Editing Consignments

Making changes to consignments in the Admin portal

Dispatchers, Customer Service team members and other Admin Portal users may need to edit consignments for a number of reasons, such as:

→ Changing freight items or receiver details after a pickup has been requested.
→ Communicating with a receiver using Hitrak's Messaging service.
→ Recording or resolving Note and Exception events.

→ Creating a Copy or Return of the consignment.

In this article:

Consignment Delivery Events

Changing Freight details

Adding Endorsements and Attachments

Messaging a Receiver

Modifying Extras

Pricing Notes and Additional actions

Consignment Movements

Copies and Returns

Cancellations and Errors

Finding a consignment

To locate a consignment for editing:

• Select the consignment from the Dispatch Board, or use the Search functions to find it.
• Click the consignment reference to access all its information.

Some changes can be made from this main consignment view; others need to be accessed from the Actions menu at the top of the page. A consignment's editability depends on its current status.

Changes in the Consignment View

Recording and Editing Delivery Events (Notes and Exceptions)

Exceptions are used to record any reason a task could not be completed.

Notes are intended to record information regarding a task which requires attention or further action, but has not prevented the task from being completed.

These events can also be recorded in the Driver App.

To record a note or exception in the Admin Portal:

• Click Record Event.
• Select Exception or Note, then choose the reason from the Event Title dropdown list.
• Enter a description, and tick the relevant checkbox to indicate whether action is still required or the event is already resolved. 

 

To edit or resolve a note or exception:

• Click the Timeline tab.
• Click Edit to change the event details, or Resolve to mark the event as resolved.
• Enter a description of the action(s) taken to resolve the event.

 

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Changing Freight details

Freight item lines may need to be edited or added at any stage of a consignment's journey. This could be due to an error when the consignment was initially created, or at a customer's request after they have already requested pickup. 

To add a line:

A new editable line is available in the Freight tab on loading any consignment page.

• Enter the freight details. The quantity, item type, description, weight and volume/dimensions must be entered for each line of freight. 
• Click Save, and add more lines as needed. 

• To edit an existing line, click the ✏️icon. This allows the number of pieces, item type, item description, weight and volume to be modified.
• Freight line edits are saved automatically, and new documents will be generated for the consignment.

 

• To delete an existing line, click the 🗑️icon.
• In the Delete Line Item dialog, click Yes to confirm the action.
• New documents will be generated for the consignment.
  

 

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Adding an Endorsement 

Endorsements are automatically applied based on actions taken by a user, such as a dispatcher modifying a delivery date or adding a consignment to a delivery run, or a receiver sending a message through the Hitrak Consumer App. Endorsements are also entered for automated processes performed by the system, such as address correction and consignment auto-rating.

The Endorsements tab also allows users to record additional notes regarding a consignment, e.g., details of a phone or email conversation with the receiver.

To add an endorsement manually:

• Type into the empty Details box.
• Choose the visibility for the Endorsement. This can be restricted to Admin Portal users, or available to both Admin and Driver app users. 
• Click Add to Save.

Adding an Attachment

The Attachments feature is most commonly utilised by Driver App users to record freight photos throughout a consignment's journey. This can also be used to add relevant documents or other files.

Admin Portal users may need to upload an attachment in the case of an issue with the driver attaching a photo at some point, or to add extra relevant documentation from a customer or receiver.  

To add an attachment:

• Click Add a new file.
• Select the Attachment Type from the dropdown list.
• Click Browse to locate and upload the file.
• Add any relevant notes in the Notes box, and click Save. 

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Messaging a Receiver

The Communications tab allows for SMS to be sent to a mobile number linked to a consignment. This is typically used to contact receivers regarding their delivery. Messages sent via the Driver App ad Consumer App can also be viewed here. .

• Click Send Message.
• Select the recipient (Sender or Receiver). Only recipients with a valid mobile number format will be available.
• Select a template for the message from the dropdown list or add a custom message, then edit as needed. 
• Click Send. If the message is successful, it will be highlighted green in the Messaging tab. If there is an issue sending or delivering the message, e.g. due to an invalid mobile number or too many sends of the same template, it will be highlighted red and include some error details, prompting the user to take action. The consignment will also be tagged with SMS attention required. 

Messages can also be sent in bulk from the Dispatch Board. See Managing Driver Runs for details.

Modifying Extras

Extras are configurable by Service type and Customer. To set up the Extras available for your consignment types, see Delivery Extras and Surcharges.

Admin Portal users can control whether an Extra is visible to Driver App users, and whether the visible Extras are included in a job, or available on request at the point of delivery. In the Extras tab:

• Click Edit to view the Delivery Extras available for the consignment.
• Choose from the dropdown options for each Extra, to mark it as included, on request, or not included.
• Any changes will be reflected in the Extras tab and the Driver App's view of the consignment.

 

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Adding Pricing Notes

Consignments are automatically priced based on the rates configured in Hitrak for each customer and other criteria, such as delivery area and/or handling depot.

Notes related to a consignment's pricing may need to be added in the case of:

• The consignment not meeting criteria for automatic pricing, e.g. a delivery address being outside of a determined pricing zone area. This would need to be rated manually, so should have notes to provide context and inform the manual rating.
• Consignments which do meet criteria for auto-rating, but need to be manually rated for some reason. Entering any pricing note into the notes box will ensure the consignment pricing is not automatically confirmed (if this setting is enabled), and the consignment will appear in the Unrated tab in Finance>Rating, as a reference for the person confirming pricing and creating Invoices.

Additional Actions

Adding or Removing Linked Consignments

Consignments link automatically when a copy or return is created. In other cases, consignments can be linked manually via the Additional Tab.

To add a link:

• Click Add Link.
• Select the Link Type and enter the consignment reference. 
• Click Save.

To remove a link:

• Under the Linked Consignments header, click the 🗑️icon on the relevant consignment line.
• Click Yes to confirm.

Creating a Consignment Tracking Link

A tracking link will automatically generate once a consignment has a status of Ready or later. If a tracking link needs to be created earlier for some reason, this can be done via the Generate button next to Tracking link. Once a Tracking Link has been generated, it cannot be edited manually or removed from the consignment. 

 

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Changes from the Actions Menu

Edit 

Navigates to the consignment details Edit page. Sender, Receiver, Service Type, Delivery Date, Invoice Account, Sender/Receiver References and Sender/Receiver Notes can all be updated here.

Consignment Movements and Status Changes

Directly below the Edit button in the Actions dropdown, users are provided options to perform consignment movements, i.e. status changes and run allocation.

A consignment status change may need to be processed in the Admin Portal in the case of a customer request, to correct an error, or for some other reason. 

The options listed here depend on the consignment's current status, as detailed below. 

Draft
Ready
Staged & Unallocated to a Run
Staged & Allocated to a Run
Collected
Delivered

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To complete a consignment movement or status change:

• Click the relevant option to perform or undo an action.
• A pop-up box will appear to prompt the user to confirm the action, and/or perform further actions required to complete the movement. E.g., provide a reason for undoing a delivery, or select the run to which the consignment should be allocated.

 

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Creating Copies and Returns

Copy

Individual consignments can be copied to create a new one with the same details, including the requesting site, invoice account, service type, sender, receiver and freight. 

To copy an existing consignment:

• Click Actions→ Create Copy. A new consignment will be created with the same information, and will open on the consignment view page. 

• Make any required changes to the new consignment, and save with the appropriate status.

• When a copy is created, a reference between the consignments is available in the Additional>Linked Consignments section of both the original and the copy.

The original will show a link to the copy:

The copy will show a link to the original:

 

Sender Only Copy

This differs from a Copy, in that it does not replicate the Receiver or Freight details.

To create a Sender Only copy of a consignment:

• Click Actions→ Create Sender Only Copy. A new consignment will be created with the same Sender details, and will open on the Edit page.
•  Complete the Receiver details, and save.
• Add the Freight details and complete any other required changes.
• Save with the appropriate status.

When a Sender Only copy is created, a reference between the consignments is available in the Additional>Linked Consignments section, of both the original and the copy.

 

Return

In the case that freight needs to be returned to a sender, e.g., if the receiver has requested a refund or exchange, a Return consignment can be generated. This works similarly to the Copy function, in that a new consignment will be created for the Return.

• Click Actions → Create Return. A new consignment will be created with the same information as the original, and will open on the consignment view page. 

• Complete any required edits to the new (Return) consignment, and save with the appropriate status.

As per copied consignments, in Additional>Linked Consignments, the original will show a link to the return, and the return will show a link to the original. 

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Cancel a Consignment

If a consignment is no longer required, or a customer requests cancellation for some other reason, it can be cancelled.  

• Click Actions → Cancel Consignment. A dialog will appear, requiring a reason for the cancellation.
• Enter the reason for cancelling the consignment, and click Accept to proceed.
  
   
• In the next dialog, click Confirm to complete the cancellation.
  
  
  
  
• The consignment status will update to Cancelled, and the consignment can still be searched and viewed in the Admin Portal and the Freightmaster Customer Portal. 
                         

Set as Error

In the case of a consignment being created in error, e.g., one created in the Admin portal with the wrong customer details, its status can be updated to reflect this. 

This process is similar to cancellations.

• Click Actions → Set as Error. Complete the reason for the action in the dialog.
• Enter the reason for setting the consignment as an error, and click Accept to proceed. 
  
  
•  In the next dialog, click Confirm to complete the action.
  
              
• The status will update to Error, and the consignment can still be searched and viewed in the Admin Portal and the Freightmaster Customer Portal. 

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