Skip to main content
An operation category is a standard classification from Handled’s Ecommerce Operations Taxonomy. All customer messages, support tickets, and operational requests can be classified against this taxonomy to enable automated routing, workflow triggers, and analytics. To view the full list of operation categories and subcategories, refer to the Operation Taxonomy Explorer. Handled’s standard operation categories are used for the following purposes:
  • Automated ticket routing: Route support tickets to the right team based on the classified operation type
  • Workflow automation: Trigger specific workflows when certain operation intents are detected
  • Analytics and reporting: Track operational patterns across your customer communications
  • Integration normalization: Standardize operation types across multiple 3PLs, channels, and systems
  • AI-powered responses: Power chatbot and agent assist systems with accurate intent signals
An example of an operation category is 3PL Operations > Order Processing & Management > Order Processing > Cancel Order.

​
How It Works

When a customer message or support ticket is processed through OPIC (Operations Intent Classifier), it is classified against Handled’s Ecommerce Operations Taxonomy. The classifier returns:
  • The most likely operation category with confidence score
  • Alternative classifications (top-k results)
  • The full taxonomy path for precise categorization
This classification can then be used to automate downstream actions in your support and operations workflows.

​
Taxonomy Structure

The taxonomy is organized hierarchically with two top-level categories:
CategoryCodeDescription
3PL OperationstplOperations performed by third-party logistics providers
Brand OperationsbrOperations performed by brands and merchants
Each top-level category contains subcategories and specific operations. For example: 
3PL Operations (tpl)
└── Order Processing & Management (tpl-03)
    └── Order Processing (tpl-03-001)
        └── Cancel Order (tpl-03-001-03)

​
Getting Started

  1. Review the taxonomy: Explore the Operation Taxonomy Explorer to understand the available operation categories
  2. Integrate the classifier: Use the OPIC API to classify incoming messages against the taxonomy
  3. Build automations: Create workflows that trigger based on classified operation types
  4. Monitor and refine: Use analytics to track classification patterns and optimize your operations

​
Considerations

When using Handled’s Operations Taxonomy:
  • Choose the most specific category: Select the operation category that best describes the primary intent. For example, if a customer wants to cancel an order and also asks about a refund, classify based on the primary action (cancel order)
  • Handle multi-intent messages: Some messages may contain multiple intents. Use the top_k parameter to get multiple classifications
  • Set confidence thresholds: Use the threshold parameter to filter out low-confidence predictions
  • Fallback handling: Messages that don’t match any category are classified as other. Implement fallback logic for these cases

​
Taxonomy Versioning

The taxonomy is versioned and maintained in a central repository. The current version includes:
PropertyValue
Version2025.12.13
Total Operations457
Top-Level Categories2
Updates to the taxonomy are published periodically. Your integration will automatically use the latest version unless you specify a particular version.

​
Next Steps

Taxonomy Explorer

Browse the full operation taxonomy tree

OPIC 1.0

Learn about the intent classification model