1. Metapack
  2. Shipping
  3. Platform Setup
  4. Carriers and Services

Configuring your Carrier Services

Having subscribed to the required services, you can now configure them in readiness for subsequent activation.

If you came straight to this screen after adding a new carrier, then proceed from the Configure Carriers screen below, as the relevant carrier will be pre-selected for you. Otherwise, follow all the relevant steps shown.

Preparation

Log into the Delivery Manager Delta environment using the Administrator Login and Password that were generated when your account was set up. Only once your configuration is working satisfactorily in the Delta environment, should you copy it to your own Production environment.

https://dm-delta.metapack.com/dm/ActionServlet?action=home

Click Setup:

DM_new_nav_bar.png

Carrier Configuration

  1. Move down to the Carriers and Services panel and click the Configure Carriers button:

    Configure_Carriers.png

  2. Select the required carrier from the drop-down:

    Configure_carriers_final.png

    If you have just added a new carrier or services, then the carrier is pre-selected at the top of the screen, followed by any added carrier services under Services at the bottom of the screen.

    Warning triangles are displayed to tell you exactly what information needs to be supplied for each carrier and service. You should start by linking your warehouses via the Manage contracts (formerly, Depots) button.

    • Click Manage contracts and enter the requested accounting information for each warehouse, including customs information if you are shipping outside the UK:

      customs_information.png

      Note

      Even though not all the accounting information may not be appropriate to your particular setup (e.g. in the case of a 'virtual' warehouse), you still need to create it in the system for each warehouse from which the carrier services will be operating.

    • Save your changes to return to the above screen.

  3. Click Set costs and move to Setting up the Carrier Costs.

    Note

    Costs can be added per service (or for all services), per country (or the whole world).

    Important

    The rules used in order to create costs require careful consideration and you should read through the Cost Rule Components and Cost Rule Examples, particularly if setting up rules by weight.

    If a carrier service has no costs associated with it, then it will never be available for allocation and will never be returned by Delivery Options.

  4. If the carrier service setup requires number ranges, proceed as follows:

    • Click Set Number ranges.

    • Click Add new number range:

      Number_Ranges_Intro.png

    • The following screen is displayed:

      Number_range.png

      Caution

      It is important that all the number ranges you enter match those in the carrier contract.

    • At the top of the screen, select the service(s) to which the number range is to apply (or leave All services selected if the range is to apply across all carrier services).

    • Select the warehouse (or leave All warehouses selected if the range is to apply across all warehouses).

    • Select a type of Delivery (for carrier despatch labels) or Pick-up (for returns labels). Leave All types selected if the range is to apply to both types.

    • If you selected a single service, you can select Add another to add a further service underneath to which the number range is also to apply.

    • Under Consignments, specify the first and last numbers in the range to be used for the consignment labels for the selected carrier service(s), and set the range to repeat if required,

    • Click Add range as required to add further ranges.

      Note

      If you do not wish the same ranges to apply to parcels within the consignments, deselect Parcels: Use the same number for the consignment.

    • Save your changes to return to the above screen.

  5. The icons for the services for which details have been specified are now amber, which means that they are ready to be activated.

  6. Before activating the services, it is advisable to set up the appropriate charges for each service, so that any overheads can be returned (e.g. by Delivery Options) for passing onto the consumer. So, click Set charges and move to Setting up the Carrier Charges.

  7. You should also set up the carrier connection details so that manifests can be uploaded over FTP, and tracking details can be downloaded. Proceed as follows:

    • Click Set Carrier connection details to display the screen shown in the following example:

      Carrier_Connection_Details.png

    • Complete the Status Update fields as required, selecting sftp as the Transfer protocol.

      Note

      The File pattern refers to the names of the status update files being downloaded from the specified directory, to allow the PTS (Parcel Tracking System) to retrieve the event mappings.

      An asterisk ('*') is a wild card representing any character or range of characters (e.g. 'D*' will cause all files starting with the letter 'D' to be downloaded). If the field is left empty, it will be populated by default with an asterisk on its own - meaning that all files from the directory will be downloaded.

      You need to take care when specifying the File pattern, as downloading unnecessary files may overload PTS.

    • To configure manifest upload details, click Add new manifest carrier connection and select the type (Delivery or Pick-up (returns)), Collection depot and Delivery depot, and the associated Warehouse (or All Warehouses).

      Further_Carrier_Connection_Details.png

    • Click Add another to add a further combination of type, depots and warehouse to the current carrier connection.

    • If you wish to configure manifest upload details for a further carrier connection, repeat from step C.

    • Save your changes to return to the above screen.

  8. Click Set Cutoff Times to configure the warehouse Cutoffs, to allow sufficient time between ordering and despatch.

    The Web cutoffs are different from the warehouse Cutoffs. The latter are used when printing labels and default to a time 30 minutes prior to the Collection time. The Web cutoffs are used in Delivery Options to display a countdown clock of the cutoff time for placing an order.

    Each Web cutoffs must be set to a time earlier than the warehouse Cutoff. If left blank, then Delivery Options will default to using the warehouse Cutoff.

    Note

    For the use of Web cutoffs in presenting order countdowns to consumers, refer to What's New in April 2020 and Using the Web Cutoffs as Order Countdowns.

    Proceed as follows:

    1. Select the required active service and click Set Cut off Times.

    2. Modify the warehouse Cutoff and Collection times as required.

    3. Enter the Web cutoff if you are using Delivery Options,

      Web_Cutoff_Small.png

      Note

      If you wish to enter different cutoffs and collection times for different days of the week, untick those days in the above screenshot. This then creates additional rows below the original one, on which you can enter different times for the individual, deselected, days.

      The Notification fields allow you to delay collection by a specified number of days and hours at busy times, to allow more time for picking and packing.

    4. Save your changes to return to the above screen.

    5. Repeat from step A for the next carrier service.

    6. When all the services have cutoffs, move to the next step.

  9. In the Summary at the top of the above screen, verify that everything has been configured for the current carrier (indicated by green icons), and, from the Services panel below it, that all the services are ready to be activated (indicated by amber icons).

  10. Before activating anything, repeat from the start of step 2 for the next carrier.

  11. Once all the required carrier services have been configured, move to Activating your Carrier Services.

Getting started

  1. Configuring your Default Warehouse

  2. Adding Warehouses and Changing your Default Warehouse (Optional)

  3. Adding Carriers to your Account

  4. Adding a Carrier

  5. Configuring your Carrier Services

  6. Creating your Carrier 'Service Groups' (Optional but recommended)

  7. Activating your Carrier Services

  8. Creating and Allocating a test Consignment

  9. Adding New Users and Locking a User to a Warehouse (Optional)