Operations Manual — Larkspur Goods (Small E-commerce Business)

Illustrative example. Larkspur Goods, its staff, and the figures below are fictional and shown only to demonstrate how an operations manual is filled in. This is an excerpt covering three core processes, not a complete manual.

Organisation: Larkspur Goods (online homewares store, 4 staff) Owner of this manual: Dana Okafor, Operations Lead Version: 2.1 Last reviewed: 12 May 2026

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1. Purpose and scope

• Purpose: to document how Larkspur Goods fulfils orders, handles returns, and supports customers, so the small team works consistently and a new hire can be productive within their first week.
• In scope: order fulfilment, returns and refunds, and customer support.
• Out of scope: finance and bookkeeping (see the finance manual) and conduct, leave, and benefits (see the employee handbook).
• Audience: all operations staff and anyone covering the store.

2. Organisation and roles

Role	Responsible for	Key contact
Operations Lead	Owns this manual, returns decisions, escalations	Dana Okafor
Fulfilment Assistant	Picking, packing, and dispatching orders	Mateo Cruz
Support Assistant	Customer email and chat, first-line returns	Priya Shah

3. Core processes and SOPs

Process	Owner	Trigger	Frequency	Linked tools
Order fulfilment	Fulfilment Assistant	New paid order	Daily	Store admin, shipping app
Returns and refunds	Support Assistant	Customer return request	As needed	Store admin, payment portal
Customer support	Support Assistant	Inbound email or chat	Daily	Help desk inbox

SOP: Order fulfilment

• Purpose: pick, pack, and dispatch a paid order accurately and on time.
• Owner: Fulfilment Assistant.
• Trigger: an order is marked "paid" in the store admin.
• Prerequisites: access to the store admin and the shipping app; packing materials in stock.

Steps:

1. Open the store admin and filter orders by status "paid, not fulfilled".
2. For each order, print the pick list and pick the items from the shelves.
3. Check the picked items against the order line by line before packing.
4. Pack the items, then create a shipping label in the shipping app and attach it.
5. Mark the order "fulfilled" in the store admin so the customer is sent tracking automatically.

• Done when: the order shows "fulfilled" with a tracking number and the parcel is in the carrier's collection area.
• Exceptions: if an item is out of stock, email the customer using the "delayed item" template and notify the Operations Lead. For damaged stock, set it aside and log it for the weekly stock check.

SOP: Returns and refunds

• Purpose: process a customer return and issue any refund correctly.
• Owner: Support Assistant.
• Trigger: a customer requests a return within the 30-day window.
• Prerequisites: access to the store admin and the payment portal.

Steps:

1. Confirm the order is within the 30-day return window in the store admin.
2. Email the customer a returns label and the return instructions.
3. When the parcel arrives, inspect the item against the returns checklist.
4. If it passes, issue the refund through the payment portal and record the reason in the store admin.

• Done when: the refund shows "completed" in the payment portal and the return is logged against the order.
• Exceptions: returns outside the 30-day window or for used items go to the Operations Lead for a decision before any refund is issued.

SOP: Customer support

• Purpose: answer customer questions promptly and consistently.
• Owner: Support Assistant.
• Trigger: an inbound email or chat message.
• Prerequisites: access to the help desk inbox.

Steps:

1. Check the help desk inbox at the start of the morning, after lunch, and before close.
2. Reply using the relevant saved template, adapting it to the customer's question.
3. If the question concerns an order or return, follow the matching SOP above before replying.

• Done when: the customer has a clear answer or next step, and the ticket is marked resolved.
• Exceptions: complaints and anything involving a refund dispute are escalated per section 6.

4. Tools and systems

Tool / system	Used for	Administered by	Where to get access
Store admin	Orders, stock, refunds	Operations Lead	Ask the Operations Lead to add you
Shipping app	Labels and tracking	Operations Lead	Linked from the store admin
Help desk inbox	Customer email and chat	Support Assistant	Request a seat from the Operations Lead

5. Standards and policies

• Dispatch all orders placed before 1pm on the same business day.
• Reply to every customer message within one business day.
• Issue approved refunds within two business days of receiving the returned item.

6. Escalation

Situation	Escalate to	How / how fast
Order cannot be fulfilled (stock or system)	Operations Lead	Message same day
Return or refund dispute	Operations Lead	Message within one business day
Store or payment system outage	Operations Lead, then the platform support line	Phone immediately

7. Revision history

Version	Date	Author	Summary of changes
2.1	12 May 2026	Dana Okafor	Added same-day dispatch standard and tightened the returns checklist
2.0	3 Feb 2026	Dana Okafor	Rewrote the fulfilment SOP after moving to the new shipping app
1.0	9 Sep 2025	Dana Okafor	Initial version covering fulfilment, returns, and support