How to Create a Shipping Manual for Staff or Partners
As order volume grows, it becomes harder to keep handling shipping alone. Many merchants want help from a family member, partner, or part-time assistant, but hesitate because they are not sure anyone else can really follow the process.
Shipping work is highly procedural, so once you have a clear manual, even someone with no prior experience can handle most of it. In this article, I explain how to build that manual based on my own experience handing shipping tasks over to a partner while also developing the app I use in daily operations.
Why a Manual Matters
Verbal explanations are hard to reproduce
When you first ask someone else to help with shipping, you often stand next to them and explain the process verbally. The problem is that no one remembers everything from one spoken explanation. If they have to stop and ask, What was that step again?, the handoff never really becomes independent.
A manual lets people move without asking every time
With a written manual, the person doing the work can check it whenever they are unsure. That reduces repeated questions and lets you stay focused on other work.
| Handoff method | What happens when the operator gets stuck | Your workload |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal explanation only | They ask each time | Your work keeps stopping |
| Manual available | They check the manual | Fewer interruptions |
A manual is a system for reducing questions. It takes time to make once, but you can keep reusing it afterward.
What to Include in the Manual
Write the four shipping steps as they are
The structure of the manual can simply follow your normal shipping flow.
- CSV export: Select unfulfilled orders in the app and export the CSV
- Click Post payment: Upload the CSV to bulk application and complete payment
- Packing and label attachment: Print labels, pack products, and attach the labels
- Tracking sync: Import the shipping-label file into the app and reflect tracking numbers in bulk
For each step, write down what to click and what to check on that screen.
Add screenshots
A text-only manual can leave people wondering where to click on screen. If you capture screenshots of the app and Click Post pages and place them in the manual, first-time operators can usually proceed much more smoothly.
The most useful places for screenshots are:
- The CSV export screen, showing order selection and the export button
- The Click Post bulk application screen, showing CSV upload and payment
- The tracking sync screen, showing label import and bulk registration
Make the decision points explicit
The most important part of a manual is clarifying where decisions are allowed and where escalation is required. Separate the areas the operator can handle independently from the situations that should be reported back to you.
| Situation | Rule |
|---|---|
| Normal shipping, within 40 orders | Follow the manual and proceed |
| More than 40 orders | Split the CSV and follow the same process |
| An error appears during CSV upload | Stop and report it |
| Customer requested an address change | Report it and remove the order from shipping |
| Unclear packing for a product | Ask before packing |
Just having a rule like If there is an error, stop and report it makes people much more comfortable working on their own.
How Much Should You Delegate?
Option 1: Delegate packing only
The easiest starting point is to delegate just the packing work. You keep CSV export, Click Post payment, and tracking sync for yourself, and ask the other person to handle only packing and attaching labels after the labels are printed.
This is the fastest path because they do not need to learn the app or Click Post operations.
Option 2: Delegate packing plus label printing
In this setup, you handle payment in Click Post, and the other person prints labels, packs the orders, and attaches the labels. The only computer operation on their side is downloading and printing the label PDF, which involves little judgment.
Option 3: Delegate the whole flow
It is possible to delegate everything from CSV export to Click Post payment, packing, and tracking sync, as long as the manual is strong enough. The main limitation is trust, because Click Post payment means the other person is handling a payment workflow.
| Delegation pattern | What they handle | What you need to prepare |
|---|---|---|
| Packing only | Packing and label attachment | Packing rules |
| Packing plus printing | Label printing, packing, attachment | Add printing instructions |
| Entire flow | CSV export through tracking sync | Full manual and account-sharing rules |
Example Manual Template
Here is a simple structure for a manual that covers the entire process. In practice, you would pair this with screenshots of each screen.
Shipping Manual (run every day at 2:00 p.m.)
[Preparation]
- Turn on the PC and log in to Shopify
- Open the Instant Shipping! app
[Step 1: CSV export]
- Select all unfulfilled orders
- Click CSV Export
- Confirm that the file was downloaded
[Step 2: Click Post payment]
- Log in to Click Post
- Open Bulk Application
- Choose the CSV file from step 1
- Review the contents and complete payment one by one
- Download the shipping-label PDF
[Step 3: Label printing and packing]
- Print labels with Batch Print
- Pack the products and attach the labels
- See separate packing rules if needed
[Step 4: Tracking sync]
- Open the label import screen in the app
- Import the shipping-label file from step 2
- Review the result and click Bulk Register
[Completion]
- Drop the packages at the post office or mailbox
- Report that the work is complete
[Trouble cases]
- CSV upload error -> stop and report
- Address-change request -> report and do not ship
- Unsure how to pack an item -> ask before packing
Common Questions
Q. Isn't making a manual a waste of time?
It usually takes one or two hours to create at first, but after that it keeps saving time. If you ask for shipping help 10 times a month and the manual saves only 5 minutes each time, that is already 10 hours saved over a year.
Q. Do I need to update the manual if the app screen changes?
Yes, but usually only the screenshots need to be updated. The overall workflow rarely changes dramatically.
Q. Is it safe to share a Click Post account?
Click Post uses Yahoo! JAPAN ID or Amazon account login. If you share the account, you are also sharing access to the linked payment method. If that feels risky, keep the payment step for yourself and delegate only the surrounding steps.
Conclusion
Shipping is one of the easiest store operations to delegate because the sequence is fixed. If you prepare a screenshot-based manual and make the decision points explicit, you create a system that can run with far fewer questions.
The easiest way to start is by delegating only packing, then widening the scope once the process feels stable.
If you want to simplify the shipping process itself before handing it off, try Instant Shipping! for Click Post. The simpler the flow is, the easier it is to delegate to someone else.
