Understanding Shipments
This document provides an overview of how Shipments work in Zoho ERP. It explains the purpose of shipments, their key benefits, and the lifecycle involved in dispatching packed goods from your warehouse to customers.
Scenario: Patricia Boyle runs a sports equipment distribution business. A retailer contacts her asking whether an order of cricket bats and helmets has already been sent, as the items are required before a weekend tournament.
Patricia uses the shipments module in Zoho ERP, checks the created shipment record which contains details of the shipment number, delivery method, and dispatch date. She confirms that the goods have left her warehouse and shares the delivery details with the retailer.
What are Shipments?
A shipment is a record that captures the details of goods dispatched from your organization to a customer after they are packed. It records information such as the packages shipped, carrier or delivery method used, shipment number, shipment date, tracking details, and delivery status.
Shipments help organizations track goods that are shipped, in transit, and delivered, while providing visibility into delivery progress and confirming that goods have left the warehouse.
In the Shipments module, you can:
- Create shipment records for packed sales orders and dispatch goods to customers.
- Ship packages manually or through integrated shipping carriers.
- Track shipment status from dispatch to final delivery using tracking details.
- Generate and print shipping labels and shipment documents.
- Notify customers about shipment and delivery updates.
Key Benefits of Using Shipments
- Provides real-time visibility into shipped, in-transit, and delivered orders.
- Ensures accurate tracking of packages, carriers, and delivery timelines.
- Improves customer communication through shipment notifications and tracking.
- Acts as proof of dispatch for operational and audit purposes.
- Supports carrier integrations for rate calculation and label generation.
Lifecycle of a Shipment
The lifecycle of a shipment represents the stages a shipment goes through from creation to delivery. A shipment is created after packages are prepared for a sales order, marked as Shipped when goods leave the warehouse, updated through various in-transit statuses, and finally marked as Delivered once the goods reach the customer.
Configure Preferences
You can configure the preferences of the Shipments module based on your business requirements. This includes shipment notifications, default dispatch addresses, field customization, validation rules, and custom actions.
Read our help document on Shipment Preferences to learn more.