Wall Communication

Wall Communication is the internal messaging system for warehouse operations. As a warehouse user, you can view all communication from OMS accounts, respond to questions, manage topics, and coordinate with your team. Use Wall Communication to stay connected with accounts and resolve issues quickly.

Quick Access

Access Wall Communication from the warehouse navigation menu (vpb_wall.php). Warehouse users see all account walls and can manage topics across all accounts.

Why Use Wall Communication?

Centralized Communication

View all communication from OMS accounts in one place. See topics from all accounts and respond quickly to questions and issues.

Track Open Issues

See which topics need attention with open topic counts. Track topics without replies and prioritize responses.

Team Coordination

Coordinate with warehouse team members. See who responded to topics and manage conversations together.

Account Management

Manage communication for multiple accounts. View account-specific walls and respond to account questions.

Warehouse User Views

What you see in Wall Communication depends on your warehouse user level:

Warehouse Users (UserLevel 2)

Warehouse users see:

• All Account Walls: List of all OMS accounts with their communication walls
• Open Topics Count: Number of topics that need attention for each account
• New Topics Count: Number of topics without replies
• Answers Count: Number of topics waiting for warehouse responses
• Warehouse Wall: All warehouse-wide communication
• Top Orders Chart: Visual overview of orders from last 30 days (when viewing warehouse wall)

You can:

• View all account walls
• Reply to any topic from any account
• Mark topics as done
• View archived topics
• Filter to show only pending topics

Warehouse Managers (UserLevel 2, Manager)

Warehouse managers have all warehouse user capabilities plus:

• Full Management Access: Complete control over all topics
• System Configuration: Access to email configuration settings
• Team Oversight: View all team responses and activity

System Admins (UserLevel 3)

System admins see:

• Escalated Topics: Topics that need admin attention
• Wall Rates: Rating and feedback system
• All System Communication: Complete system-wide view
• Email Configuration: System-wide email notification settings

Accessing Wall Communication

1. Navigate to Wall Communication

   Click Wall in the warehouse navigation menu. The Wall Communication page opens showing all account walls.

2. View Account Walls

   See a list of all OMS accounts with their communication status:

   • Account name
   • Open topics count (in brackets)
   • New topics count (topics without replies, shown in red if > 0)
   • Answers count (topics waiting for warehouse response, shown in red if > 0)

3. Select Account or Warehouse Wall

   Click on an account name to view that account’s wall, or click Warehouse to view warehouse-wide communication.

Understanding Account Wall Status

Each account wall shows three numbers in brackets:

Format: Account Name [open] [new] [answers]

• [open]: Number of open topics (topics not marked as done)

  • Shown in bold black if > 0
  • Shown in regular text if 0

• [new]: Number of topics without replies

  • Shown in bold red if > 0 (needs attention)
  • Shown in regular text if 0

• [answers]: Number of topics waiting for warehouse response

  • Shown in bold red if > 0 (needs response)
  • Shown in regular text if 0

Example: Acme Corp [5] [2] [3] means:

• 5 open topics
• 2 topics without replies (needs attention)
• 3 topics waiting for warehouse response

Viewing Topics

Viewing All Topics

By default, Wall Communication shows only pending topics (topics not marked as done).

To view all topics:

1. Uncheck Only Pending Topics checkbox at the top
2. All topics (including done topics) are displayed

To view only pending topics:

1. Check Only Pending Topics checkbox
2. Only open topics are displayed

Viewing Account-Specific Topics

1. Select Account

   Click on an account name from the account walls list.

2. View Account Topics

   All topics for that account are displayed, showing:

   • Original post
   • All replies
   • Post date and time
   • User who posted
   • Topic status (open/done)

3. Navigate Back

   Click Back or select another account/wall to navigate.

Viewing Warehouse Wall

1. Click Warehouse

   Click Warehouse from the account walls list.

2. View Warehouse Topics

   See all warehouse-wide communication including:

   • Topics posted by warehouse team
   • Topics posted by accounts (visible to warehouse)
   • Top Orders Chart (orders from last 30 days)

3. View Chart

   The Top Orders Chart shows visual overview of orders entered in the last 30 days, updated automatically.

Replying to Topics

1. Find the Topic

   Browse the wall to find the topic you want to reply to. Topics show the original message and all existing replies.

2. Click Reply

   Click the Reply button below the topic or reply you want to respond to.

3. Write Your Reply

   Type your response in the reply text box that appears. Include:

   • Answers to questions
   • Status updates
   • Follow-up questions
   • Resolution information

4. Mark as Done (optional)

   If the topic is resolved, check the Done checkbox before submitting.

5. Submit Your Reply

   Click the reply submit button. Your reply is added to the conversation thread.

Email Notifications

When you reply to a topic, account users may receive email notifications (depending on their email settings). This helps keep accounts informed of responses.

Managing Topics

Marking Topics as Done

Mark topics as done when they’re resolved:

1. Find the Topic

   Locate the topic that has been resolved or answered.

2. Reply and Mark Done

   When replying, check the Done checkbox before submitting, or click Done button if available.

3. Topic Status Updated

   The topic is marked as resolved and moved to archived topics (when filtering by pending topics).

Escalating Topics

Escalate important topics to system administrators:

1. Find the Topic

   Locate the topic that needs admin attention.

2. Escalate

   Click the Escalate button (if available). The topic is flagged for system admin review.

Escalation

Escalated topics are visible to system admins and can be managed at the system level. Use escalation for issues that require admin intervention.

Viewing Archived Topics

1. Open Archived Topics

   Click Archived Topics link at the top of the Wall Communication page.

2. Browse Archived Topics

   View all topics that have been marked as done or archived. You can still view the conversation history and reply if needed.

3. Filter Archived Topics

   Use filters to find specific archived topics by account, date, or status.

Additional Features

Hours of Operation

View warehouse hours of operation:

1. Open Hours of Operation

   Click Hours of Operation link at the top of the Wall Communication page.

2. View Schedule

   A popup window shows the warehouse operating hours and schedule.

Wall Rates (Admin Only)

System administrators can access the Wall Rates page to view ratings and feedback:

1. Navigate to Wall Rates

   Click Wall Rates link at the top of the Wall Communication page (admin access only).

2. View Ratings

   See ratings and feedback submitted through the wall communication system, including:

   • Topic number
   • Company name
   • Comment
   • Rate/rating
   • Date

Top Orders Chart (Warehouse Wall)

When viewing the warehouse wall, see a visual chart showing:

• Top Orders: Orders entered in the last 30 days
• Account Breakdown: Orders by account
• Store Breakdown: Orders by store (if applicable)

The chart updates automatically and provides quick insights into order activity.

Email Configuration

Warehouse managers and system admins can configure system-wide email notifications:

1. Navigate to Email Configuration

   Go to Email Configuration page (warehouse manager/admin access required).

2. Open Wall Communication Tab

   Click the Wall Communication tab.

3. Configure Send Emails

   Choose when to send emails:

   • Disabled: No system emails sent
   • New posts: Send emails for new topics only
   • New posts and replies: Send emails for new topics and all replies

4. Set Notification Emails

   Enter email addresses in the Notification emails field for system-wide notifications. Use comma-separated values for multiple emails.

5. Save Configuration

   Click Save to apply system-wide email settings.

💡 Best Practices

Respond Promptly

Check topics without replies regularly and respond quickly. This helps maintain good communication with accounts and resolves issues faster.

Mark Resolved Topics

Mark topics as done when they’re resolved. This keeps the active wall clean and helps team members focus on open issues.

Use Clear Responses

Write clear, specific responses. Include order numbers, SKUs, or specific details to help accounts understand the resolution.

Monitor Account Walls

Regularly check account walls for new topics. Use the status indicators (red numbers) to prioritize which accounts need attention.

Coordinate with Team

Check if other team members have already responded before replying. Avoid duplicate responses and coordinate team communication.

Escalate When Needed

Escalate topics that require admin intervention or system-level changes. Don’t try to resolve issues beyond your scope.

Troubleshooting

Cannot See Account Walls

Problem: Account walls list doesn’t appear or shows no accounts.

Solutions:

1. Verify you’re logged in as warehouse user (UserLevel 2 or higher)
2. Check if accounts exist - ensure OMS accounts are activated
3. Refresh the page - account list may take a moment to load
4. Check user permissions - ensure you have warehouse access
5. Contact system administrator if accounts should appear but don’t

Cannot Reply to Topics

Problem: Reply button doesn’t appear or doesn’t work.

Solutions:

1. Ensure you’re logged in with warehouse user permissions
2. Refresh the page and try again
3. Check if the topic is archived (archived topics may have limited reply options)
4. Verify your user type has reply permissions
5. Check browser JavaScript - ensure JavaScript is enabled

Topics Not Showing

Problem: Topics don’t appear on account walls.

Solutions:

1. Check “Only Pending Topics” filter - uncheck to see all topics
2. Refresh the page - topics may take a moment to appear
3. Verify you’re viewing the correct account wall
4. Check topic visibility settings - some topics may be account-specific
5. Review archived topics if topic was marked as done

Cannot Mark Topic as Done

Problem: Done button doesn’t appear or doesn’t work.

Solutions:

1. Verify you have warehouse user permissions (UserLevel 2 or higher)
2. Ensure you’re viewing a topic you have permission to manage
3. Refresh the page and try again
4. Check if topic is already marked as done
5. Try marking done when replying - check Done checkbox before submitting reply

Email Notifications Not Working

Problem: Email notifications are not being sent.

Solutions:

1. Check system email configuration - go to Email Configuration > Wall Communication tab
2. Verify “Send emails” is not set to “Disabled”
3. Check notification email addresses are correct
4. Verify email server configuration
5. Review email logs for delivery issues
6. Test with a new topic to verify email functionality

Top Orders Chart Not Showing

Problem: Top Orders Chart doesn’t appear on warehouse wall.

Solutions:

1. Ensure you’re viewing the warehouse wall (click “Warehouse” from account list)
2. Verify you have warehouse user permissions
3. Check if there are orders in the last 30 days
4. Refresh the page - chart may take a moment to load
5. Check browser JavaScript - ensure JavaScript is enabled

Account Status Numbers Incorrect

Problem: Open topics, new topics, or answers counts seem incorrect.

Solutions:

1. Refresh the page - counts update on page load
2. Check if topics were marked as done recently
3. Verify you’re viewing the correct account
4. Review topic visibility settings
5. Check archived topics - some topics may be archived
6. Contact system administrator if counts consistently seem wrong

Related Documentation

Next Steps:

• Processing Orders - Handle order-related questions from accounts
• Inventory Management - Respond to inventory questions
• Email Configuration - Configure email notifications

Related Features:

• User Types & Permissions - Understand warehouse user roles
• Wall Communication (OMS View) - See how accounts use Wall Communication