This n8n workflow automates the prioritization and scheduling of sales orders based on customer SLAs, urgency, and profitability. It ensures that high-priority and SLA-critical orders are picked, packed, and dispatched first—improving fulfillment speed, customer satisfaction, and operational efficiency across warehouses and logistics.

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Key Features

• Automated Order Fetching: Periodically retrieves all pending or confirmed sales orders from ERP systems.
• Dynamic SLA-Based Prioritization: Calculates order priority scores using urgency, customer tier, order value, and profit margin.
• Intelligent SLA Monitoring: Identifies SLA breaches and automatically flags them for immediate handling.
• Automated Task Creation: Generates urgent picking tasks and alerts warehouse managers in real-time.
• Smart Scheduling: Optimizes picking and dispatch timelines based on urgency and capacity.
• Seamless ERP & TMS Integration: Updates order statuses and schedules dispatches automatically.
• Operational Transparency: Sends end-of-cycle summary reports via email to operations teams.

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Workflow Process

1. Schedule Trigger

   • Runs every 15 minutes to ensure orders are frequently evaluated.
   • Maintains real-time responsiveness without overloading systems.

2. Fetch Pending Orders

   • Retrieves all orders in pending or confirmed state from ERP API.
   • Configurable limit (e.g., 100 orders per run) for controlled processing.

3. Fetch Customer SLA Data

   • Collects SLA tiers, delivery timeframes, and customer-specific priorities from ERP or CRM API.
   • Supports dynamic customer segmentation (Gold, Silver, Bronze tiers).

4. Calculate Priority Scores

   • Assigns weighted priority scores based on multiple criteria:

     • Urgency: 40%
     • Tier: 30%
     • Order Value: 20%
     • Profit Margin: 10%

   • Produces a composite score used for sorting and scheduling.

5. Check if SLA Critical

   • Detects if any order is close to or past SLA deadlines.
   • Routes SLA-breached orders for immediate escalation.

6. Create Urgent Picking Task

   • Generates warehouse picking tasks for critical orders.
   • Assigns to senior pickers or rapid response teams.

7. Alert Warehouse Manager

   • Sends instant SMS and email alerts for SLA-critical or high-priority orders.
   • Ensures immediate managerial attention.

8. Batch Normal Orders

   • Groups non-critical orders into batches of 10 for optimized processing.
   • Reduces load on WMS while maintaining steady throughput.

9. Generate Picking Schedule

   • Creates smart picking schedules based on urgency:

     • High Priority: Same-day
     • Normal: Within 1 day
     • Low: Within 2–3 days

10. Create Bulk Picking Tasks

    • Pushes picking tasks into WMS (Warehouse Management System).
    • Uses auto-assignment and route optimization logic.

11. Generate Dispatch Schedule

    • Builds dispatch timelines according to delivery method: Express, Priority, or Standard.
    • Syncs with transport capacity data.

12. Schedule Dispatches in TMS

    • Sends dispatch requests to TMS (Transport Management System).
    • Books carriers and reserves capacity for each batch.

13. Update Order Statuses

    • Updates ERP with new order statuses, schedules, and expected delivery dates.
    • Maintains a unified view across systems.

14. Generate Summary Report

    • Creates a summary JSON report including:

      • Total orders processed
      • SLA-critical cases
      • Dispatch breakdowns
      • Next deadlines

15. Send Summary Notification

    • Emails the operations team with execution summary and performance metrics.
    • Ensures team alignment and SLA visibility.

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Industries That Benefit

This automation is especially valuable for:

• E-commerce & Retail: To prioritize same-day or express deliveries for VIP customers.
• Logistics & 3PL Providers: For meeting tight SLAs across multiple clients and delivery tiers.
• Manufacturing & B2B Distribution: Ensures high-value or contractual orders are prioritized.
• Pharma & Healthcare: Critical for time-sensitive and compliance-driven deliveries.
• Consumer Goods & FMCG: Helps manage high-volume dispatch with smart scheduling.

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Prerequisites

• ERP system with API access (e.g., SAP, Odoo, NetSuite).
• WMS and TMS integrations with order/task APIs.
• SMTP and SMS gateway credentials for notifications.
• n8n instance with HTTP, Function, Email, and Scheduler nodes installed.

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Modification Options

• Customize priority scoring weights per business type.
• Integrate AI for predictive SLA breach forecasting.
• Add Slack/Teams channels for real-time operational alerts.
• Implement escalation routing for unassigned urgent tasks.
• Extend reports to include OTIF (On-Time-In-Full) metrics.

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