed cases.

 

Video Walkthrough


Video Timestamps
Jump directly to a specific part of the Video:

 

0:00 First Steps
1:00 Ship From
1:17 Adding Products
1:42 Adding New Products
5:16 Shipment Method
5:39 Packing Information
6:35 Conversations Feature
7:06 Barcode Labels
7:30 Shipping Documentation
7:51 Mark In Transit
8:05 Received Notes

 

Important: Before you can send inventory to Cahoot, your Inbound Shipment must be approved and assigned to an address. Use the following steps below to create your inbound and submit it for approval.


Step-by-Step Guide

1. In your Cahoot account, go to Work Orders > All Inbounds.

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2. On the Assigned to Partner tab, click Add New Inbound.

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3. Create a unique Inbound Name (i.e. Replenishment #1, or New SKUs 0322) and choose an Estimated Ship Date.

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4. If you're scheduling your own carrier pickup, enter the Carrier, Service Type, Carrier Pickup Date, the warehouse Pickup Hours, and let us know if the pickup location requires a liftgate or has any limited access requirements.

Note: By default, all inbounds are scheduled using Cahoot's Partnered Carriers. To use your Own Carrier account, it must be approved by Cahoot in advance.  

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5. Add the Ship From (origin) address. 

Note:  If you're shipping from your primary warehouse, click the Use Default Address checkbox to auto-fill your address. This is the address configured in your Cahoot Account.

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6a. Add Items to your Inbound by entering the SKU and/or Barcode and clicking Add Item, or simply leave these fields blank and click Add Item to search your Product Catalog.

Note: If your Barcodes are NOT configured in Cahoot, then only enter the SKU value and click Add Item. If you leave both fields blank and click Add Item it will open the Search and Add Items window as shown in the step below.

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6b. In the Search and Add Items window, use the top filters and click Go to find specific items in your Product Catalog. Then use the checkboxes on the left and click Select to add the SKUs to your Inbound. You can also multi-select checkboxes to add multiple SKUs in bulk.

Note: If you use the top filters to search for a specific SKU, make sure to only use one filter at a time for the greatest likelihood of success. Click Go to search.

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7. If you don’t see your product on the list, you can quickly create a new SKU by clicking Add New Product on the same Search and Add Items window.

Note: Learn more about Creating New Products.

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8. After creating the new product, go back to your inbound and enter the SKU Name in the top filter of the Search and Add Items window and click Go. Select the checkbox and click Select to add the newly created product to your Inbound.

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9. If you did not enter the barcode value when first creating your new product, enter it now by clicking the Edit Product link on the inbound page.

Important: Additional processing fees will apply when receiving items that are MISSING Barcodes. You will have to create an inventory prep Work Order to have the items barcoded AFTER your inbound is received and items are live in Cahoot.

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10. Enter the Barcode in the Product Editor and click Save, then close the tab. 

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Note 1: It is very important that you DO NOT REFRESH the page thinking that the barcode will be displayed or you will lose all your work! Instead, fill out the rest of your inbound, and when you Save as Draft or Submit Inbound, these previously missing barcodes will be automatically updated. Don’t worry that you don’t see them on the Inbound screen now.  

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Note 2: Once the inbound is approved and moves from Pending Approval to Approved status, it cannot be edited. Any SKUs still missing barcodes could get stranded and require extra receiving time to resolve. It's best to enter your barcodes upfront, but if you don’t know one, or you're missing any other important details, click Save as Draft and come back to it later.

 

11. Enter the Quantities of each SKU that you're shipping.

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12. Select whose Carrier Account you will ship on, the Shipment Type (Parcel, LTL, etc.), and how much Shipment Insurance you need, if any.

 

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13. Under Packing Information, click the Add Box/Pallet button and select if this will ship in a Pallet or Box. Then enter the package Dimensions (Length, Width, Height, in inches), individual package Weight (in pounds), and the Quantity of this Package Type you are shipping. System will automatically calculate the Total Weight if you are sending multiple packages of the same dimensions & weight.

Note: For shipping Pallets, enter the Freight Class and/or NMFC Code. If you don't know the NMFC Code, enter a simple description of the most common components of the load (Plasticware, Glassware, Food Stuffs, etc.)

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14. Check the box to Certify that your inventory will arrive prepped according to the Operational Guidelines, OR, that you are planning for Cahoot to provide the prep services and invoice you accordingly, (prep would be any barcoding, bagging of spillables, bubble wrapping, etc.), and either click Save as Draft to come back to your inbound later, or click Submit to request approval.

 

15. Click Yes to Confirm.

Note: Reminder that once an Inbound is Approved, it cannot be edited. Make sure it’s accurately filled out before Submitting for Approval. 

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16. After you Submit your Inbound, a Conversations panel will be displayed at the bottom of the page. Add a message requesting approval for the inbound.

Note: All communications about your Inbound will be done through the Conversations. You’ll get an email notification whenever there’s a new conversation message. 

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17. After submitting your Inbound, you can print an Inbound Summary for your records, as well as, Box and Pallet Labels or Barcode Labels needed to prep the units or packages you're shipping.

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18. If Cahoot has scheduled the carrier pickup, we will attach the Bill of Lading or Shipping Labels, along with the Freight Amount and Tracking Info to the Shipping Documents section of the Inbound page and notify you in Conversations.

Note: The inbound ID will be listed as the PO # on the BOL (e.g. WO-1234). Please have both numbers ready (PO# and BOL#) upon pickup as the driver may ask for them. 

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19. If you are scheduling the pickup on your own carrier account, it's your responsibility to upload these Shipping Documents after the inbound is Approved and a destination address is provided. Add the Shipping Documents by clicking Edit, then click Upload next to Bill of Lading to attach the files, and enter tracking number(s) in the text fields, click Save.

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Important: If you are scheduling your own pickup, please make sure the [Inbound ID #] is added to the BOL for LTL or the outside of each box/case for small parcel. If needed, you can print certified Box and Pallet Labels from your Inbound. You will incur additional fees if this step is missed.

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20. After the shipment is picked up from your warehouse, come back to the Inbound and click Mark as In Transit.

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21. Click Yes to confirm.

Note: If you don’t Mark as in Transit, the warehouse cannot begin receiving the shipment when it’s delivered. It is very important that this is done to prevent receiving delays. 

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22. Lastly, when you receive a Conversation that your SKUs are LIVE in Cahoot and ready for fulfillment, you should turn on the listings in your sales channel(s).

Note: We recommend always listing your SKUs with buffer quantity/safety stock. Read more about Partner Reserve Quantity. 

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