Operations Dashboard

What this is

The Operations page is your backend admin hub for order fulfilment. It lives at Tracksies > Operations in your WordPress sidebar and gives store owners and administrators a single place to manage packing and returns — without needing the frontend staff dashboard.

If you’re looking for the frontend staff dashboard that your warehouse crew uses on tablets and kiosk screens, that’s Packsie (a separate premium add-on).

—

Operations vs Packsie

These two serve different audiences:

You might use both: Operations for quick admin checks and returns management, Packsie for the day-to-day packing workflow on warehouse tablets.

—

Tabs

The Operations page has two tabs: Packing and Returns. The Returns tab only appears when the Returns feature is enabled in Tracksies > Settings > Features (the woo.returns toggle).

A red badge on the Operations menu item shows the count of pending return requests, so you can see at a glance if anything needs attention.

—

Packing tab

The Packing tab is a two-column layout: an order queue on the left, and an order detail panel on the right.

Statistics bar

Four cards across the top give you a quick snapshot:

Filter tabs

Three clickable tabs below the stats bar let you switch between views:

• To Pack — orders in the queue that need packing (default view)
• Packed (Awaiting Ship) — orders that are packed but haven’t been shipped yet
• Shipped Today — everything that went out today

Each tab shows its count so you can see at a glance how much work is in each stage.

Priority filtering

If you have Priority Rules enabled (hq.priority_rules), you’ll see an additional filter dropdown that lets you show only orders at a specific priority level: Urgent, High, Elevated, or Normal. Orders also get colour-coded priority indicators, and at-risk orders (approaching the escalation threshold) show a warning badge.

You can sort the order list by Priority (default), Oldest First, or Newest First.

Order queue

Click any order in the left column to load its details in the right panel. The order cards show:

• Order number and date
• Customer name
• Order total and item count
• Current status badge
• Priority indicator (if Priority Rules enabled)

Order detail panel

When you click an order, the right panel shows everything you need to pack it:

Order overview — customer name, email, shipping address, billing info, order total, payment method, and a link to the full WooCommerce order edit page.

Items to pack — a table of products with images, names, SKUs, quantities, and line totals. Quantity fields are editable so you can adjust how many items go into each package.

Packaging controls:

• Create Package — marks items as packed into a package
• Split Packing — for orders with multiple items, you can create separate packages (e.g., one item ships now, the rest next week)
• Delete Package — remove unshipped packages if you made a mistake

Shipping & tracking:

• Tracking number input
• Carrier dropdown (100+ carriers supported)
• Tracking URL preview
• Add Tracking button — becomes active after a package is marked as packed

Action buttons:

• Pack Order — moves items to “packed” status
• Ship Order — marks as shipped (requires a tracking number)
• View in WooCommerce — opens the full order edit screen

Auto-refresh and sound alerts

If the packsie.auto_refresh feature is enabled, the order list refreshes automatically at a configurable interval so new orders appear without a manual refresh.

If packsie.sound_alerts is enabled, a notification sound plays when new orders arrive.

Fullscreen mode

A fullscreen button in the header hides the WordPress admin bar, sidebar, and footer — useful if you’re using the Operations page on a dedicated screen in the warehouse.

—

Returns tab

The Returns tab gives you a complete view of all return requests across your store. This is where you approve or reject returns, track their progress, process inspections, and issue refunds.

> The Returns tab only appears when the woo.returns feature is enabled. If you don’t see it, check Tracksies > Settings > Features.

Status filters

A horizontal filter bar shows return counts by status:

Click any filter to show only returns in that status.

Search

Search returns by RMA number or customer email. Supports partial matching.

Returns table

Each row shows:

Quick actions on each row:

• Pending returns: Approve or Reject buttons
• All returns: View button to open the full detail page

20 returns per page with pagination controls.

Return detail view

Click “View” on any return (or click the RMA number) to open the full detail page.

Return details — status badge, reason, customer notes, and return tracking information (if the customer provided it).

Items to return — table showing each product being returned with its name, SKU, quantity, and calculated refund value. A total refund value row at the bottom.

Timeline — a chronological event log showing the return’s lifecycle:

• Return requested (date/time)
• Approved by [staff name] (who approved it)
• Package received
• Inspected: [outcome]
• Refund processed

Actions sidebar

The actions available change based on the return’s current status:

Pending — Approve Return or Reject Return buttons.

Approved — “Waiting for customer to ship the return.” Plus a “Mark as Received” button for when the package arrives.

Received — Inspection Outcome dropdown (Approved, Damaged, Incomplete, Other) and a “Complete Inspection” button.

Inspected — Refund Amount field (editable if you need to adjust for damage/restocking), checkboxes for “Refund via payment gateway” and “Restock items”, and a “Process Refund” button. Once processed, shows the WooCommerce refund ID.

Rejected / Refunded — informational message, no further actions.

Manual status override — on any non-final status, a dropdown lets you manually change the status for edge cases.

Order info — quick link to the original order and its date/total.

Customer info — email and a link to the customer’s profile in Tracksies.

Admin notes — a text area for internal staff notes about this return, saved via AJAX.

—

Return workflow

The typical flow looks like this:

Customer requests return (from My Account)
        ↓
    [Pending]
        ↓
Staff approves or rejects
        ↓
    [Approved]                    [Rejected] → End
        ↓
Customer ships return back
        ↓
    [Received]
        ↓
Staff inspects items
        ↓
    [Inspected]
        ↓
Staff processes refund
        ↓
    [Refunded] → End

At each step, email notifications keep the customer informed (configured in your WooCommerce email settings).

—

Who can access it

The Operations page is available to any user with the edit_shop_orders capability. By default, that includes:

• Administrators — full access
• Shop Managers — full access

The page doesn’t appear in the sidebar for other roles. If you need to give additional roles access, you’ll need to add the edit_shop_orders capability to their role using a role editor plugin.

—

Common questions

Is the Operations page the same as the Packsie staff dashboard?
No. Operations is the backend admin view for store owners. The Packsie staff dashboard is a frontend page designed for warehouse staff who shouldn’t have admin access. They serve different audiences but show similar data.

Do I need Packsie to use the Operations page?
No. The Operations page is included with Tracksies HQ at no extra cost. Packsie is only needed for the frontend staff dashboard with role-based access, kiosk mode, and the claiming system.

Can staff use the Operations page instead of Packsie?
Technically yes, if they have admin access. But that’s exactly the problem Packsie solves — you probably don’t want your warehouse crew in wp-admin where one curious click could change your plugin settings.

Where do I configure the return policy?
Go to Tracksies > Settings > Returns. That’s where you set return windows, restocking fees, per-product eligibility, and return reasons. See the Returns doc for full details.

Why don’t I see the Returns tab?
The Returns feature needs to be enabled. Go to Tracksies > Settings > Features and make sure woo.returns is toggled on.

—

Packed By Tracking

The hq.packed_by feature is enabled by default. It records which staff member packed each order, giving you accountability and visibility across your fulfilment team.

When a staff member packs an order (either from the Operations page or from the Packsie staff dashboard), their name is automatically attached to the order. This information shows up in:

• Order details — visible on the WooCommerce order edit screen so you can see who packed it
• Packing dashboard — the “My Packs Today” stat on the Operations page tracks each staff member’s activity
• Customer emails — if the “Show Packed By” setting is enabled in email settings, the packer’s name appears in order emails (e.g., “Packed with care by Sarah”)

This is useful for quality control, staff performance tracking, and adding a personal touch to your shipping. If you don’t need it, you can turn it off in Tracksies > Settings > Features under the HQ tile.

—

Replace WooCommerce Order Panels

The hq.hide_woo_metaboxes feature is enabled by default. It replaces the standard WooCommerce Order Data and Order Items metaboxes on the order edit screen with HQ’s enhanced intel panel.

HQ’s panel consolidates customer intelligence, order details, and fulfilment controls into a single, cleaner view. Instead of the default WooCommerce layout, you get:

• Customer profile summary with LTV, order count, and status at a glance
• Streamlined order details with tracking, packing, and shipping controls built in
• Priority indicators and tag information (when those features are enabled)

If You Prefer the Default Layout

Some stores have other plugins that add controls inside the standard WooCommerce metaboxes, or staff may simply prefer the familiar WooCommerce interface. To switch back:

1. Go to Tracksies > Settings > Features
2. Find the HQ tile
3. Toggle off Replace WooCommerce Order Panels

The standard WooCommerce Order Data and Order Items metaboxes will reappear immediately. HQ’s features still work — you just interact with them through Tracksies’ own sections rather than the replacement panel.

You can also temporarily reveal the hidden WooCommerce panels on any individual order by clicking the Show WooCommerce panels link at the bottom of the Order Hub section on the order edit screen.