Automating Order Status Updates & Customer Notifications Using monday.com Automations

Platform discussions
1

Hi everyone,
I’m exploring ways to streamline and automate the entire order-status communication process inside monday.com, and I’d love to get insights, examples, or best practices from those who’ve already implemented something similar.

Specifically, I’m trying to figure out:

How to automatically update order statuses (e.g., “Order Received,” “Processing,” “Shipped,” “Out for Delivery,” “Delivered”) based on triggers, integrations, or internal actions.

How to send automatic notifications or messages to customers when these status changes occur—ideally through email, SMS, or integrated tools like Gmail, Outlook, Twilio, WhatsApp, or Shopify.

Which monday.com automation recipes are most effective for managing order lifecycle workflows.

How to sync status updates with external platforms like eCommerce stores, shipping carriers, or CRM tools, so customers always receive accurate real-time information.

What limitations or challenges to expect when building a fully automated order-tracking and communication system within monday.com.

Examples of setups or templates you’ve used to automate order-processing pipelines.

In short, I’m looking for practical advice, templates, and real-world experiences on using monday.com automations to automatically update order statuses and trigger customer notifications without manual intervention.

If you’ve built something like this—or even attempted it—I’d really appreciate your insights, recommendations, screenshots, automation recipes, or pitfalls to avoid.

Thanks in advance!

2

You can 100% get close to a “hands‑off” order status + notification flow in monday.com, but most robust setups mix: native automations integrations (Shopify / shipping tools / email) and sometimes a middleware (Make or Zapier) for the “glue”.

Very short blueprint:

  1. Board structure

    • One Orders board with: Order ID, Customer, Email/Phone, Platform, Tracking #, Status, Last Update, Notification Sent? (yes/no).

    • Use a Status column with your stages: Received → Processing → Shipped → Out for Delivery → Delivered.

  2. Status changes & internal logic

    • Automations like:

      • “When item is created, set Status to ‘Order Received’.”

      • “When Status changes to Shipped, set date in ‘Shipped date’.”

    • Optional: mirror columns from “Fulfillment” or “Shipping” boards and use “When X changes, change Status in Orders”.

  3. Customer notifications

    • Native: “When Status changes to X, send email to {Email}.” (Outlook/Gmail integration).

    • For SMS/WhatsApp: use Twilio/WhatsApp via Make/Zapier triggered by:

      • “When Status changes to Shipped, create a webhook” → scenario sends SMS with tracking link.

    • Add a condition column (checkbox or “Notify?” status) if you only want some orders to trigger messages.

  4. Sync with eCommerce / shipping

    • Shopify integration: “When an order is created in Shopify, create item in board.”

    • Shipping (e.g. ShipStation / Easyship) often via Make/Zapier:

      • Watch shipment updates → find item by Order ID in monday.com → update Status + Tracking #.

    • CRM (HubSpot/Salesforce): sync key fields or push timeline events when Status changes.

  5. Useful automation recipes

    • When item is created → set Status = Order Received.

    • When Status changes to Processing/Shipped/Delivered → notify customer via email.

    • When Status changes to Shipped → set Tracking # or link (from integration data).

    • When Status changes to Delivered → set “Completed” and notify account manager / sales.

  6. Limitations / gotchas

    • Native shipping integrations are limited; real “live tracking” usually needs middleware.

    • Rate limits & volume: many automations in parallel can hit limits; batch or filter when possible.

    • Matching records: always use a stable key (Order ID) for syncs, not just customer name.

    • Testing: clone the board and test on fake orders before going live to avoid spamming customers.

  7. Simple example stack

    • Shopify → monday.com (create item with order data).

    • Fulfillment app / carrier → Make → monday.com (update Status + Tracking).

    • monday.com Status change → Gmail/Outlook + Twilio (email + SMS templates).

If you share which tools you already use (Shopify / Woo / ShipStation / etc.), I can outline a concrete recipe set for that stack.