Shipping Guide
With the Multi-Carrier app for Salesforce you are able to create shipments with over 130 carriers.
Preferences
This section allows you to choose the preference, label type, the shipment type (outbound or return) and any other field that the carrier requires such as drop off type or return types.
Preference
This picklist allows you to choose the preference if you have more than one. The last used preference will always be displayed here as the default, unless you utilize the Custom Address Source and set the preference name.
Label Type
The label types available depend on the carrier. Most have PDF and ZPL as a minimum.
Shipment Type
This is where you can select whether this will be an OUTBOUND or RETURN shipment. If you select RETURN then you will notice some of the other section names change to more clearly identify where the shipment will be coming from. Some carriers will also require more information about the type of return. And this fields will appear below. An example is UPS who want to know the type of Return shipment it will be. (shown below)
Dynamically Shown Fields
Depending on the carrier you choose you may see additional fields here. Examples being FedEx wanting to know how the package will be dropped off or if it will be picked up via a scheduled pickup.
Or UPS wanting to know what kind of a Return shipment it is you are creating
Sender
This section is automatically set using the details that you saved when first setting up your Preference Shipping Address.
This will be the return to address if you set the RETURN type in the Shipment Type options in the Preferences section above.
Below we will go through each of the fields and let you know if there is anything you need to be aware of
Name
Most carriers limit this to 35 characters.
Make sure this is a valid email address
Company
Most carriers limit this to 35 characters, and not all carriers need this to be set.
Phone Field
The phone number usually must be at least 10 characters long. You can also include the country code. For example +44 for the United Kingdom.
Street
Most carriers limit each street line to be 35 characters long and you can have at most 3 address lines, separated by a carriage return.
City
The city name. Limited to 35 characters in most instances.
State
For United States, Canada and Mexico you need to use the two letter abbreviation for the state. For all other countries if they do have a state then you can enter the full name, otherwise you are free to leave it blank.
Postal Code Field
For United States, Canada and Mexico you need to use the correct zip. For all other countries if they do have a zip then you can enter the zip code, otherwise you are free to leave it blank.
Country Field
This is a required field.
Is Residential
Is the address a Residential or Company address. Set if its Residential by checking this checkbox.
Recipient
This section details where the shipment will be sent to
If you set the RETURN type in the Shipment Type options in the Preferences section above then this section wil be the address where the shipment is coming from.
Below we will go through each of the fields and let you know if there is anything you need to be aware of
Choose
This field allows you to choose which Custom Address Source you will be using to populate the following address fields.
We have included some standard lookups to Accounts, Contact, Lead and Opportunities. The example screenshot below shows when you Select the Contacts dropdown you will then be able to search for a contact.
If you have set up your own Custom Address Source then this will show in the drop down field with the word "Custom: " pre-appended.
Name
Most carriers limit this to 35 characters.
Make sure this is a valid email address
Company
Most carriers limit this to 35 characters, and not all carriers need this to be set.
Phone Field
The phone number usually must be at least 10 characters long. You can also include the country code. For example +44 for the United Kingdom.
Street
Most carriers limit each street line to be 35 characters long and you can have at most 3 address lines, separated by a carriage return.
City
The city name. Limited to 35 characters in most instances.
State
For United States, Canada and Mexico you need to use the two letter abbreviation for the state. For all other countries if they do have a state then you can enter the full name, otherwise you are free to leave it blank.
Postal Code Field
For United States, Canada and Mexico you need to use the correct zip. For all other countries if they do have a zip then you can enter the zip code, otherwise you are free to leave it blank.
Country Field
This is a required field.
Is Residential
Is the address a Residential or Company address. Set if its Residential by checking this checkbox.
Address Validation
If the carrier offers address validation then this button will show, and will check with the carriers address validation service whether the address inputted is valid or not.
Its not required that your users do this, as any errors with addresses will also show up when you try to click ship, but if you want to be 100% sure the address will be passed through then please do click this button.
Packages
This section is where you define the Ship date, Package type and Service type as well as the size of your packages and number of packages you will be shipping.
Ship Date
If the carrier offers address validation then this button will show, and will check with the carriers address validation service whether the address inputted is valid or not.
Package Type
Each carrier has their own specific packaging types. For example UPS has Large/Small/Medium Express Box plus many more and FedEx has FedEx Large/Medium/Small Box as well. Make your selection as to the package you will be using for this shipment.
Every carrier has a "Your Packaging" package type where you are not constrained by their packages. WHen using "Your Packaging" you will usually have to let the carrier know in the length width and height of the package.
Service Type
Each carrier has their own specific service types. For example UPS has Ground, Next Day Air plus many more and FedEx has Ground and Overnight to mention a few. Make your selection as to the service type you will be using for this shipment.
The Service Type usually defines the Special Services that are then available. For example FedEx Ground service type allows the FedEx Ground C.O.D social service to appear
Packages
This is where you define the quantity (required), weight (required), length, width and height of the package that you will be sending.
You will notice a search bar and some icons just above the packages section. This allows you to quickly select commonly used packages and add new packages to a shipment.
You can add another row if you are sending multiple packages by clicking this icon:
You can delete a row you have added by mistake by selecting the row and then clicking the delete icon.
To save a package as a selectable item for future shipments you first need to fill in the package weight and dimensions, select the row you want to give a name to:
Then click on this icon to bring up the naming section
Give the package profile a name and click save. This will then be saved for future shipments.
Search for previously saved package profiles:
Select the appropriate profile, and click the button highlighted below to add this package profile to the shipment.
Billing and Reference Information
The billing section allows you to set who should pay for the cost of shipping. This is SENDER, RECIPIENT or THIRD_PARTY.
Different carriers have different requirements for billing to THIRD_PARTY. For example UPS require account number and ZIP Code, and FedEx require just the account number.
This section also allows you to set the Reference values for this particular shipment. In most cases the reference fields will appear on the shipping label.
Notifications
This section allows you to set who should receive notifications for the shipment progress.
It changes based on the carrier, but as an example FedEx allow up to 6 email addresses to be notified of a shipments progress through their network. UPS allow 5 email addresses, and DPD UK also allow a SMS notification to be sent.
FedEx
UPS
DPD
Special Services
This section allows you to specify the special service you want to add to this shipment.
FedEx
Each carrier has different special services that they offer. Some of the special services require extra information such as UPS need to know the type of Signature Confirmation you would like. If this is the case, then the UI will update once you have checked that special service and show you the extended options.
UPS
International Details
The International section will appear when the country specified in the Sender section is different to the country specified in the Recipient section.
The first section you will see is the Customs Items, where you can select any customs items you have created.
You will notice a search bar and some icons just above the customs section. This allows you to quickly select commonly used customs items to your international shipment.
You can add another row if you are sending multiple commodities by clicking this icon:
You can delete a row you have added by mistake by selecting the row and then clicking the delete icon.
Some carriers require more information for international shipments. You can expend out the visible fields by clicking this button:
And you can then fill in the rest of the details
Search for previously saved commodity, and click on the item to add it:
Shipment Detail Page
Once your shipment has been created you will see numerous fields and related lists which are needed to hold all the information about the shipment you created.
You can always change the page layout to move fields around to suit your use-case better and we highlight the most important fields, in our experience, below.
Shipment Number
This number increments automatically.
Carrier
Shows which carrier the shipment was created with.
Preference
Specifies the Preference that was used for this shipment. Useful if you have multiple accounts for the same carrier.
Tracking Number
This number is arguably the most important field. You can let your clients know the tracking number that their shipment is linked to.
Ship Date
The date that this shipment label was created.
Shipment State
Shipment Processing Complete
This checkbox should always be checked if the shipment created successfully. reasons you might not have a successfully processed shipment is if you have another task interfering with the creation of the shipment. This could be processes builders/workflows or triggers.
Shipment Deleted
This gets checked once the shipment is cancelled/voided from the carriers database.
Delivered
This checkbox gets automatically updated to delivered once the shipment has been delivered.
Actual Delivery Date
The date that this shipment was delivered.
Estimated Delivery Date
The estimated date (if provided by the carrier) that this shipment will be delivered
Estimated Delivery Time
The estimated time (if provided by the carrier) that this shipment will be delivered.
Signed For By
The person that signed for having received the shipment.
Tracking Stage
This is a picklist detailing the different stages of a shipment. These are standardized values such as PICKED_UP, IN_TRANSIT, OUT_FOR-DELIVERY, EXCEPTION, DELIVERED.
Status Description
This is the latest tracking update from the carrier using free text.
Last Track Update Time
This is the last date and time that this shipment was updated in salesforce.
Return Shipment
Return Shipment
This checkbox is checked if you have created a shipment that is of type return.
Sender & Recipient
Sender (Recipient for Return Shipments)
These fields record where the shipment was sent from, or to if its a return shipment.
Recipient (Sender for Return Shipments)
These fields record where the shipment was sent to, or from if its a return shipment.
Published Rates
Once a shipment is created, if the carrier support its, we save the estimated cost details of the shipment in these fields. These are estimated costs because the carrier might update the weight and/or dimensions once it actually starts to go through their network.
General Shipment Details
Shows the service type that was used for your shipment.
Related List - Notes & Attachments
Shows all the labels and any international documents that are needed for this shipment.
Related List - Packages
Details all the packages that were created with this shipment such as weight and dimensions and declared values. If you have multiple packages, each package has its own tracking number.
Related List - Checkpoints
Shows all the checkpoints of the history of travel for your shipment. Any exception information will be show in the Status column.
Related List - Print Histories
Details how many times this label has been printed.
Void a Single Shipment
If you no longer need a shipment label you can void the shipment.
Go to the shipment is question and open the record. Click on the arrow in the top right corner and select Void Shipment.
On the next screen check "Yes, I want to cancel this shipment" to acknowledge the cancellation.
You will either get a message that the shipment was successfully cancelled, or an error message detailing the issue.
Once you get back to the shipment record it will show the shipment as voided, however the shipment record will stay there unless you manually delete it.
