This article explores five powerful workflows you can automate with Cin7 Core and Mintsoft to save time, reduce errors, and scale your operations more efficiently. By combining real-time insights with advanced fulfilment and inventory tools, businesses can transform repetitive tasks into streamlined processes.
What you’ll learn:
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How to automate sales orders into invoices with Cin7 Core
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Smarter inventory reordering using Mintsoft’s real-time monitoring
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Pick, pack, and ship automation across multiple sales channels
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Efficient handling of returns and refunds with real-time updates
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Syncing product listings and stock across platforms like Shopify and Amazon
Are you spending too much time on repetitive order management tasks? Automate with Cin7 Core + Mintsoft to transform your business operations and reclaim valuable hours each day.
Cin7 Core offers powerful workflow automation capabilities that streamline your sales, purchase, and CRM processes. When combined with Mintsoft’s cloud-based order management solution, which supports 3PLs, fulfilment houses and online retailers, you get a comprehensive system that handles everything from picking and packing to shipping. Furthermore, Mintsoft provides 150+ integrations and customised reporting that help businesses reduce errors and make data-driven decisions. Consequently, Cin7’s real-time insights update stock levels instantly after each sale, return, or refund, helping you manage fulfilment more efficiently.
Workflow 1: Automate Order to Invoice with Cin7 Core
Turning manual sales orders into invoices can be tedious, error-prone and time-consuming. Fortunately, Cin7 Core offers a powerful automated workflow that bridges this gap effortlessly.
Trigger: Sale order is authorised
The automation journey begins when a sale order receives authorisation in Cin7 Core. This critical step serves as the trigger point that initiates the entire automated workflow. Initially, the system captures all essential details from the authorised sales order, including customer information, shipping particulars, accounting data, and ordered items.
Action: Create and authorise invoice
Subsequently, once the sale order is authorised, Cin7 Core can automatically generate and authorise an invoice without any manual intervention. This seamless transition from order to invoice represents a significant leap in operational efficiency.
The system intelligently copies all relevant information from the authorised sales order to the invoice. This includes:
- Customer details
- Shipping information
- Accounting data
- Stock items with their quantities
Notably, Cin7 Core automatically sets the invoice date based on your preferred configuration. You can choose to have the invoice date match either the date of invoice authorisation, sale order authorisation, or shipment authorisation. This flexibility allows you to align financial transactions with your specific business requirements and accounting practises.
Benefits: Faster billing and fewer errors
Implementing this automated order-to-invoice workflow delivers substantial benefits that directly impact your bottom line and customer satisfaction.
Additional benefits include:
- Reduced processing costs – With less manual work required, your staff can focus on higher-value activities rather than administrative tasks
- Enhanced customer experience – Prompt, accurate invoicing contributes to a professional image and increased customer satisfaction
- Real-time order status – The system provides real-time updates on all current orders and inventory, allowing managers to share accurate information with customers
- Streamlined workflow – The entire process requires less human involvement, minimising processing time from sale initiation through delivery
Workflow 2: Automate Inventory Reordering with Mintsoft
Stock management remains one of the most challenging aspects of running a retail or e-commerce business. In fact, managing inventory across different channels is the third-largest challenge for supply chain executives. Manual inventory management often leads to either overstocking (tying up capital) or understocking (missing sales opportunities). Fortunately, Mintsoft offers robust automation capabilities that transform this crucial business process.
Trigger: Stock level falls below threshold
The automation workflow begins when your inventory reaches a predefined minimum level. Mintsoft’s stock control software continuously monitors your inventory across all sales channels in real-time, providing a centralised view of stock status. This comprehensive monitoring system serves as the foundation for automated reordering.
Upon setting up the system, you’ll establish minimum stock thresholds for each product. These thresholds, often called PAR levels (Periodic Automatic Replenishment), act as triggers for the automated workflow. The ideal threshold varies based on factors such as sales velocity, supplier lead times, and seasonal demand patterns.
Mintsoft offers exceptional flexibility in configuring these triggers. You can set different thresholds for:
- Fast-moving versus slow-moving products
- Seasonal items that require different stock levels throughout the year
- Products with varying lead times from suppliers
Action: Generate purchase order
After the system identifies items below threshold levels, Mintsoft automatically initiates the purchase order creation process. This automation represents a significant advancement over traditional methods that require manual stock checks and purchase order generation.
The automated ordering system follows parameters you’ve established for when and how to order new stock. When these conditions are met, the system automatically places the order without requiring manual input. Moreover, Mintsoft’s intelligent algorithms consider historical sales data, current trends, and even seasonal factors when determining optimal order quantities.
Given these points, the purchase order creation process becomes remarkably streamlined:
- The system identifies products below threshold levels
- It calculates optimal order quantities based on your parameters
- It generates a draught purchase order with appropriate supplier information
- Depending on your settings, it either sends for approval or automatically submits to suppliers
Why it matters: Avoid stockouts and delays
Stock outages are truly a “business owner’s worst nightmare”. Beyond the immediate loss of potential sales, stockouts create cascading negative effects throughout your business operations.
According to research, stockouts impact your business in multiple ways:
- Lost immediate sales
- Decreased customer satisfaction and loyalty
- Damaged brand reputation
- Increased operational costs from emergency replenishment
By implementing automated inventory reordering, you effectively prevent these issues before they occur. In addition, the Mintsoft system provides several crucial advantages that keep your business running smoothly.
Integration with suppliers
The final component of this powerful workflow is seamless supplier integration. Mintsoft connects your inventory management system directly with your supplier network, creating an uninterrupted flow of information that benefits both parties.
Equally important, the integration with suppliers transforms the traditional purchase order process. Rather than manually emailing or faxing purchase orders, the system can directly transmit order information to your suppliers’ systems. This direct communication eliminates delays and reduces errors that commonly occur during manual transmission of orders.
The supplier integration offers numerous operational advantages:
- Faster order processing times as suppliers receive purchase orders instantly
- Reduced data entry errors from automated transmission
- Better visibility for suppliers into your ordering patterns
- Improved supplier relationships through more predictable ordering
To put it differently, this integration creates a virtuous cycle where suppliers better understand your needs, leading to improved service and potentially better terms over time.
Workflow 3: Automate Pick, Pack and Ship with Cin7 + Mintsoft
The physical fulfilment of orders represents a critical juncture in your supply chain. Indeed, even with perfect inventory and order processing, inefficient picking and packing can significantly undermine customer satisfaction. Fortunately, the combination of Cin7 Core and Mintsoft creates a powerful automation solution for this vital operational area.
Trigger: Order is confirmed
Once an order receives confirmation, it immediately becomes available for processing in the warehouse. Mintsoft’s system intelligently prepares orders for fulfilment through pre-scheduled batches and automated workflows that save hours of administrative time. The confirmation status serves as the crucial trigger point that initiates the entire picking, packing, and shipping workflow.
For businesses using both platforms, BlueHub’s two-way integration ensures that sales order information remains perfectly synchronised between Cin7 Core and Mintsoft, including critical batch details. This synchronisation happens automatically without requiring manual intervention, dramatically reducing the potential for errors that typically occur during manual data transfer processes.
Depending on your specific business requirements, you can configure the system to process orders individually or batch them together based on various criteria. The batch scheduler module allows you to:
- Create multiple batch templates using different criteria against orders
- Schedule batches to be processed at specific time intervals
- Automatically generate batches for picking
This level of automation fundamentally transforms how warehouse operations respond to incoming orders, ensuring that fulfilment begins promptly after confirmation.
Action: Assign picker and generate shipping label
After order confirmation triggers the workflow, Mintsoft automatically either assigns orders to specific pickers or places them in an open pool for any available picker. This flexible assignment capability allows warehouse managers to optimise labour allocation based on current workload, staff availability, and order priority.
Upon assignment, the system generates optimised picking routes through the warehouse. These routes are specifically calculated to ensure the most efficient walking path, maximising productivity and reducing fulfilment time. This intelligent routing represents a significant advancement over manual picking methods that often result in inefficient movement patterns throughout the warehouse.
Simultaneously, Mintsoft prepares shipping documentation and labels. Through seamless API connections with over 175 couriers and multi-carriers including DHL and Amazon, the system automatically consolidates orders from online shopping platforms. This integration eliminates the need for manually transferring data or rekeying information when creating shipping labels.
Sync with warehouse scanners
Warehouse staff use Mintsoft’s mobile app to execute the picking process with remarkable efficiency and accuracy. The app works seamlessly with the web-based platform, allowing for real-time inventory updates and order picking on the go. This synchronisation ensures that all warehouse activities are immediately reflected in your inventory system, maintaining perfect visibility throughout the fulfilment process.
The mobile application supports multiple picking methods to optimise outbound picking for different types of orders:
- Single Order Picking for wholesale/B2B orders
- Multi-Tote Batch Picking for multi-item orders
- Bulk Batch Picking for high volume e-commerce fulfilment
For Cin7 Core users, the Warehouse Management System (WMS) follows guided walk paths programmed into the application to make picking more efficient. Bin locations on the pick list appear in alphanumerical order, though warehouse managers typically ensure this corresponds to the shortest pick path. Additionally, the WMS supports the FIFO/FEFO (First In, First Out/First Expired, First Out) costing methods for inventory management.
Workflow 4: Automate Returns and Refunds
Returns management often represents a significant operational challenge for businesses. With £590.06 billion worth of merchandise returned annually, handling returns efficiently is crucial for maintaining profitability and customer satisfaction. The integration between Cin7 Core and Mintsoft provides a powerful solution to automate this complex process.
Trigger: Return request is approved
The automation journey begins when a return request receives approval. In Cin7 Core, this process starts when a customer submits a return request through the dedicated RMA (Return Merchandise Authorisation) Portal. This user-friendly interface allows customers to quickly submit return requests and track their status.
After submission, the RMA officer reviews the request against your predefined return policies. These policies determine which products can be returned, within what timeframe, and under what conditions. Once approved, the RMA is assigned a unique identification number that permits the return of a product for refund, replacement, or repair during the eligible period.
Action: Log refund and update inventory
Upon approval, Cin7 Core automatically creates an authorised credit note for the value of the returned products. This critical document forms the foundation for the refund process and inventory updates.
From the Resolution tab in Cin7 Core, you can select appropriate handling for the return:
- Apply credit now – This option immediately allocates the credit note total to:
- Original sale invoice if unpaid
- Customer credits if the sale invoice is fully paid
- Partially to customer credits and partially to the original sale invoice if partially paid
- Refund manually later – This creates an authorised credit note but requires manual refund processing
Throughout this process, inventory counts update automatically. As returns are processed and validated, stock levels synchronise in real-time, ensuring accurate visibility. This automation helps get returned items back on the shelf faster and avoids costly inventory mistakes.
Customer notification via email
Automated notifications keep customers informed throughout the entire returns process, reducing support inquiries and improving satisfaction. Whenever a return status changes, the system automatically sends updates via email.
The notification workflow can be configured to send specific messages at key touchpoints:
- Return request confirmation – Immediate acknowledgment when a customer initiates a return
- Return approval status – Updates about request approvals or rejections
- Return label generation – Email containing the pre-paid return shipping label
- Item receipt confirmation – Notification when returned items arrive at your warehouse
- Refund processing alerts – Immediate confirmation when refunds are issued
Each notification can be tailored to include relevant information based on the specific scenario. For instance, refund notifications can be customised based on the refund method – whether it’s a return to the original payment method, store credit, or gift card.
Sync with accounting systems
The final component of this workflow involves synchronising refund data with your accounting systems to maintain financial accuracy. Cin7 Core ensures that refund transactions properly reconcile across your business operations.
Proper refund accounting is essential for:
- Accurate financial reporting – Creating a clear audit trail that reflects transaction reversals
- Cash flow management – Tracking outgoing funds that affect available capital
- Profitability analysis – Understanding the true impact of returns on your business
When a refund is processed, Cin7 Core automatically updates the relevant accounting entries. For businesses using integrated accounting systems, this synchronisation happens seamlessly, eliminating the need for manual reconciliation.
This automation dramatically reduces the accounting burden traditionally associated with returns and refunds. Whereas manual reconciliation typically involves complex adjustments across multiple systems, the integration between Cin7 Core and Mintsoft streamlines the entire process.
Automated refund accounting ultimately provides significant benefits:
- Reduced processing costs – Less manual work means staff can focus on higher-value activities
- Faster financial closings – Automated data integration ensures accuracy and speeds up month-end processes
- Enhanced data visibility – Better insights into return patterns help identify improvement opportunities
- Audit readiness – Consistent, accurate refund records simplify financial audits
Workflow 5: Automate Multichannel Listings and Sync
Multichannel selling demands accurate product information across all platforms to maintain customer trust. Managing product updates across multiple sales channels becomes exponentially simpler with Cin7 Core and Mintsoft integration.
Trigger: Product update in Cin7 Core
The automation begins whenever you update product information in Cin7 Core. This might include price changes, description updates, or most critically, stock level adjustments. Cin7 Core acts as your central hub for all product data, eliminating the need to make the same change in multiple systems.
On the Shopify integration page, enabling the “Update Stock Levels in Shopify” setting allows Cin7 Core to automatically update stock quantities and product information in Shopify whenever stock levels change in Cin7 Core. This seamless synchronisation maintains consistency across your sales ecosystem.
Action: Sync listings across Shopify, Amazon, etc.
Once triggered, Cin7 Core pushes these updates to your connected sales channels. The system treats SKU as a unique identifier, using it to match products across different platforms.
For Shopify users, the system sends available quantity data rather than quantity on hand. Meanwhile, Amazon integration works differently—whilst products can be loaded from Amazon to Cin7 Core, publishing products to Amazon requires additional setup.
Avoid overselling and listing errors
Without proper inventory synchronisation, your business risks overselling products that are no longer in stock or missing sales opportunities when items incorrectly appear out of stock.
Fortunately, Cin7 Core offers a “Buffer Inventory” feature for Shopify to prevent accidental overselling caused by delays between stock updates and new sales. The sync stock quantity passed to Shopify equals actual stock minus buffer inventory value.
Event-driven real-time sync uses events—such as pricing and inventory changes—to trigger automatic data updates between your inventory system and hundreds of sales channels. This ensures that a single sale on one platform adjusts stock levels across all others, preventing overselling that can lead to negative reviews or even account suspensions.
Conclusion
Automation through Cin7 Core and Mintsoft clearly transforms essential business operations from time-consuming manual tasks into streamlined, efficient workflows. Throughout this article, we’ve examined five powerful automation opportunities that can revolutionise how your business handles everyday processes.
The order-to-invoice workflow eliminates billing errors while accelerating payment collection. Meanwhile, automated inventory reordering prevents costly stockouts and optimises capital allocation. The integrated pick, pack and ship workflow reduces fulfilment errors dramatically, ensuring customers receive exactly what they ordered, when expected.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cin7 Core + Mintsoft Workflow Automation
1. How does Cin7 Core automate the “order to invoice” workflow, and what actually gets copied across?
Once a sales order is authorised in Cin7 Core, the system can automatically create and authorise the invoice—no manual re-entry. It copies customer details, shipping information, accounting data, and the ordered stock items with quantities. You can also choose how the invoice date is set (date of invoice authorisation, sale order authorisation, or shipment authorisation). The result is faster billing, fewer errors, real-time order status, and a streamlined path from sale to delivery.
2. How does Mintsoft automate inventory reordering to prevent stockouts?
Mintsoft monitors stock across channels in real time and triggers a reorder when an item falls below your predefined minimum (PAR) level. You can set different thresholds for fast/slow movers, seasonal products, and varying supplier lead times. When the trigger hits, Mintsoft generates a purchase order using parameters you define—considering historical sales, current trends, and seasonal factors—then routes it for approval or submits it automatically. Direct supplier integrations speed up processing, reduce data-entry errors, and improve supplier visibility.
3. What does “automate pick, pack, and ship” look like with Cin7 Core + Mintsoft?
When an order is confirmed, Mintsoft builds pre-scheduled batches and triggers the warehouse workflow. Via BlueHub’s two-way sync, sales order and batch details stay aligned between Cin7 Core and Mintsoft. Orders are assigned to pickers (or an open pool), with optimised walking routes to maximise productivity. Shipping labels and documentation are generated automatically through API connections with 175+ couriers and multi-carriers (including DHL and Amazon). Staff use Mintsoft’s mobile app for real-time picking (single order, multi-tote batch, or bulk batch), while Cin7 Core WMS guides walk paths, orders bin locations alphanumerically, and supports FIFO/FEFO methods.
4. How are returns and refunds automated end-to-end?
Customers submit requests via Cin7 Core’s RMA Portal. After review against your return policies, an approved RMA gets a unique ID and Cin7 Core creates an authorised credit note. You can “Apply credit now” (to the original invoice if unpaid, to customer credits if paid, or split both if partially paid) or “Refund manually later.” Inventory updates in real time as items are processed. Automated emails keep customers informed at key points (request confirmation, approval status, label issued, item received, refund issued). Refund transactions sync to your accounting, improving reporting accuracy, month-end speed, visibility into return patterns, and audit readiness.
5. How does multichannel listing and stock synchronisation work (Shopify, Amazon, etc.)?
Cin7 Core acts as the central product hub. When product data (price, description, stock) changes, Cin7 Core pushes updates to connected channels using SKU as the unique identifier. For Shopify, enabling “Update Stock Levels in Shopify” sends available quantity (not quantity on hand). Amazon works differently: products can be loaded from Amazon to Cin7 Core, but publishing to Amazon requires additional setup. To avoid overselling, Cin7 Core supports “Buffer Inventory” for Shopify, and event-driven real-time sync ensures a single sale adjusts stock everywhere.
