One of the most exciting things about Linnworks.net, the new platform from Linn Systems multichannel management provider, is the Application Store which allows developers to create additional functionality for Linnworks users.
The apps are able to hook into various parts of Linnworks and could be used for anything from customised reporting to event driven triggers adding further automation and features.
The first Linnworks Application has been created by one of their young software engineers, Alex Connolly, who’s aiming to bring enterprise level automated customer notifications to SME Linnworks users. Before we look at the application, who is Alex?
Who is Alex Connolly?
Alex Connolly has always had a passion for software development. He started developing when he was around 13 years old, and has been programming ever since. Alex finished school at 16, and never really had any plans to continue formal education, programming was the only thing he wanted to do.
Alex began working at a company that used Linnworks, he essentially became one of their tech guys, and then in 2014 Alex moved to Linn Systems working as a developer. In the past year Alex worked on the new Linnworks.net App Store, and has built his own application, wheresmyorder.
Alex created wheresmyorder to help bridge the gap between fulfilment and the customer, to help them better understand what is happening with their order.
wheresmyorder customer notifications app for Linnworks.net
wheresmyorder helps customer track their order through your entire fulfilment process. We’re all familiar with adding a tracking number to eBay or emailing it to a website buyer but for most small online retailers that’s about as far as keeping our customers informed goes.
Enterprise retailers keep customers informed with many more touch points generating communications as the order progresses through their warehouse. The detail level of information that wheresmyorder can bring to your business starts from when the customers places the order, to when its picked, packed, and despatched. wheresmyorder will even show tracking information for the shipping provider.
There are two main ways of communicating with customer – SMS (Mobile text message) or email. Alex has chosen email as the best form of communication for wheresmyorder> Everyone carries a smartphone in their pockets these days and email is essentially free – if you started sending multiple text messages for each order you’d soon rack up a sizeable bill, even at bulk SMS rates.
Start using wheresmyorder today
Linnworks customers can start using wheresmyorder today. You’ll firstly need to subscribe to Linnworks.net, but you can use it alongside the existing desktop Linnworks application and run both in parallel. If you’re already a Linnworks customer then there’s no additional cost and you will probably grow to love the Linnworks.net version once you become accustomed to it.
Once you’re a Linnworks.net user simply navigate to the Linnworks Application Store and subscribe to wheresmyorder. Once you’ve opened a wheresmyorder account, you’ll need to authenticate yourself with your Linnworks credentials to connect your account and then you’re ready to start using wheresmyorder .
Best of all is currently Alex has made wheresmyorder available totally free of use to all Linnworks.net users. Once set up it will run in the background keeping your customers informed of how their order is progressing. It’s that simply.
In the future Alex intends to further develop wheresmyorder expanding it’s customisation features to allow users more choice on who gets notifications and what events trigger a notification. In the mean time you can sign up for Linnworks.net and subscribe to wheresmyorder today.
6 Responses
Is there a pricing model for the Linnworks app store? Can you sell applications through it?
I would hope that customers can find out the status of their order by clicking on a URL (sent in the confirmation email) or by logging onto the merchant’s site and not need to install an app.
One issue I have found when ordering online is that the merchant sends the courier tracking link before there is any information on the courier’s website, with useful information only becoming available in the early hours of the morning. Apart from looking unprofessional this also causes doubts as to the order status.
Why track through the fulfilment process? customers expect same day dispatch not to have to track the order before it is in transit…
eBay Amazon & most 3rd party shopping carts etc already provide notifications of “Your item has shipped” so why add another step to the process?
Then when the item is with the carrier most sellers provide details via e-mail / sms etc these days…
Seems like the first (of undoubtedly many) pointless apps for linnworks.net