Using a Booking Code as an Allocation Filter

This topic shows you how to use a booking code to filter the options for allocating a consignment, via the Delivery Manager GUI.

Note

To do the same thing using the Shipping API, refer to Allocation Service Methods.

Preparation

Log into the following Delivery Manager Delta environment using either the Administrator Login and Password or one of the user accounts that were created:

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

Note

If you have previously configured your carriers and services in the Delta environment, and are using your production environment, then you should log into this environment instead.

Click Home and then select the Unallocated status, followed by Search, to display the orders that are yet to be allocated to carriers, e.g.

Consignments_new_nav_bar_1.png

Allocation via Booking Code

Proceed as follows:

  1. Click on the required unallocated order, to open it under the Delivery tab.

  2. Click on the Options tab, to display the screen shown in the following example:

    Consignments_new_nav_bar_2.png
  3. From the items listed under Carrier Selection Method, select Advanced Allocation,

    A pop-out window is displayed:

    Booking_Code_1.png
  4. Click Booking Code at the top of the window, to display the single prompt for a booking code:

    Booking_Code_2.png
  5. Enter the required code, with reference to the Introduction to Booking Codes. In the above example, the 'Hermes Courier Service Next Day' is one of the options available, collecting today, and delivering tomorrow, so, if you want to select this, and today is, say, 15th May 2020, you could enter the following:

    HERMNDG/2020-05-15/*-*/2020-05-16

    This will filter the allocation options down to just the top option shown in the screenshot at step 3.

    Note

    In the above example, simply entering HERMNDG would achieve the same effect (assuming that Hermes was offering the service every day), as would simply entering @NEXT (assuming it was the only service in the NEXT carrier 'service group' that was being offered).

  6. Select the service resulting from the filtering. The selected option is displayed on the right of the screen shown at step 2.

  7. Click Save Changes in the top right hand corner of the screen, to generate a Carrier Consignment Code, used to identify the shipment within Delivery Manager.

  8. If you do not wish to proceed, click the Cancel Allocation button that now appears at the top of the screen. Otherwise, proceed to Generating an individual label.