User Guide & Operations Manual
The Central Monitoring Dashboard is a real-time operations tool that replaces the manual Excel-based order tracking workflow. It is available at central.go-parts.com/usauto-monitoring and is accessible to all operations team members.
Core capabilities:
| Before (Excel Workflow) | Now (Central Dashboard) | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Open FedEx.com, UPS.com, USPS.com individually to check each tracking number | ShipEngine automatically checks all 1,200+ tracking numbers every 2 hours | Auto |
| Manually type "Delivered" in the Excel sheet when you confirm delivery on carrier site | System auto-marks items and orders as Delivered when carrier confirms | Auto |
| Scroll through hundreds of rows to find stalled or problem shipments | Flagged tab auto-surfaces 5 types of problems, sorted by severity | Auto |
| Color-code Excel cells to assign orders to team members | One-click Assign button with user dropdown; shows in My Queue | 1 click |
| Write and send a morning email summarizing overnight issues | Automated morning digest email at 7 AM with 4 sections | Auto |
| No audit trail — who changed what and when is unknown | Full tracking history, assignment history, and status change logs | Auto |
| Filter by copying rows to another sheet tab | Instant filters + saved presets load in one click | 1 click |
| Decide what to do about a flagged order (call supplier, reship, refund) | Still requires human judgment — dashboard shows the problem, you decide the solution | Manual |
| Track LTL/Third Party shipments (Meyer, OnTrac) | Still manual — these carriers are not tracked by ShipEngine | Manual |
The dashboard has 4 active tabs across the top:
| Tab | Purpose | Who Uses It | Badge Shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| My Queue | Your personal to-do list of assigned and group-matched orders | Every ops rep | Count of orders assigned to you |
| All Orders | Complete, filterable view of every order | Everyone — the main workhorse | — |
| Flagged | Auto-detected problems: stalled, exceptions, past ETA, overdue | Everyone, especially leads | Count of flagged items |
| Issue Log | Structured view of issue-type items (LIT, damage, wrong part, etc.) | Leads & directors for pattern analysis | — |
The page header shows the last updated time and a Refresh button. Data is live — click Refresh or switch tabs to get the latest.
My Queue is your personal action list. It shows two groups of orders:
| Column | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Order | Order number (clickable link to order detail page) |
| Customer | Customer name and shipping company |
| Supplier | Supplier code for the item |
| Total | Order total amount |
| Shipping | Shipping method |
| Status | Current Central status of the order item |
| Assigned | Who the order is assigned to |
| Remarks | Notes/comments (editable inline) |
| Actions | Assign, Escalate, Follow-up, Resolve buttons |
Maria opens My Queue at 8:00 AM. She sees 3 assigned orders at the top — one is an escalated exception from Friday, two are new assignments from her lead. Below, there are 5 unassigned Depo orders. She resolves the exception first (calls FedEx, confirms reship, clicks Resolve with a remark). Then she works through her new assignments, setting follow-ups on two that need supplier callbacks.
The All Orders tab is the main workhorse — a complete, filterable view of every order across all channels and suppliers. Default view shows the current month.
| Filter | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Date Range | Date pickers + presets | Quick presets: Today, Yesterday, This Week, This Month, Last Month |
| Supplier | Multi-select dropdown | Includes group shortcuts: "All Depo", "All US Auto", "All PBI", etc. |
| Channel | Multi-select dropdown | B2B, B2C, Marketplaces, Amazon, eBay, Website, etc. |
| Order Status | Multi-select dropdown | Default: "All but Shipped & Cancelled". Includes every Central status. |
| Carrier Status | Single select | Label Created, In Transit, Out for Delivery, Delivered, Exception, Returned |
| Carrier | Single select | FedEx, UPS, USPS, Other |
| Monitor Status | Single select | Monitoring, Flagged, Action Needed, Escalated, Resolved, Closed |
| Assigned To | Single select | Everyone, Assigned to Me, Unassigned |
| Search | Text box | Searches order #, tracking #, company name, customer name |
Click Clear All to reset all filters to defaults.
Order, Customer, Product, Part #s, Supplier, Total, Shipping, Status, Assigned, Remarks, Actions.
The team lead sets Date = Today, Channel = B2B, Status = "Needs Order". She sees 12 orders that haven't been purchased from suppliers yet. She selects 6 and assigns them to Rep A, the other 6 to Rep B. Both reps will see these in their My Queue immediately.
A customer calls about order #AP-98432. The rep types "98432" in the Search box. The order appears instantly with its current status, tracking info, and carrier status. No need to open a separate page or check a carrier website.
The Flagged tab is fully automated. It continuously scans all carrier tracking data and surfaces orders that need human attention. You do not need to manually flag orders — they appear here when the system detects a problem.
| Flag | Badge | What It Means | Typical Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exception | Exception | Carrier reported a delivery problem (e.g., "Business closed", "Address incorrect", "Damaged in transit") | Contact carrier or customer. Decide: reship, refund, or wait for re-attempt. |
| Stalled — Label Created | Stalled - Label Created | Shipping label was created more than 48 hours ago but the carrier has never scanned the package | Call the supplier — was the package actually shipped? The label may have been printed but not handed to the carrier. |
| Stalled — In Transit | Stalled - In Transit | Package was scanned into the carrier network but has had no movement for 5+ days | File a carrier claim or trace request. Consider reshipping if the package appears lost. |
| Past ETA | Past ETA | The carrier's estimated delivery date has passed and the package is not yet delivered | Check the tracking detail — many are just 1 day late and moving. Escalate if significantly late. |
| Overdue Follow-up | Overdue Follow-up | You (or a colleague) set a follow-up date on this order and that date has passed | Re-check the situation. Resolve the issue or extend the follow-up. |
| Column | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Order | Order # link + assigned badge + date | carrier | supplier + tracking # link |
| Flag Reason | Flag type badge + follow-up date if set |
| Tracking | Carrier status badge + days in transit + last event time + tracking detail message |
| Remarks | Notes/comments on the order |
| Actions | Assign, Escalate, Follow-up, Resolve buttons |
The team lead opens Flagged at 8 AM. There are 22 items. She works top-down:
• 3 Exceptions (red) — two are "address not found" (contacts customers), one is "damaged in transit" (initiates claim).
• 8 Stalled Labels (amber) — all from 2 suppliers. Batch-calls both suppliers; one confirms they shipped late, the other discovers a missed order.
• 6 Past ETA (red) — checks tracking details; 4 are only 1 day late and moving, sets follow-ups. 2 are 4 days late, files traces.
• 5 Stalled In Transit (amber) — files carrier claims on the 2 oldest (10+ days), sets 3-day follow-ups on the rest.
The Issue Log shows all order items where Central's status indicates a known problem. Unlike the Flagged tab (which uses carrier tracking data), the Issue Log is based entirely on Central's status and sub-status codes.
Date, Order #, Tracking, Supplier, Status, Sub-Status, Issue Type, Rep (assigned).
| Code | Label | Central Status / Sub-Status | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| LIT | Lost In Transit | Sub-status 29 | Package shipped 3 weeks ago, carrier has no updates, presumed lost |
| RWP | Wrong Part | Sub-status 22 | Customer received a bumper instead of a fender |
| DMG | Damaged | Sub-status 23 or 24 | Package arrived crushed; item broken (returned or not returned) |
| BO | Backordered | Sub-status 18, 32, 38 or Status 2 | Supplier confirms the part is out of stock, awaiting restock |
| CANCELLED | Cancelled | Status 7, 33, or 49 | Customer requested cancellation, or order not purchased |
| PND | Pending | Status 30 or 32 | Awaiting customer reply or customer wants to wait |
| OTHER | Other | Sub-status 31 or 35 | Miscellaneous issues that don't fit other categories |
The Director of Operations filters Issue Log to "Damaged" for the last 30 days. She sees 8 items — 5 are from the same supplier (DEPO-EC). She opens a conversation with DEPO about their packaging quality and requests corrective action. She then filters to "Backordered" and sees 15 items, mostly from one dropshipper, and follows up on restock ETAs.
The team lead filters to "Pending" to see all items awaiting customer replies. She sees 6 items older than a week. She assigns reps to do second follow-up calls to those customers.
Every order row in My Queue, All Orders, and Flagged has four action buttons:
| Button | Icon | What It Does | When To Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assign | Person icon | Opens a dropdown to assign the order to a team member. Creates an assignment record and the order appears in that person's My Queue. | When a lead distributes work, or when you want to hand off an order to a specialist. |
| Escalate | Double chevron up | Sets the monitoring status to "Escalated" (red). The order stands out visually and signals that management attention is needed. | When an issue is beyond your authority (e.g., needs a refund approval, supplier dispute, significant carrier claim). |
| Follow-up | Clock icon | Sets a follow-up date 2 days in the future. The order will re-appear in the Flagged tab on that date as "Overdue Follow-up". | When you've taken initial action but need to check back later (e.g., "Supplier said it ships tomorrow, check Thursday"). |
| Resolve | Checkmark icon | Marks the monitoring record as "Resolved" with a timestamp. The order disappears from My Queue and Flagged. | When the issue is fully handled — reship confirmed, refund processed, carrier claim settled, or package delivered. |
Click the Remarks cell on any order row to type notes. Your text saves automatically. Use remarks to record what action you took, who you called, or what the resolution was.
Presets save your current filter combination so you can reload it instantly. Each user has their own presets.
Click the Presets dropdown and select your saved preset. All filters apply instantly.
Click the X button next to the preset name in the dropdown.
Ops Rep: "My [Supplier] Today" — your supplier group, today's date, assigned to me.
Team Lead: "Unassigned This Week" — no assignee filter, this week, all suppliers.
B2B Lead: "B2B Needs Attention" — B2B channel, status = Needs Order + Ordered, this month.
The system uses ShipEngine to automatically poll carrier APIs. Here's how it works:
| Carrier | Tracked? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FedEx | Yes | All FedEx shipments |
| UPS | Yes | All UPS shipments |
| USPS / Stamps.com | Yes | All USPS and Stamps.com shipments |
| OnTrac | No | Must check manually on ontrac.com |
| LTL / Third Party (Meyer) | No | Must check manually with the carrier |
Every weekday at 7:00 AM PST, the system sends a digest email to the B2B and B2C teams (separately). The email has four sections:
| Section | Color | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Urgent: Action Needed | Red | Orders flagged/escalated for 48+ hours, carrier exceptions, overdue follow-ups. These need immediate attention. |
| New Flags Since Yesterday | Orange | Newly flagged, unassigned orders from the last 24 hours. These need someone to pick them up. |
| Unshipped Orders | Blue | Items placed 24+ hours ago with no tracking number yet. May need supplier follow-up. |
| Daily Snapshot | Gray | Yesterday's totals: orders placed, shipped, delivered, delayed. Plus open monitoring items and 7-day on-time %. |
The email includes a "View Full Dashboard" button linking directly to the monitoring page.
At 7:05 AM, the B2B lead checks email and sees the morning alert. Urgent section shows 2 carrier exceptions from Friday. New Flags section shows 4 stalled labels from over the weekend. Unshipped section shows 3 items waiting 36+ hours. She opens the dashboard, assigns the exceptions to the FedEx specialist, batch-checks the stalled labels, and follows up with the warehouse on the unshipped items — all before the 8 AM stand-up.
| Issue | How It Gets Classified | What To Do | Who Handles It |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lost In Transit (LIT) | Rep sets sub-status 29 in Central | File carrier claim, initiate reship or refund | Ops rep + carrier specialist |
| Wrong Part (RWP) | Rep sets sub-status 22 in Central | Arrange return/exchange with supplier, send correct part | Ops rep + supplier contact |
| Damaged (DMG) | Rep sets sub-status 23 or 24 in Central | File damage claim with carrier, arrange replacement | Ops rep + claims team |
| Backordered (BO) | Rep sets sub-status 18/32/38 or status 2 | Get ETA from supplier, communicate to customer, consider alternatives | Ops rep + purchasing |
| Cancelled (CANCELLED) | Rep sets status 7, 33, or 49 in Central | Process refund, cancel with supplier if not shipped | Ops rep + accounting |
| Pending (PND) | Rep sets status 30 or 32 in Central | Follow up with customer for response/decision | Ops rep |
| Other (OTHER) | Sub-status 31 or 35 in Central | Review case individually | Ops rep or lead |
| Status | Badge | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Monitoring | Monitoring | Order is being tracked normally. No issues detected. |
| Flagged | Flagged | An issue has been detected (automatically or manually). Needs review. |
| Action Needed | Action Needed | Human action is required. Usually set when a flag warrants immediate attention. |
| Escalated | Escalated | Issue has been escalated to management or a specialist. High priority. |
| Resolved | Resolved | Issue has been handled. Order drops from active queues and flagged views. |
| Closed | Closed | Monitoring complete. No further action needed. |
| Status | Badge | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Label Created | Label Created | Shipping label generated but not yet scanned by carrier. |
| Pre-Transit | Pre-Transit | Carrier has been notified but hasn't picked up the package. |
| In Transit | In Transit | Package is moving through the carrier's network. |
| Out for Delivery | Out for Delivery | Package is on the delivery vehicle, arriving today. |
| Delivered | Delivered | Package has been delivered. Item auto-marked as Delivered in Central. |
| Exception | Exception | Carrier reported a problem. Check tracking detail for specifics. |
| Delivery Attempt | Delivery Attempt | Carrier attempted delivery but couldn't complete it. |
| Returned | Returned | Package is being returned to sender. |
| Process | Frequency | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Carrier tracking sync | Every 2 hours | Polls ShipEngine for all FedEx/UPS/USPS tracking updates |
| Delivered marking | Every 2 hours | Marks items + orders as Delivered when carrier confirms |
| Exception flagging | Every 2 hours | Auto-flags monitoring records when carrier reports exception |
| Tracking history logging | Every 2 hours | Stores all carrier scan events with timestamps and locations |
| Flagged tab detection | Real-time (on page load) | Identifies stalled, exception, past-ETA, and overdue items |
| Morning alert emails | Daily at 7 AM PST | Sends digest of urgent, flagged, and unshipped items |
| Issue classification | Real-time | Derives issue type from Central status codes automatically |
| Task | Why It's Manual | Dashboard Feature That Helps |
|---|---|---|
| Assigning orders to reps | Lead decides who handles what based on expertise/workload | One-click Assign button in any tab |
| Resolving flagged items | Each issue requires a different resolution (call, reship, refund) | Flagged tab surfaces the problem; you decide the solution |
| Setting follow-up dates | Rep decides when to check back based on supplier/carrier response | One-click Follow-up button; auto-reminds on due date |
| Writing remarks/notes | Context about actions taken is human knowledge | Inline editable remarks field on every row |
| Tracking LTL/Third Party | These carriers aren't on ShipEngine | Orders still appear in All Orders; check carrier sites manually |
| Contacting suppliers/customers | Negotiations and communication require humans | Order detail link takes you directly to the order page |
| Escalating to management | Judgment call on what needs higher attention | One-click Escalate button |
| Setting Central status/sub-status | Rep must determine the correct issue type after investigation | Once set, the Issue Log automatically classifies it |
Open the My Queue tab. Your directly assigned orders appear at the top with a blue left border.
The Flagged tab is driven by live tracking data, not monitor status. If a package you resolved develops a new exception or stalls again, it will re-appear. Check the tracking detail to see what changed.
On Thursday, the order will appear in the Flagged tab with an "Overdue Follow-up" flag. It will also appear in the morning alert email under "Urgent" if overdue.
LTL and Third Party carriers are not tracked by ShipEngine. You need to check these manually on the carrier's website. They still appear in All Orders but won't have carrier status data.
The monitoring record is marked as Resolved. If you need to re-open it, contact your lead or supervisor. Typically, if a new issue arises on the same order, the system will create a new monitoring record.
Tracking is synced every 2 hours. Each individual tracking number is rechecked no sooner than every 4 hours. The "Last updated" timestamp in the page header shows when the page data was last refreshed — click Refresh for the latest.
The carrier hasn't scanned the package yet. This is common when a supplier prints the label but drops off the package late in the day, or the first scan is missed. Wait 24 hours and check again. If still no scan after 48 hours, it appears in the Flagged tab as "Stalled - Label Created."
Go to All Orders, search for the order number, and click the order link to open its detail page. Copy the tracking number and check it on the carrier's website directly.
Presets save the filter state at the time of creation. If new filter options have been added since you created the preset, recreate it. Click Clear All, set your desired filters, and save a new preset.
Morning emails are only sent when there's something to report. If your channel (B2B or B2C) has zero urgent items, zero new flags, and zero unshipped orders, no email is sent. Also check your spam folder. Contact your admin if you're not on the recipient list.
For technical issues with the dashboard, contact your system administrator. For workflow questions, reach out to your team lead or the Director of Operations.
Dashboard URL: central.go-parts.com/usauto-monitoring