axis diplomat 2024 Despatch & Delivery Modules

11. UK Mail 'Consignor' Interface

Designed to improve efficiency at the warehouse despatch desk and in answering customer delivery queries, axis diplomat's UK Mail Consignor Interface transfers consignment information electronically between axis diplomat and UK Mail.

Want to avoid the time and effort of double-keying delivery addresses, contact information and other delivery information? Need to reduce the potential for error? Need to tell a customer how their delivery was shipped? When it will arrive? What its consignment/tracking reference is? The axis diplomat UK Mail Consignor Interface gives access to consignment information quickly and easily.
 

11.1 Key Benefits

  • Speeds the despatch process – Taking the delivery address and other consignment information from that already held in axis diplomat, therefore avoiding double key entry.
  • Eliminates a potential point of error – If the delivery details are correct on the sales order in axis diplomat, then they will be correct when passed into the UK Mail system.
  • Real-time operation / real-time information – Provides other users of axis diplomat in your organisation with real-time information on what deliveries have (or have not) been despatched, and stops all of those time-wasting phone calls to your despatch desk!
  • Decimates the time spent providing consignment and tracking information to customers – Empowers your customers to track their own consignments, and empowers your customer services staff by providing quick and easy access to delivery & tracking information.
 

11.2 How does it work?

Most carriers, logistics companies and postal services (which we collectively refer to as Delivery Service Providers) provide a method of sending information on consignments directly into their systems electronically. In the case of UK Mail, axis diplomat  interfaces directly with Businesspost's 'Consignor' software.

Instead of manually re-keying information on each and every consignment, axis diplomat uses information it has already obtained as a part of the sales order and picking processes to transfer consignment information electronically.

Information passed back to axis diplomat  (e.g. the consignment number) is stored and used to provide an interface into tracking and Proof of delivery.

 
 

11.3 Consigning a Delivery

To consign a delivery you’ll need to pass information to UK Mail:

Delivery address: axis diplomat already has these details held against your delivery, having obtained them either from the customer account or during order entry.

Delivery Service: axis diplomat  allows your choice of delivery service to be selected during order entry, or at any later time prior to consignment. Any request for special delivery arrangements (e.g. Saturday, pre 10:00 etc. can be recorded). The interface takes the delivery method and translates this into the required service.

Number of packages or pallets: axis diplomat  records the number of packages or pallets in each consignment and passes this information through the interface.

Weight & volume: default values for these are calculated by axis diplomat based on the weight & volume information held against the stock records for items on the delivery. These values can be accepted or overridden prior to being passed through to the interface.

Fig 1 - axis diplomat Deliveries Monitor showing "Consign Delivery" option

Contact name and number: axis diplomat uses the customer contact set against the sales order, together with phone number information to automatically provide this information to the interface.

To provide flexibility, the despatch operator can override most information during the consignment process if required.
 

11.4 Historical Delivery Information, Tracking and POD

If you’re faced with any volume of customer delivery queries, you’ll appreciate the ease of use and speed of access to Tracking and POD information which the interface can provide. A simple right-click option from the customer enquiry “Deliveries” tab, allows access directly into UK Mail's tracking system for a specific consignment.
 

11.5 Purchasing Information

The axis diplomat UK Mail Consignor Interface feature also requires the axis diplomat Delivery Service Provider Interfaces Foundation feature.