Why SOPs Matter at 200 Orders/Day

At 50 orders/day, the founder can manage everything. At 200 orders/day:

You need 3-5 people in operations
Without SOPs, each person does things slightly differently
Mistakes compound: wrong product shipped, late dispatch, missed return, inventory mismatch
Customer complaints increase → reviews drop → conversion drops → you spend more on ads to maintain revenue

SOPs aren’t bureaucracy. They’re the difference between a brand that scales and one that implodes.

SOP 1: Daily Order Processing (8:00 AM – 12:00 PM)

8:00 AM — Download orders from all channels (Shopify, Amazon, Flipkart) into your OMS
8:30 AM — Flag exceptions — COD orders above ₹2,000 (verify via WhatsApp), out-of-stock items, incomplete addresses
9:00 AM — Pick orders — Generate pick lists by zone (to optimize packing). One person picks, another verifies.
10:00 AM — Pack orders — QC check (right product, right size, no defects) → pack → add invoice → add thank you card → seal box
11:00 AM — Label and manifest — Print shipping labels, create manifest in courier partner system
12:00 PM — Handover to courier — Courier pickup. Verify all packages are scanned and manifest matches.

Response time target: WhatsApp within 15 minutes, email within 2 hours
Priority matrix: Payment issues > delivery problems > product queries > general inquiries
‘Where is my order?’ — Check tracking, provide update. If delayed beyond EDD, proactively message us with updated timeline.
Return/exchange requests — Verify order, confirm return eligibility, initiate reverse pickup, communicate refund timeline.
Complaints — Acknowledge, apologize, offer fix (replacement/refund + discount on next order). Escalate to founder if unresolved after 2 attempts.
End of day: Log all unresolved tickets. Zero inbox policy — every query gets at least a first response.

Full physical stock count (rotate categories — all SKUs counted at least once per month)
Review slow-moving inventory (no sales in 30 days) — consider discounting or bundling
Place reorders for fast-moving SKUs
Update procurement forecasts based on last 4 weeks’ trends

Receive return package — Open, photograph contents, check against return request
Quality check — Is the product resellable? Categories: A (resellable as-is), B (needs repackaging), C (damaged/defective — write off)
Restock A/B items — Update inventory count immediately
Process refund — Within 3 business days of receiving the return
Log return reason — Track in spreadsheet: wrong size, didn’t like, defective, wrong product sent. Monthly analysis to reduce future returns.

Orders processed vs orders received — All orders should be shipped same day (for orders received before 2 PM)
Payment reconciliation — Match orders in Shopify with payment gateway settlements
Courier handover verification — Confirm all packages were picked up. Flag any missed pickups for priority next day.
Support ticket summary — Log open tickets, escalations, and patterns (same complaint from multiple customers = systemic issue)

At Growww Tech, we help D2C brands build scalable operations — from SOPs to tool selection to team structure. Let’s build your operations backbone.

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