Originally written by John Hardwick, last updated Oct 12, 2023, on the Swan Retail knowledge base (FRS).

Overview

Delivery Scheduling is the process of reserving a delivery slot on a run.

Delivery Planning is the process of sequencing the run, picking stock and despatching for customer delivery/collection.

Configuration

Parameters

Parameters

Products

It is possible to set weight and dimensions against the SKU. As highlighted below with the red box.

If intending to use delivery cubic’s it is important to ensure all SKUs are built with a common unit of measure (millimetres are recommended)  

It is recommended that the same unit of weight is used for all products in the system.

Any null / empty weight settings will be assumed to be a zero value when calculating loads.

Unavailable Slots

When using delivery slots, it may be necessary to reserve a slot for other use. The unavailable slot reasons effectively books out a delivery slot within a delivery run, making it not possible to schedule a customer delivery / stock transfer note for that slot.

Locations

When using advanced delivery planning setting the default bay locations (storage areas) for the warehouse enables the manual, batch update and Wi-Fi barcode scanning systems to automatically update the status of the delivery run when the last item on the run is moved to the picking bay or despatch bay.

Vehicles

When setting up the vehicle, it is possible to set the maximum load capacities and to define whether these can be exceeded at the time of load planning.

When using slots, setting a default time frame between slots is very useful to ensure the clients are given realistic expectations for a delivery window.

Operation

Delivery Scheduling

There are two forms of delivery, (advanced and standard), both share a degree of functionality. 

Advanced brings the information required to allocate a delivery run on to a single page whereas the standard version uses several screens and therefore is a little easier to work with for newer users.

The main advantage of the advanced option is with delivery planning, in that when progressing the delivery though the sequencing, picking, inspected, loaded processes, the status of the note will automatically update as stock is moved between bays.

Advanced Delivery Mode

When arranging a delivery with a customer the routine will show the next 7 delivery slots

The page is split into four sections.

1. Order header and financials - this is designed to allow the operator to collect outstanding balances before scheduling delivery. (Subject to settings it may not be possible to schedule until sufficient payment has been received).

2. Delivery Runs - using the default settings the screen will display a list of suitable runs from which to schedule delivery.

SwanFRS will use the delivery location from the sales order and in partnership with the customer’s delivery to addresses postcode it will present a list of possible delivery runs for the order.

If the order is marked as a customer collection, the Show Collections tick box will be set and the runs available will be customer pick up defaults.

The Delivery From Location, Route, Show Collections and Start Date can be changed by the operator. Where changed the GO button should be used to redisplay the list of potential delivery runs.

3. History - for mixed delivery orders or where goods have been collected this section shows the previous runs related to this order.

4. Goods - the last section on the page shows order items and their delivery status, Via the check box it is possible to select which items are to be scheduled.

The Show All unscheduled goods check box hides order lines already scheduled for delivery / collection.

Once scheduled a Remove button appears allowing the operator to unschedule a delivery where needed. This is different to rescheduling which simply changes the date of delivery, removing marks selected items as Not Scheduled.

The screen shows up to 4 load dimensions (dependent upon system configuration colour coded to the percentage banding set.

Where switched on SwanFRS displays the load status for the following dimensions.

• Where a measure is not set (blank or zero) for the vehicle, the vehicle linked to the run, the traffic light box will not display.

• Where the column is not active (via the application parameter controls) the column and its header will not display.

Clicking on the cell value (subject to permissions) takes the operator to the delivery planning screen.

Adding Items to the Delivery Run

To schedule a delivery initially ensure the items to be delivered (or collected) are ticked and then click the Select legend alongside the chosen delivery run.

Once the run has been selected the screen will redisplay showing the slots available.  Slots are shown immediately below the finance / delivery section.

If a slot has been allocated to another sale , marked as unavailable or is the subject of a stock transfer it will not be possible to select the slot. (check box greyed out).

When a slot is unavailable the system will either show the customer’s order reference, unavailable reason code or transfer note reference in the Status Column.

Dependent upon privileges it is possible to –

•  Click the   icon, this allows the slot to be reserved or released by setting or clearing the reserved reason from the drop down in the Reason Column. 

• Allocate the order to one or more contiguous slots by ticking the check box on for the desired slot(s). Once the slot(s) have been selected clicking the USER SELECTED SLOTS confirms the selection

If selecting multiple slots, the slots must be contiguous. I.e. no other orders , unselected slots or unavailable slots between the chosen slot numbers.

• Click the ADD SLOT button to add an extra slot (subject to the delivery run allowing this).

It is not possible to add a delivery slot to a delivery run with the ‘over loadable’ option unticked.

Where available additional slots are automatically added to the end of the delivery run.

• Click CANCEL to abort the allocation process.

Deliveries can be rescheduled as required by selecting the delivery items and reselecting a delivery run.

Once scheduled the Delivery Status changes to DELIVERY SCHEDULED however this can be changed as needed.

The percentage loaded indicators are updated by the scheduling of the order line possibly turning from green to yellow or yellow to red.

When viewing the sales order, if the operator hovers the mouse over the DELIVERY SCHEDULED indicator, the system will present a pop up showing the planned delivery date and slot.

Standard Delivery Mode

Clicking the Schedule Delivery from the side panel or the order detail page, produces a screen like that shown below –

The screen is split into three sections.

1. Order header and financials - this is designed to allow the operator to collect outstanding balances before scheduling delivery. (Subject to settings it may not be possible to schedule until sufficient payment has been received).

2. History - for mixed delivery orders or where goods have been collected this section shows the previous runs related to this order.

3. Goods - the last section on the page shows order items and their delivery status, Via the check box it is possible to select which items are to be scheduled.

The Show All unscheduled goods check box hides order lines already scheduled for delivery / collection.

Once scheduled a Remove button appears allowing the operator to unschedule a delivery where needed. This is different to rescheduling which simply changes the date of delivery, removing marks selected items as Not Scheduled.

To schedule use the diamond (road sign) icon to select the appropriate delivery run. The background colour of the selected action changes to a light yellow.

To schedule / reschedule click the Schedule (Reschedule) link on the highlighted row, this changes the display showing the available runs.

SwanFRS will use the delivery location from the sales order and in partnership with the customer’s delivery to addresses postcode it will present a list of possible delivery runs for the order.

If the order is marked as a customer collection, the Show Collections tick box will be set and the runs available will be customer pick up defaults.

The Delivery From Location, Route, Show Collections and Start Date can be changed by the operator. Where changed the GO button should be used to redisplay the list of potential delivery runs.

It is possible to move forward or back a week at a time by clicking the buttons, or to CANCEL the delivery allocation process.

The screen will show the available delivery runs with their load indicators.

Subject to permission, clicking the allows the operator to change the vehicle and / or route the run is to take.

This feature is useful if the run is created as a blank or a ‘to be confirmed’ and given a direction once the first delivery is allocated to it.

Clicking the Select button, selects the run and displays the slots within the run.

If a slot has been allocated to another sale , marked as unavailable or is the subject of a stock transfer it will not be possible to select the slot. (check box greyed out).

When a slot is unavailable the system will either show the customer’s order reference, unavailable reason code or transfer note reference in the Status Column.

Dependent upon privileges it is possible to –

•  Click the   icon, this allows the slot to be reserved or released by setting or clearing the reserved reason from the drop down in the Reason Column. 

• Allocate the order to one or more contiguous slots by ticking the check box on for the desired slot(s). Once the slot(s) have been selected clicking the USER SELECTED SLOTS confirms the selection

If selecting multiple slots, the slots must be contiguous. I.e. no other orders , unselected slots or unavailable slots between the chosen slot numbers.

• Click the ADD SLOT button to add an extra slot (subject to the delivery run allowing this).

It is not possible to add a delivery slot to a delivery run with the ‘over loadable’ option unticked.

Where available additional slots are automatically added to the end of the delivery run.

• Click CANCEL to abort the allocation process.

Deliveries can be rescheduled as required by selecting the delivery items and reselecting a delivery run.

Once scheduled the Delivery Status changes to DELIVERY SCHEDULED however this can be changed as needed.

The percentage loaded indicators are updated by the scheduling of the order line possibly turning from green to yellow or yellow to red.

When viewing the sales order, if the operator hovers the mouse over the DELIVERY SCHEDULED indicator, the system will present a pop up showing the planned delivery date and slot.

View Deliveries

Users able to view the delivery diary will see a screen like that shown below –

If their login permits they can click any of the loading factors to drill into delivery planning which will show the composition of the run.

Subject to permission, they will be able to change the vehicle and / or route of the run. by clicking the image.

Changing the vehicle will change the load measures, however it will not affect the slot allocation.

If the replacement vehicle has the overload option blocked and the number of allocated / reserved slots is smaller than the original van the system will generate a message advising the operator that the vehicle selected has insufficient slots.  The replacement attempt will be cancelled, and the original van retained.  

When swapping vehicles, if the change of vehicle has fewer slots and overloading is blocked but the number of allocated (customer delivery/collections and transfers) slots is less than or equal to the number of slots available on the new vehicle the system will allow the change but will ignore any ‘available’ or ‘reserved’ slots.  I.e. the system will bring across the customer order and transfers and ‘forget’ the available / reserved slots.  (Reserved slots will be copied in preference to available where every possible)

In such circumstances the operator should either choose an alternative vehicle with a large slot capacity or reduce the number of allocated / reserved slots on the delivery run.

Delivery Planning

Whereas delivery scheduling is the act of arranging a delivery (or collection) with a customer in respect of sale, delivery planning is the warehouse team ensuring the delivery can occur, they goods have been located and picked with the appropriate literature generated.

SwanFRS can be configured to link with Dispatch Track which is a third party graphical application for delivery planning.

This section details the steps required within SwanFRS to progress a delivery run from the perspective of the warehouse delivery team.

Reviewing the Delivery

On initial load the screen will display the next 7 day’s of delivery runs.

The operator may choose to change the data set by changing the Delivery From Location, Route, Show Collections and / or Start Date. Where changed the GO button should be used to redisplay the list of potential delivery runs.

It is possible to move forward or back a week at a time by clicking the buttons, or to CANCEL the delivery allocation process.

Subject to permission, they will be able to change the vehicle and / or route of the run. by clicking the image.

Changing the vehicle will change the load measures, however it will not affect the slot allocation.

To view the composition of the delivery run, click into any of the load measures or the Run Status, this presents the list of orders to be progressed by the delivery.

At this time the delivery run remains open and may be changed by the sales teams.

There are several actions available at this point,

TOGGLE VIEW	Clicking changes the display from a list of orders to a list of product (and services) and vice versa
EXPORT DATA	Where configured this option produces an export of the contents of the delivery run for third party progressions see Stock Exports
UPLOAD BAYS	This button allows a data file to be imported to refresh the bay locations of items on the delivery run.
LOCK >	This button probits change to the delivery run for anyone not possessing the PLAN_DELIVERIES role parameter, thus reserving the run for the warehouse team to finesse the format.
CLOSE	Closes the run returning back to the list of deliveries
Delivery Note Number	Displays the items in the delivery for the specific sales order
Currency Symbol	The currency symbol will display with a green font if sufficient funds for the delivery have been received and red if not. It may be necessary to chase for payment before being allowed to proceed or to authorise the delivery via the Instructions link. If the ‘approved for delivery’ tick box is checked, the currency symbol turns green irrespective of the financial status. The next check relates to the ‘delivery method’ set against the sales order. If set to ‘invoice’ (Payment after delivery) the system will show a green currency symbol. If set to ‘on delivery’ (cash on delivery) the currency symbol will be green. If set to ‘before delivery’ the system checks the DELIVERY_PAYMENT_LEVEL application parameter.  The setting of this parameter controls the level of prepayment required against the sales order for the order to be deemed to have enough payment.  If the sum of payment exceeds the specified threshold the currency symbol will show as green otherwise the symbol will show with a red font.
INSTRUCTIONS	Opens a page showing delivery instructions allocated to the run. This button displays as INSTRUCTIONS once delivery instructions exist. It may be necessary to approve a delivery, which is achieved by ticking the check-box to the right-middle of the page.
Order Number	Clicking opens the sales order detail page

Locking the Run

Clicking the LOCK > button moves the run into planning mode and changes the OPEN status to LOCKED.

This step can be reversed if required. 

At this stage the run is protected from further additions and is ready to have the drop sequence changed to optimise the delivery run.

This stage is referred to as route planning in that the sequence and composition of the delivery run can be adjusted prior to moving to picking.

Advanced / Standard Mode Variances

When operating with Advanced Delivery Scheduling the progression of the delivery note is controlled by the bay location the stock items are held in.  I.e. when the last stock item is in the designated picking bay the note is set to picked.  Once the last item is in the dispatch bay the note become able to be dispatched.

When operating with Standard Mode all items to be delivered (or collected) must be loaded onto the run for them to progress into dispatch – items ‘not loaded’ are deemed to have been removed from the run at time of dispatch.  This is an automatic process and once removed must be added back on to the run manually.

The advanced mode also assumes ‘service’ classed items are picked where as the standard system requires the confirmation of load for service items.

For standard operation the operator must drive the notes progression

Picking

Clicking the NEXT > button from the locked delivery run, informs SwanFRS the sequence for delivery is corrected and therefore to generate a picking note.

The picking note will be similar to that shown below.

The status of the note changes to LOADING and the note awaits confirmation of the stock pick.

EXPORT DATA	Where configured this option produces an export of the contents of the delivery run for third party progressions see Stock Exports
UPLOAD BAYS	This button allows a data file to be imported to refresh the bay locations of items on the delivery run.
< PREV	moves the delivery run status back to LOCKED thus allowing amendments to the run etc.
UNLOAD	Clicking tells the system that lines with a tick in the A/N checkbox have not been found / picked / loaded and remain outstanding.
LOAD	Clicking tells the system that lines with a tick in the A/N checkbox have been found / picked / loaded and remain outstanding. Once picked / loaded the line displays the LOADED badge in the Ld column. Items for collection and service lines must be loaded.
NEXT >	Clicking this button instructs SwanFRS that the route planning stage of the delivery run is complete. Any item not marked as LOADED will be automatically removed from the delivery run and the line / sales order status reverted back to ‘requires scheduling' An audit of log of such items is recorded in the database.
CLOSE	Closes the run leaving the status and contacts as displayed
INTRUCTIONS	Clinking allows delivery notes to be read / added or amended.
Swap Stock	Subject to permission it is possible to swap the stock ID of an item on pick with one that EXACTLY matches the option structure of the item marked for picking. Clicking the two arrows forming a circle to the right of the Qty column produces a pick list page whereby it is possible to choose an alternate stock item instead of that instructed to pick.

Pick Up On Route

When operating with ‘advanced’ delivery the system identifies to the operator goods needing to be picked up on route.  Pick up on route directions will effectively consume a slot.

Where necessary the system will create the slot during planning to accommodate ‘pick up on routes’

Post picking Note Processing

The process of completing the delivery note picking / dispatch process is unaffected by delivery slots.

Scheduled Transfer Notes

When scheduling a transfer note the same processes as scheduling a customer delivery / collection will be required.

The first step, while viewing the transfer note is to select the Schedule Send button. This lists the delivery runs available.

Once the route has been chosen, clicking the Select button opens the slots selection (where applicable)

In this example it will be necessary to add slots prior to adding the transfer note.  Once slots are available the transfer note can be scheduled.

To confirm the details, the Use Selected Slots button should be clicked.

When planning the delivery, a transfer will be clearly identified in the drop sequence.

Confirming delivery of the transfer note is unaffected by delivery slots.

Advanced Operation

When running in advanced mode when the last stock item on the delivery run is moved from its storage bay to the picked bay the status of the delivery note is automatically moved to LOADED or picked.

Despatching

Clicking the NEXT > button from the picking delivery run, informs SwanFRS picking is completed and the run is ready for delivery.

The delivery note status moves from LOADING to LOADED and dependant upon configuration either a set of delivery notes or a drivers manifest is produced.

Additional literature can be produced via the side panel.

Clicking < PREV moves the note back to picking if needed.

Clicking DISPATCH instructs the system the delivery run is occurring.

When operating with advanced planning, when the last item on the run is moved to the ‘despatch' bay the note is changed to DESPATCHED

 Once dispatched the status of the note moves to DESPATCHED

All sales orders on the deliver now show the green delivery indicators and when hovering the ‘soft’ allocation changes to ‘firm’.

Clicking the < UNDISPATCH moves the note back to the previous state along with the linked order delivery status indicators.

The final step is to confirm delivery / collection of goods.

Files from the Confluence page

• Amending Posted Payments Guide.pdf

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