Email Notification System

Team Reference Guide

A plain-language guide to every automated email our customers receive — what triggers each one, what information it contains, and how delivery dates are calculated.

Version 2.0 — July 2026
Internal Use Only

01 The Big Picture

When a customer places an order, they receive up to four types of email at different stages. Each email is triggered automatically — except the Backorder Notification, which is sent manually by the team.

Why does this matter?

These emails are often the only communication a customer has with us between ordering and receiving their goods. Getting the information right — especially delivery dates — means fewer "Where is my order?" calls.

The Four Email Types

#	Email Name	When It Sends	Sent By	Type
1	Order Confirmation Email 1a (web) / Email 1b (manual)	Immediately after order is placed or entered	Website (1a) or NetSuite (1b)	Auto
2	Dispatch Notification Email 2	When items are picked, packed & shipped	NetSuite	Auto
3	Invoice Email Email 3	When the invoice is generated	NetSuite	Auto
4	Backorder Notification Email 4	When a backordered item's delivery date changes	Team member via NetSuite button	Manual

How Many Emails Does a Customer Get?

Order Type	Emails Received	Total
Simple order All items from 1 warehouse, all in stock	1 Confirmation + 1 Dispatch + 1 Invoice	3
Split shipment Items from 2 warehouses, all in stock	1 Confirmation + 2 Dispatch + 2 Invoice	5
Backorder Some items not in stock, arrive later	1 Confirmation + 2+ Dispatch + 2+ Invoice + 1 Backorder Notice	6+

02 The Email Journey

This diagram shows the path an order takes from placement to completion, and which emails are sent at each step.

Customer Action

Customer Places Order

Via website, phone, or email

Email Sent

1 Order Confirmation

Web orders: Sent automatically by the website (Email 1a)

Manual orders: Sent automatically by NetSuite when the SO is approved (Email 1b)

Contains: Order summary, prices, addresses, delivery expectations, backorder & special order notices

Warehouse Action

Items Picked, Packed & Shipped

An Item Fulfilment record is created in NetSuite. If items ship from 2 warehouses, 2 separate fulfilments are created.

Email Sent

2 Dispatch Notification

Sent per shipment — one email per Item Fulfilment

Contains: Tracking number & link, items in this shipment, any remaining items still to come

Email Sent

3 Invoice Email

Sent per invoice — includes PDF attachment and Pay Now link

Contains: Invoice PDF, tracking info, payment link, outstanding items status

If Needed

4 Backorder Notification

Sent manually by the team when a backordered item's expected delivery date changes

Contains: Original promised date, new expected date, items affected

03 Email 1 — Order Confirmation

Two versions

Version	Trigger
Email 1a Web Order	Customer completes checkout on the website. Sent by the website platform.
Email 1b Manual Order	Sales Order is approved in NetSuite and was NOT placed via the website. Sent by NetSuite.

Who receives it

The customer's email address on the Sales Order. For manual orders, this is the contact selected by the CX team.

What's in it

Personal greeting ("Hi Sarah,")
Full order summary with item details & prices
Billing & shipping addresses
Delivery expectations (see below)

How Items Are Grouped in Email 1b

Email 1b (manual orders) groups items into sections based on their warehouse location and stock status. This helps the customer understand what to expect:

Section	Which Items	What the Customer Sees
Shipment 1	In-stock items from the nearest warehouse	"Items from your nearest warehouse — overnight delivery — the next business day"
Shipment 2	In-stock items from the other warehouse	"Items from our other warehouse — 1–2 working days’ delivery"
Backordered	Items not currently in stock but expected on a purchase order	Listed with an estimated delivery date (see Section 05)
Special Order	Items we don't normally stock (graded "Not Stocked")	Listed with a lead time range (e.g. "14–28 days")
Discontinued	Phased out / obsolete items with no stock or backorder	"We'll be in touch about a replacement"

Multi-shipment notice

If items come from more than one warehouse, the email includes a prominent notice: "Your order will arrive in 2 separate shipments." This sets expectations upfront so customers aren't surprised by multiple deliveries.

Smart handling of mis-graded "Not Stocked" items

Sometimes an item is graded "Not Stocked" but we actually have stock and it dispatches normally. The system now catches this: if a "Not Stocked" line is actually being dispatched, it's shown in the normal shipment group (so the customer sees the real delivery) — not buried in the Special Order section. A line only stays in Special Order when there's no real dispatch behind it.

Manual Resending Email 1b

A "Send Order Confirmation" button sits on every Sales Order (in View mode). Clicking it re-sends Email 1b to the order's contact — useful if the customer says they never got it, or after you've corrected details. Web orders (1a) are still sent by the website and can't be resent from NetSuite.

04 Emails 2 & 3 — Dispatch & Invoice

Email 2: Dispatch Notification

Trigger

Sent automatically each time an Item Fulfilment is created in NetSuite (i.e. when items are shipped). Most carriers send immediately; NZ Couriers shipments are batched and go out on a short delay (so the tracking link is live by the time the customer clicks it).

Key information

Shipment number ("Shipment 1", "Shipment 2", etc.)
Carrier name and tracking link
List of items in this specific shipment

Smart "what's left" messaging

The email checks whether any items on the order are still unfulfilled:

If more items are still coming:
Shows a list of remaining items with quantities — "These items are still on their way"

If this is the final shipment:
Shows "Your order is now complete!" — no remaining items list

How does it know if it's the final shipment?

The system compares ordered quantity vs fulfilled quantity for every line on the Sales Order. If all lines are fully fulfilled, it's the final shipment. We never try to predict how many shipments there will be — we only count up ("Shipment 1", "Shipment 2") and check if anything is still outstanding.

Email 3: Invoice Email

Trigger

Sent automatically when an Invoice is generated in NetSuite. The invoice PDF is attached.

Key information

Invoice number and due date
Tracking link (from the related fulfilment)
Pay Now button (credit card payment link)
Outstanding items status

Who receives it

The invoice email has wider distribution than other emails:

Recipient	Source
Primary (To)	Dedicated invoice email on the customer → then the order's email → then customer's main email
CC	Customer secondary email (accounts dept)

The dedicated invoice inbox now takes priority, so invoices land with AP even when the order was placed under a different email. Dispatch emails only go to the orderer; invoices also CC accounts. No BCC is set on any email.

Free Chocolate Message

If the order subtotal is over $500+GST and all items have been fulfilled, the invoice email includes: "🍫 Congratulations! Your order was over $500+GST. Enjoy your free chocolate!" — This only appears once, on the final invoice.

Cash Sales Too

The invoice email now also covers Cash Sales — both standalone cash sales and those raised from a Sales Order — not just standard invoices.

Manual "Send Invoice Email" button

A button on every Invoice and Cash Sale (in View mode) lets you send the invoice email on demand, with the invoice PDF attached. You can type a one-off override address to send it somewhere specific (that override skips the accounts CC).

05 How Delivery Dates Are Calculated

This is the most important section. The delivery date a customer sees depends on the type of item and what information is available in NetSuite. Here's how it works:

Decision Tree: What Date Does the Customer See?

Does the item have an Expected Ship Date on the Sales Order line?

✓ YES — Product is on order

Is the date within 30 days from today?

✓ YES

Exact date shown
e.g. "17 Apr 2026"

✗ NO

Approximate period shown
e.g. "early May" or "mid to late June"

✗ NO — Product not on order

Lead time range shown
e.g. "14–28 days" or "30–60 days"
(Based on item's lead time in NetSuite)

The Approximate Date Ranges Explained

When a delivery date is more than 30 days away, we don't show the exact date (because it could still shift). Instead, we show a friendly approximate period based on which part of the month the date falls in:

If the expected date falls on...	Customer sees...	Example
1st – 7th of the month	"Early [Month]"	Expected 3 May → "early May"
8th – 13th of the month	"Early to mid [Month]"	Expected 10 May → "early to mid May"
14th – 20th of the month	"Mid to late [Month]"	Expected 17 May → "mid to late May"
21st – 31st of the month	"Late [Month]"	Expected 25 May → "late May"

The Lead Time Ranges Explained

When there's no expected ship date (product not yet on a purchase order), we use the item's lead time to give a range:

If the item's lead time is...	Customer sees...
Under 7 days	"7–10 days"
7 – 14 days	"7–14 days"
15 – 28 days	"14–28 days"
29 – 60 days	"30–60 days"
61 – 90 days	"60–90 days"
Over 90 days	"90+ days"

06 Real-World Examples

Here's how the date logic plays out in practice across different scenarios:

1

Simple Order — Everything In Stock

Day 1 — Order placed

1 Order Confirmation sent. Items shown in a single list under "Shipment 1". No delivery dates needed — everything ships overnight for next business day delivery.

Day 1 — Items shipped

2 Dispatch email sent with tracking. Shows "Your order is now complete!" (all lines fulfilled).

Day 1 — Invoice created

3 Invoice email sent with PDF. No "items still coming" message.

2

Split Shipment — Two Warehouses

Day 1 — Order placed

1 Confirmation shows "Your order will arrive in 2 separate shipments". Items grouped by warehouse.

Day 1 — Shipment 1 dispatched

2 Dispatch: "Shipment 1" + lists remaining items still to come.

3 Invoice for Shipment 1. Shows "Some items are still on their way."

Day 2 — Shipment 2 dispatched

2 Dispatch: "Final Shipment" + "Your order is now complete!"

3 Invoice for Shipment 2. Shows "All items shipped." + Free chocolate (if over $500).

3

Backorder — Some Items Not In Stock

Day 1 — Order placed

1 Confirmation shows in-stock items in shipment groups PLUS a Backordered Items section showing:

PO arriving 15 Apr → "15 Apr 2026" (within 30 days = exact date)

PO arriving 20 Jun → "mid to late June" (beyond 30 days = approximate)

Day 1 — In-stock items shipped

2 Dispatch + 3 Invoice — both show backordered items as "still on their way".

Day 14 — PO date changes

4 Team sends Backorder Notification. Shows original date crossed out and new expected date.

Day 20 — Backorder arrives & ships

2 Dispatch: "Final Shipment — Your order is now complete!"

3 Invoice for backordered items.

07 Where the Information Comes From

Every piece of information in these emails is pulled from NetSuite. Here's where to look if something doesn't seem right:

Customer & Order Details

What the customer sees	Where it comes from in NetSuite	Notes
Customer name ("Hi Sarah,")	Customer Record → First Name	If blank, shows "Hi there,"
Order number (ORDER-57939)	Sales Order → Web Order Number	Falls back to Other Ref No., then SO number
Internal ref (774203)	Sales Order → Document Number (tranid)	Shown as small secondary text
Shipping / billing address	Sales Order → Address subrecords
Prices & totals	Sales Order → Subtotal, Tax, Total fields

Shipping & Tracking

What the customer sees	Where it comes from in NetSuite	Notes
Carrier name	Item Fulfilment → ReadyShip Carrier field	Shows NZ Post, Mainfreight, NZ Couriers, or Urgent Couriers
Tracking number & link	Item Fulfilment → ReadyShip Tracking fields	Clickable "Track Shipment" button
Shipment number ("Shipment 2")	Count of all Item Fulfilments on the SO	Always counts up — never predicts a total
"Items still on their way"	SO lines: ordered qty vs fulfilled qty	Any line where ordered > fulfilled

Delivery Dates & ETAs

What the customer sees	Where it comes from in NetSuite	Used when
Exact date (e.g. "17 Apr 2026")	SO Line → Expected Ship Date	Date is within 30 days AND product is on a PO
Approximate period (e.g. "early to mid May")	SO Line → Expected Ship Date	Date is more than 30 days away AND product is on a PO
Lead time range (e.g. "14–28 days")	Item → ATP Lead Time (per location) or Item → Lead Time (standard)	No expected ship date (product not on order yet)

What is the "Expected Ship Date"?

This is a date NetSuite calculates automatically based on Purchase Order allocations. When stock is on order from a supplier, NetSuite knows when it's expected to arrive and assigns that date to the Sales Order line. If no PO exists yet, this field is blank.

08 Email 4 — Backorder Notification

This is the only email that's not automatic. A team member triggers it from the Sales Order when a backordered item's expected delivery date has changed.

How to Send a Backorder Notification

Step 1: Open the Sales Order

Navigate to the Sales Order in NetSuite.

Step 2: Click "Send Backorder Notice"

This button appears at the top of the SO when backordered items exist.

Step 3: Review & select items

A form appears listing all backordered items with:

Originally Promised — the date we told the customer in Email 1
New Expected Date — the updated estimate (calculated automatically)
Previously Notified — whether we've already sent a notice for this item

Items where the date has changed are pre-selected. Uncheck any you don't want to include.

Step 4: Click "Send Backorder Notification"

The customer receives an email showing the original date crossed out and the new expected date in bold. The SO lines are marked as "notified" so you can track what's been communicated.

How the "New Expected Date" Is Calculated

The system uses the same logic as Email 1b (see Section 05), checking in this order:

1st

Expected Ship Date

SO line → Expected Ship Date
(from PO allocations)

→

2nd

ATP Lead Time

Item → Location-specific lead time

→

3rd

Standard Lead Time

Item record → Lead Time field

If none of these are available

The "New Expected Date" column shows "To be confirmed" and the customer will see the same. This means we don't have enough data to give an estimate — follow up with the supplier.

We now track the date we promised

When Email 1 first sends, the system quietly records the delivery estimate we gave the customer for each backordered line (the "Originally Promised" value you see later). That stored promise is what powers the automatic breach monitoring described on the next page — so we can catch a slipping supplier date before the customer chases us.

09 Behind the Scenes — Catching Broken Promises

This isn't a customer email — it's an internal safety net. It watches every backordered line and tells the team the moment a supplier date slips past what we promised the customer, so we can get ahead of it instead of waiting for a "where's my order?" call.

The Three Dates We Store on Each Backorder Line

Field	What it holds	Set by
Originally Promised	The delivery estimate we gave the customer in Email 1 (e.g. "early May")	Order Confirmation, when first sent — never overwritten
Promise Deadline	The same promise as a real date, so it can be compared	Order Confirmation, alongside the promise
Revised Supplier ETA	The item's earliest open purchase-order date — the real date stock is due (can be in the past)	A script that runs every morning (~6am)

Why store the real PO date instead of NetSuite's Expected Ship Date?

NetSuite's Expected Ship Date quietly rolls overdue supply forward to "today", which hides how late something really is. We store the true earliest PO date so overdue stock stays visible — that's what lets us separate "we're going to be late" from "we have no date at all".

Two Queues, Two Owners

Each morning's refresh sorts every at-risk backorder line into one of two lists:

ACE — Promise Breach Alert

There's a real upcoming supplier date, but it's later than what we promised the customer.

Action: proactively contact the customer with the revised date.

Emailed daily to hello@astro.net.nz + shown on the Reminders portlet.

Ops — Backorder ETA Review

There's no usable date — the PO date is in the past, or there's no open PO at all.

Action: chase the supplier and update the PO's expected receipt date.

Emailed daily to operations@astro.net.nz + shown on the Reminders portlet.

The loop

Ops update the PO's expected receipt date → next morning the script writes the new date to the line → the line drops off the Ops list and, if it still lands later than our promise, moves onto the ACE breach list for the customer conversation.

Escape hatch

If a line is genuinely covered by a later PO and only looks overdue, tick "Snooze from backorder reporting" on the order to take it out of both lists.

10 Quick Reference & FAQ

Common Questions

Question	Answer
"A customer says they got the wrong date — where do I look?"	Open the Sales Order → check the Expected Ship Date on the item line. This is what the system used to calculate the date shown. If it's wrong, the PO allocation in NetSuite may need updating.
"Why does it say 'early May' instead of a specific date?"	The expected date is more than 30 days away. We show approximate periods for far-off dates because they're more likely to shift. Once it's within 30 days, the customer will see the exact date.
"Why does it say '14–28 days' with no month?"	There's no Expected Ship Date on the SO line — meaning the item isn't on a Purchase Order yet. The system falls back to the item's lead time to give a range. Once a PO is raised, the expected ship date will populate and future emails will show a real date.
"The customer got two dispatch emails — is that a bug?"	No. Two dispatch emails means the order shipped from two warehouses (or in two batches). Each Item Fulfilment triggers one email. The first says "items still coming", the last says "order complete".
"Can I resend an order confirmation?"	Yes for manual orders (1b): open the Sales Order and click "Send Order Confirmation" (View mode). Web orders (1a) are sent by the website and can't be resent from NetSuite.
"Can I resend an invoice email to the customer?"	Yes. Open the Invoice or Cash Sale and click "Send Invoice Email" (View mode). It re-sends with the PDF attached. You can type a one-off address to send it somewhere specific (that override skips the accounts CC).
"Is anyone BCC'd on customer emails now?"	No. Monitoring BCCs (including geoff@astro.net.nz) have been removed from all automated emails. Replies go back to the sending mailbox — hello@astro.net.nz for Astro, sales@berica.co.nz for Berica.
"How do we know if a backorder is going to be late?"	Automatically. Each morning the system compares the real supplier PO date against what we promised. Breaches go to the ACE list (chase the customer); lines with no usable date go to the Ops list (chase the supplier). See Section 09.
"A customer didn't get their email — where do I check?"	Go to the Sales Order → Communications tab. All sent emails are logged there. Also check the customer's email address is correct on the SO and Customer record.
"Why didn't the manual order (1b) confirmation send?"	Email 1b only sends for non-web orders. Check the "Ordered Via" field on the SO — if it's set to "Website", the system assumes Email 1a was already sent by the website.
"The backorder button isn't showing on the SO"	The button only appears when there are lines with Quantity Backordered > 0. If all items are fulfilled or the backorder has been cleared, the button won't show.

Email Sender Details

Astro Hospitality

From	hello@astro.net.nz
Reply-to	hello@astro.net.nz
Phone	0800 466 966
BCC	None

Berica Packaging

From	sales@berica.co.nz
Reply-to	sales@berica.co.nz
Phone	0800 237 422
BCC	None

Brand is automatic

The system detects whether an order is Astro or Berica based on the Department field on the Sales Order. All branding (logo, colours, contact details, "From" address) adjusts automatically — no manual selection needed. Replies land in the sending mailbox (hello@ or sales@); no one is BCC'd.