The quick answer
With tally scan on for the item, open Picking > Multi - Order Picking in the SCM Mobile WMS app, select the wave and the pick task, and confirm the bin. On Enter Item, scan the item: the scan counts as the first unit and Enter Quantity opens at 1. Scan the item in Tally Scan Item for every remaining unit; each valid scan raises the quantity by one, and at the last unit the app opens Enter Carton by itself. Scan the carton, choose Go To Staging and enter a staging bin; Staging Complete lists the order, carton and quantity.
The screenshots show sample data. Use your own records and values when following the steps.
Before you start
Tally scan needs two settings. The Enable Tally Scan? system rule must apply to the mobile process you use, here Multiple Orders picking, and the item's Use Tally Scan field must be checked. The rule also has a quantity limit, so a quantity above the limit cannot be tally scanned, and the item needs a barcode, alias or UPC that the scanner can read. The pages below do not show either setting, so confirm them in your own account before you rely on the flow. A tally scan checks the scanned item, not the physical count, so it does not replace careful picking.
The account also needs NetSuite WMS and the SCM Mobile app, a bin-managed warehouse, a released wave of the Multiple Orders type for a Pending Fulfillment sales order with committed stock, cartons turned on for multi-order picking, outbound staging bins, and a picker who can pick and stage. This example uses one item that is not lot or serial controlled. Lot and serial items can need a lot or serial scan as well, and tally scan in a Bulk Picking wave is limited to serialized items. Page names, fields and counts can vary with the SCM Mobile release, so match each screen by its title.
01. Open Multi - Order Picking and select the wave
Open SCM Mobile on the picker's device, or from Setup > Custom > Mobile - App where your account offers it. On Select Application, choose WMS, then choose the warehouse, here Harbor Point, on Select Warehouse. On Main Menu, choose Picking, then Multi - Order Picking (the label can read Multi-order Picking in your release). Select Wave lists the released waves of that picking type with their order and task counts. WAVE-7340 has 1 order and 1 task. Select it.
02. Select the high-value pick task
Select Pick Task lists the wave's open tasks with the item, the bin, the number of orders and the quantity. The task here is TQW-880 from bin HV-CAGE-04 for 1 order, 3 Eaches(1). Select TQW-880. The list is the authority on how many tasks the wave has, so count the rows in your own account.
03. Confirm the bin
Enter Bin shows the Recommended Bin, HV-CAGE-04, and the quantity it holds, 48 Eaches(1). Select the bin to continue; if you scan or type it instead, choose Enter Bin. Take the recommended bin unless the stock is physically elsewhere; Show all bins lists the others.
04. Scan the item for the first unit
Enter Item shows Item to Pick, TQW-880, and its description, Calibrated Torque Wrench Set. Scan the item in Scan/Enter Item and choose Enter Item. With tally scan on, that scan counts as the first unit and Enter Quantity opens at 1, so leave the quantity alone until you have scanned. Selecting the item link instead of scanning is a selection, not a scan, and does not start the count. Scan once here: the next scans belong in the Tally Scan Item field on the next page, not on Enter Item again. If your scanner sends Enter after each code, test it before you pick.
05. Tally scan the remaining units
Enter Quantity names the order, SO-81406, and shows Quantity Remaining, 3 Eaches(1). Enter Quantity already reads 1 from the Enter Item scan, and a Tally Scan Item field sits under Inventory Status. Choose the unit of measure and the inventory status before the first tally scan, because the count is read in the unit you chose and the unit generally cannot be changed after the count starts. The stock list under the field shows 48 Good.
Scan the item in Tally Scan Item for the second unit. A valid scan raises Enter Quantity to 2 and clears the field for the next scan. In the screens shown here Quantity Remaining keeps showing 3 while the count rises. Other releases or processes can display it differently, so read the running count in Enter Quantity rather than assuming that field stays or changes.
Scan the item for the last unit. The scan raises the count to 3, which is the full quantity, and the app advances by itself to the next applicable page, here Enter Carton; you do not choose Enter Quantity. A scan that does not match, such as a different item, an unreadable barcode, or a lot or inventory status that does not apply, is rejected and does not raise the count. The exact message depends on the release and the barcode.
06. Put the item in its own carton
Enter Carton shows the order and Used Cartons, which lists CTN-90514 with 2 items and 11 Each already in it. Scan the new carton, CTN-90517, so the high-value item travels in its own carton, and choose Enter Carton. Selecting a carton from Used Cartons is the alternative when the item belongs with the order's other items. A carton can hold several items of the same order but is not normally shared across orders. If cartons are not turned on for multi-order picking, the app does not show this page.
07. Stage the item
Pick Task Complete says pick task 5218 is complete. No other task is open in this wave, so the page offers Go To Staging; when more work remains it also offers Next Pick Task, and with nothing left to pick some setups go straight to staging.
On Enter Staging Bin, turn on Show all bins to list the outbound staging bins with their quantities, here RUSH-OUT-01 with 84 and STD-OUT-02 with 0. Select RUSH-OUT-01, which stages the item for immediate packing; if you scan or type the bin instead, choose Enter Staging Bin.
Staging Complete confirms the staging to RUSH-OUT-01 and lists SO-81406 in carton CTN-90517 with TQW-880 for 3 Eaches(1). Staging moves the picked stock to the outbound bin. It is not packing or shipping.
Check the result
- Staging Complete lists the order, the carton and the full quantity of 3 against the staging bin you chose.
- In NetSuite, the order's pick task shows its completed status, and the sales order shows the picked quantity.
- WMS creates or updates the item fulfillment according to your fulfillment settings, usually at Picked status, or Packed when automatic packing applies. This can be processed in the background, so check the fulfillment on the order before you treat it as ready to pack.
Common questions
What is tally scan, and when should I use it?
Tally scan makes the picker scan every unit instead of typing a quantity. It suits high-value or easily confused items, where a wrong count or a lookalike item is costly. The quantity can rise only when a valid scan happens, and the picker moves on only when the full quantity has been scanned.
Which settings turn tally scan on?
The Enable Tally Scan? system rule must apply to the mobile process, for example Multiple Orders picking, and the item's Use Tally Scan field must be checked. The rule has a quantity limit; a task above it cannot be tally scanned. Existing items need their setting reviewed. Check both in your own account, because the pages in this guide do not show them.
Does the first scan on Enter Item count as a unit?
With tally scan on, scanning the item on Enter Item can start Enter Quantity at 1. Leave Enter Quantity blank before that scan, and choose the unit and the inventory status before the first tally scan, because the unit generally cannot be changed after the count starts.
What happens if I scan the wrong item?
The scan is rejected and the quantity does not rise. You stay on the Tally Scan Item field and scan a valid value. A scan can be rejected because it identifies the wrong item, an unavailable lot or serial number, or an inventory status that does not apply. The message depends on the release and the barcode, so check the exact wording in your own account.
Why did Enter Carton open without my choosing Enter Quantity?
Scanning the last unit completes the quantity, so the app advances to the next applicable page. With cartons turned on for multi-order picking that is Enter Carton; without that rule the app does not show it, and in a task that serves several orders the next page can be the next order.
What if the bin has fewer units than the task needs?
WMS supports partial picks, so you do not have to scan the full original quantity. Enter the quantity you actually picked. Use Other Bin to continue from another bin, Bin Empty when the selected bin cannot supply the remaining quantity, and Skip to move past the current order where the flow allows it; Skip does not by itself resolve a shortage. A partially picked task generally has to be marked Done or closed before WMS creates the related fulfillment, unless the Automatically mark partial picks as Done rule does it for you.
Does tally scan work with lot items, serial items and bulk picking?
It works in Single Order and Multiple Orders picking for regular, lot-controlled and serialized items when the rule and the item setting allow it. For lot or serial items the field can read Tally Scan Lot #/Item and you can still need to enter or scan the lot or serial number, so tally scan does not remove lot or serial control. In a Bulk Picking wave it is limited to serialized items.
Does staging ship the order?
No. Staging moves the picked stock into an outbound staging bin. Packing and shipping are separate steps. The item fulfillment, usually Picked or Packed when automatic packing applies, is created according to your fulfillment settings and can lag when processing runs in the background.