Receiving Inbound Shipments
The following instructions cover how to Receive Inbound Shipments, including what to do if units are delivered damaged, barcodes aren't matching expected values, units are missing, or extra unexpected units are received, and includes best practices accordingly. This process is necessary to ensure data integrity and helps to provide a more accurate basis for Cycle Counts.
Video Walkthrough
Video Timestamps
Jump directly to a specific part of the Video:
0:00 | Mark as Arrived |
0:38 | Upload Shipping Documents |
1:36 | Receiving Good Units |
6:38 | Receiving Damaged Units |
8:25 | Receiving Discrepancies |
9:15 | Confirming Issue Details |
9:57 | Submitting Invoices |
Step-by-Step Guide
1. Navigate to Work Orders > All Inbounds. On the Assigned to Me tab, click the Inbound ID for the shipment you are Receiving.
2. Click the Mark as Arrived button at the top of the page after uploading the Required Shipping Documents and entering your name & date in the Completed By and Date of Arrival at Warehouse fields down below. Then click Yes to confirm.
3. When an LTL shipment is delivered, you must visually inspect the shipment briefly and make note of any damages you observe on the Bill of Lading. Be sure to have the driver sign it and take a copy. Attach the Signed Bill of Lading to the Shipping Documents section using the Upload link.
4. Click the Receive Inbound button at the top of the page.
5. On the Receive Inbound screen, click into the Barcode field and Scan the first barcode.
6. Enter the Qty and the UNIQUE Bin Location where this product will be stored. If you receive any damaged units, follow the instructions, here.
7. Enter the Item Dimensions LxWxH (nearest quarter inch) and Weights for each SKU. Make sure you select the correct Unit of Measure in the drop down (lbs or oz) depending on what your scale reads. Learn more about How to Measure and Weigh Products.
It is very important NOT to round to whole numbers. We rely on the accuracy of your numbers so Cahoot can automatically select the best packaging and create the shipping label accordingly.
8. Select your Suggested Packaging in the drop down. This is the packaging you would ship this product in if it were your own SKU.
9. Enter the Master Case Pack information. Count the number of Units Per Case and enter the case dimensions and weights.
10. If you scan a barcode for a replenishment SKU, Cahoot will pre-populate the Barcode Value, Bin Location, Product Dimensions & Weights, and the Suggested Packaging that was entered the first time the product was received.
There will be no need to enter the data again unless they are noticeably different, such as, if retail packaging has changed. This is rare, but if it does happen, please contact Cahoot Support using the Inbound Conversation for help with the next steps.
10A. Cahoot will pre-populate the Bin Locations based on what was entered previously. If there is existing inventory still in that location, you wont be able to change the Bin from the inbound page. But if the SKU is out of stock, the Bin Location field will become editable so you can add a new Bin, if it's needed.
If it’s not possible to add new inventory to the existing Bin Location, you may put it in a separate unique Bin Location, but you’ll have to update the Bin in the Product Editor, which you can get to via the Products menu. Learn more about Adding Bin Locations.
11. When you’re done receiving (for now), sign your name in the Completed By field, click Save Changes.
11A. Cahoot will then create an Inbound Receipt, and these SKUs will move to the Received status once the Qty Received matches with the Qty Sent. You can also edit your entries by clicking into the Receipt and selecting the Edit Inbound Receipt button.
12. To receive more inventory, click the Receive Inbound button to resume receiving.
If you didn’t receive all the units expected, enter what you did receive, and Cahoot Support work with the Seller to figure out where the missing units are. Learn more about how to handle and complete inbounds that have quantity discrepancies, here.
Learn more about Work Orders.
Receiving Damaged Units
When receiving an inbound, your team will unbox and inspect all inventory as you place the SKUs in their unique Bin Locations. When you come across damaged units during receiving, you are required to take pictures and upload them under the Damaged section for the respective line item(s). We suggest you set those damaged units aside until you’re done receiving all the Good units. You can then come back and receive all the damaged units together when you have the pictures available to easily attach/upload them.
Follow the instructions on how to receive Damaged inventory.
You can hover your mouse over the numbers under the Pictures column to preview the attachments you uploaded.
Barcoding
After all units are received and the Item Receipt status is updated to Received or Completed, go back into the Inbound and print any barcode labels needed to barcode the inventory, whether Good or Damaged. This can be done by clicking the Other Actions drop-down arrow next to the Submit Invoice button in the upper right corner, then clicking Barcode Labels.
Learn more about Printing Barcodes.
Again, please DO NOT manually enter the barcode unless it’s not scannable. Even then, make sure to notify Cahoot Support to have the product re-barcoded with a scannable barcode.
VERY IMPORTANT! You must make sure that the products are identical when you’re entering a new barcode for a product. An error here means you could start fulfilling orders using the wrong product. TRIPLE CHECK that the alternate barcode you’re entering is accurate for the product in hand.
Inbound Discrepancies
The following steps only apply if you encountered any discrepancies from what was expected. After triple counting the actual Qty Received vs. the Qty Sent, the following process will confirm the issues and allow you to mark the inbound as fully Received.
19. After triple checking the Qty you entered is correct, select, No More Items to Receive under the Other Actions drop down at the top of the page.
20. Next, it will ask you to Confirm the quantity Discrepancies. On the Confirm Inbound page, verify the Qty Received and review the Issue Details to make sure it aligns with the issues observed. Enter your name in the Confirmed By section, and click Confirm. This will move the inbound status from Partially Received to Received.
Edit Inbound Receipts
Follow the steps below if you need to make changes to the Qty Received or any SKU Data that was previously entered.
1. Click into the Receipt Number on the inbound page. This will bring you to the Receipt page, where you can click Edit Inbound Receipt to make the necessary changes.
2. Change the Qty Received and add/update Damaged Qty, if needed. You can also delete individual line items and start over by selecting the trash can icon under the Action column.
Submitting Invoices
Once the Inbound is fully Received, the Submit Invoice button will appear at the top of the page next to the Other Actions button.
1. Click the Inbound ID to go back to the Inbound page.
2. Click Submit Invoice at the top of the page.
3. Enter your 6-digit PIN#. (if you don’t have one, create a Support Ticket, and Cahoot Support will make sure to create one for you).