Pick, Pack & Dispatch

Turn a confirmed order into a correct, packed, shipped parcel without errors or delays.

4 lessons 35 min 5-question assessment 70% to pass

What you’ll learn

Describe the pick-pack-dispatch flow

Pick orders accurately

Pack to protect goods and avoid errors

Dispatch with a clear record

Lesson 1 of 4 Reading 8 min

The fulfilment flow

Fulfilment has three steps: pick (gather the ordered items from their locations), pack (box them safely), and dispatch (hand them to the carrier and record it). Each step hands clean work to the next.

Understanding the flow matters because an error early is cheap to fix and expensive late — a wrong pick caught at packing costs seconds, but the same error caught by the customer costs a return, a reship, and trust.

For an order of 5 SKUs, picking pulls each from its bin, packing checks all 5 against the order and boxes them, dispatch labels and books the carrier. If picking grabs 4 of 5, packing should catch it before the box is sealed — far cheaper than the customer opening a short parcel and demanding the missing item.

Key takeaways

Fulfilment is pick, then pack, then dispatch.
Each step hands clean work to the next.
Errors are cheap early, expensive once shipped.
Example: a 4-of-5 pick should be caught at packing, not by the customer.

Lesson 2 of 4 Practice 9 min

Picking accurately

Accurate picking means taking the exact SKUs and quantities the order lists, from the right locations. Scanning each pick against the order confirms the right item and decrements stock as it leaves the bin.

Picking accuracy matters because it is the most common source of wrong-order errors, and every wrong pick cascades into a return, a reship, and a stock figure that no longer matches the shelf.

A picker working from "TSH-BLU-L ×3 at B-04-A1" should scan the bin and the item to confirm both before taking 3. Grabbing TSH-BLU-M by sight is the classic error; the scan stops it. Picking 3 also drops on-hand by 3 at that location, so the record stays true as stock moves toward dispatch.

Key takeaways

Pick exact SKUs and quantities from the right location.
Scanning confirms the item and decrements stock.
Picking errors cascade into returns and wrong stock figures.
Example: scanning stops grabbing TSH-BLU-M instead of TSH-BLU-L.

Lesson 3 of 4 Reading 9 min

Packing safely

Packing protects the goods in transit and is the last check that the order is complete and correct. A good pack verifies contents against the order, then boxes with enough protection for the journey.

It matters because the pack is your final gate before the customer — and the only chance to catch a pick error or prevent transit damage. A fragile item packed loose is a breakage and a return waiting to happen.

Packing a KES 60,000 appliance means confirming the serial against the order, then cushioning it so it survives a bumpy delivery to Eldoret. A quick contents check here catches the missing 5th item before sealing, and proper padding avoids the cracked-on-arrival claim that turns a sale into a refund.

Key takeaways

Packing protects goods and is the final completeness check.
Verify contents against the order before sealing.
It is the last chance to catch errors and prevent damage.
Example: confirming a serial and padding a KES 60,000 unit avoids claims.

Lesson 4 of 4 Reading 9 min

Dispatching with a record

Dispatch hands the parcel to the carrier and records that it left — date, carrier, tracking reference, and that the order is now fulfilled. The reservation closes and stock formally leaves your books.

A recorded dispatch matters because it is your proof and your tracking handle — without it you cannot answer "where is my order?" or prove you shipped, and the stock may still show as on-hand when it is gone.

When the Eldoret order ships, you record carrier and tracking number and mark it dispatched; on-hand for those SKUs drops to match reality and the customer can be given the tracking link. If a parcel goes missing, that record is the difference between a quick carrier claim and an unwinnable "we never received it" dispute.

Key takeaways

Dispatch records date, carrier, tracking, and fulfilment.
The reservation closes and stock leaves the books.
The record is your proof and tracking handle.
Example: a tracking record turns a lost parcel into a quick claim.

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Pick, Pack & Dispatch

What you’ll learn

Course content

The fulfilment flow

Picking accurately

Packing safely

Dispatching with a record

Finished the material?

More in this path

Inventory Foundations

Warehouse & Locations

Units of Measure & Conversions

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