The Delivery tab in the Process form gives you a way to work with your customer to schedule the delivery of the items in the transaction. You can use this tab to schedule the delivery date, time, and even choose to pay for the transaction on delivery.

Sale Entry > Process Invoice Document > Delivery Tab

The appearance and function of the Delivery tab can vary based on the transaction type and depend upon the delivery feature being enabled in the parameters. This is listing of transactions that provide a Delivery (or pickup) tab:

Fields and Settings in the Delivery Tab

In the Delivery tab, many of the fields are prefilled by the transaction record based on the customer's account settings. This includes the Job #, the Name and address/contact fields, and the tax code associated with the transaction. You can modify these fields if the customer wants to delivery the items to a different address. You can even change the tax code if making this kind of change alters the tax code that should be used. There are more details about these fields and their use in the Delivery Options and Features section below.

Schedule Delivery

Select this check box to begin the delivery scheduling process. When you select this check box the Date, Time, and Routing Code lists enable.

Date

Select the date the customer wants the delivery to occur.

Time

Select the delivery time from the schedule of existing delivery times available.
Note: If the materials being delivered require a specific truck type, click the Settings icon beside the Time list to display the Delivery Type list.

Choose the type of truck required from the list and choose Accept to save the selection.

Routing Code

From this list, choose the route that services this delivery address.

Delivery Instructions

Use this field to enter any instructions required for the driver or dispatcher that affect the delivery.

COD

Select this check box to specify that the payment is expected upon the delivery of the transaction items. This check box is specific to the Sale Entry process form. Select this option before you specify the payment type in the Invoice tab or delete the default payment type in the Invoice tab before you select this check box. When you select this check box, the application selects the Schedule Delivery check box automatically. You can also use the Payments transaction to enter a COD payment after you receive it (post delivery). For more information on COD transactions, click here.

Job # Menu Marker

The Job # field indicates the job associated with the transaction. When an account has more than the required "master" job zero (0), you may need to select the job associated with the transaction in this tab. The selected (current) job number is listed above the address information (on the right-side of the Delivery tab). Typically, the delivery address defaults to the account's address, but if you need the items to be delivered to the job-specific address, choose the Job # Menu Marker to display the Reset to Job Address option. When you select this option, the application updates the address fields to reflect the address associated with the Job number. You may have to have specific user permissions to make this change.

New Job Button

If the materials the account ordered are for a new job, choose this button to display the Add Job Box.  The entries in this box default to the account address and the Job # increments to the next available job ID for this account. Type over these entries to enter the new name, company, and address information in the fields provided.  Enter any relevant Shipping information in the Shipping Info field. When you have completed your entries and selections, choose Accept. To revert to the previous job entry, choose Cancel.

Map Button

Choose this button to see a map that includes the delivery location, if valid. If the address provided is not found, the address appears crossed out.

Delivery Options By Transaction Type

Depending upon the transaction type (Sales, Orders, etc.), the way you specify delivery can vary.

For the Sale Entry transaction, the Delivery tab provides a way to schedule a delivery (as described in the previous section). The COD payment option is not provided elsewhere.

For the Order Entry transaction, there are three Delivery tab options: Customer Pickup, To be Delivered, and Schedule Delivery.

Order Entry  > Process Order Document > Delivery Tab

Customer Pickup

This is the default selection for orders and means that no delivery is indicated for the customer's order. The expectation is that the customer will pick up their order from your location in this case.

To be Delivered

Select the To be Delivered option if the order will be delivered in the future, but isn't ready to be scheduled yet. Choosing this option can automatically set a default delivery date in certain cases.

Schedule Delivery

Select this option to schedule a delivery of the ordered items for the customer's indicated job or other specified shipping address. If your company isn't using either the Spruce Delivery feature or the DQ Technologies delivery feature, the application saves the date and other delivery information with the order and prints it on documents. If you are using the Spruce Delivery feature, the order will automatically be added to the Delivery queue table as a "scheduled" delivery. You may have the option, depending upon how your company uses the feature, to reserve a specific type of delivery vehicle and time of day for the delivery as well. See the Delivery Options and Features section below for additional information.

Delivery Options and Features

In Spruce, there are three delivery feature options:

1. DQ Technologies Delivery

2. Spruce Delivery-Dispatch

3. No Delivery

ECI Support personnel must enable both (either) the Delivery-Dispatch module or DQ Technologies Delivery features before you can use them.

• DQ Technologies is a third-party delivery management software solutions provider and is neither owned nor operated by ECI. You need to purchase DQ Technologies software separately and this integration is billed separately as an add-on to the software.

• The Delivery-Dispatch feature is free, but is only enabled upon request and requires additional setup by your company before you can use it.

• When you do not enable either of these features, you still have delivery options for your transactions. You can still indicate delivery on a transaction that would normally support delivery; however, there isn't any additional software management or processing involved. The application still prints and retains the delivery information with Point of Sale documents, even when no delivery feature is enabled.
  
  The controls available for Delivery change depending upon whether you choose Spruce Delivery-Dispatch, or DQ Technologies Order Tracking, or you have no delivery features enabled at all.

Date

The date control is provided regardless of any selected delivery feature (including None). The date does not default to any date value, so the user must select a date if delivery is indicated. For more information about date selection, click here.

Time

The time control only displays when at least one delivery feature is enabled (either Spruce Delivery-Dispatch or DQ Technologies Delivery). Time selection is not provided in transactions where delivery processing by your company is not applicable, such as Direct Ship transactions. If delivery with DQ Technologies is enabled as well the Point of Sale DQ Time option, the time selections shown in the selection list are specific to DQ Technologies. These would differ from the time codes normally shown with Spruce delivery which are user-defined. If DQ Delivery is enabled, but the DQ Time option is not, any times listed will be those defined in the Spruce delivery area.

As mentioned, the delivery time values when using Spruce Delivery are defined by your company using the Time Intervals Maintenance form available from the Delivery area's Database menu. They might be actual times of day or more general values such as AM/PM, for example.

When Spruce Delivery is enabled, an additional Settings icon displays next to the Time list, so you can select a truck and reserve it for the time period selected. Trucks (Lorrys) are defined in the Trucks Maintenance form available from the Delivery area's Database menu. The number of reserve slots per truck type and time period can be set in the Slot Reserves Maintenance form available from the Delivery area's Database menu.

Click the Settings icon to open the Delivery Type form. Use this form to reserve a delivery slot on a specific truck on a specific date. Choosing a truck type that has reserve slots defined will provide the "reserve on" control for selecting the reservation date; otherwise, if no reserve slots are associated with the truck, the control is not shown.

If all the available slots for the selected truck (lorry), time interval, and date have been reserved, users will no longer be able to reserve additional slots and will have to choose a different truck (lorry) and/or date. The calendar indicated unavailable dates in gray text and will not allow selection if this is the case.

Routing Code

The routing code control is provided regardless of any delivery feature. Routing codes are defined from the Route Codes Maintenance form located on the Database menu found in the Delivery area. Routing codes are typically provided as a way to indicate a general delivery area defined by your company. Routing Code is not provided in transactions where delivery processing by your company is not applicable such as Direct Ship transactions.

Delivery Instructions

This text area provides a place to optionally enter additional information about the delivery. If any text is entered, it will be saved with the transaction (document) and printed in the area immediately below the "ship to" address box on certain document styles. Delivery instructions can be saved with a job (adding delivery instructions at time of processing does not save those instructions for the job, however). If a job has default "shipping info," the those instructions will automatically be populated in the Delivery Instructions text-area on the Process (F12) form. Instructions from the job can be modified by the Point of Sale user prior to processing.

Once a transaction designated for the Delivery is processed, the transaction is added to the delivery queue (table).

Job

All jobs are numbered and when an account has more than the required "master" job zero (0), job selection is often required. The selected (current) job number is listed above the address information (found right-hand side of the Delivery tab). A menu marker icon , next to the job number, provides a context menu offering a "Reset to Job Address" option. This can be used to undo any changes made to the delivery address (below) reverting the address back to the job's default address. This may be necessary when changing jobs after the Process (F12) form has been displayed.

New jobs can be added to any non-system account using the Add Job button.

When using a "system" account, such as CASH, new cash-only accounts can be added via the Add Account button.

Map

You can use the Map button on the Delivery tab of some process forms to check the validity of a delivery address using your web browser. The current delivery address values are used to create a query request string and open your default browser. Internet access is required. Your company's network and firewall settings may block access to certain web sites and services. The application does not provide Mapping services, so we cannot guarantee availability, accuracy, suitability for use, or any other aspect of mapping services provided by other parties.

Typically, when a map query is successful, the web service shows the location with additional details regarding the address. If the web service cannot locate the address specifically, typically it provides a map centered on the nearest known location (which might be a street, town, city, etc.). You can choose whether the address is valid. Some job sites, particularly new housing, may not yet exist on public map services.

Address Fields

Formatting of address fields are determined by parameters as well as your computer's region and language settings. The address appears differently based upon whether your company is located in the United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom. The same address control is used in a wide range of transactions and forms; however, each area may use the address differently. Branches, customers, contacts, jobs, and vendors all have associated address data.

Name

This is the name associated with the address and is typically the first (top) line when an address is printed or displayed. This part of the address can be up to 50-characters in length.

In some cases, the "Name" address field performs additional functions that might not be obvious. For example, when adding a new customer, the name becomes the default for the "sort name" field and also the name of the "primary contact" for the account. The sort name can then be modified so that it is different from the address "name;" however, changes to either the "name" or the name associated with contact zero automatically update to keep both fields the same.

Company

This is the company name associated with the address (if any). If supplied, the company prints/displays below the "name" and above the address lines (1 & 2). This part of the address can be up to 30-characters in length.

Address Line 1

This is the first of two (2) lines provided for the address. Both are optional. Usually, when an address is displayed or printed on a document, an address line is only shown when it has been assigned a text value. This is done to avoid unnecessary blank spacing between address lines. This part of the address can be up to 30-characters in length.

Address Line 2

This is the second of two (2) lines provided for the address. Both are optional. Usually, when an address is displayed or printed on a document, the address line is only shown when it has been assigned a text value. This is done to avoid unnecessary blank spacing between address lines. This part of the address can be up to 30-characters in length.

City

This text area is reserved for the "city" (city, town, village, etc.) part of the address. This part of the address can be up to 30-characters in length.

State or Province (Code)

This portion of the mailing address varies based on your software region setting located under the Parameters database (United States vs. Canada) or your computer's globalization setting. When shown, it is a postal abbreviation used for the state, province, or territory where the address is located. When using a zip code database, entry of a zip code ("postal code" in Canada) can result in this field automatically completing. Listings of state and province codes also include territories. This part of the address can be up to 2-characters in length. In some cases, the printed address will only show the state/province if the "city" part of the address is also present.

Upon request, support can enable a parameter that would include country codes in addition to the state or province code.

States, provinces, and country codes are grouped together. If your company is located in Canada, province codes are listed first in the drop down followed by states and then countries (if enabled). In the United States, state codes are listed first followed by Canadian provinces and then country codes (if enabled). If your company is located in the United Kingdom (UK), this field is not shown nor is it typically printed. There is no "UK" parameter setting. If you are located in the United Kingdom, the software uses the region and language settings of your computer as well as the database region (in certain cases).

Postal Code (aka. ZIP Code or Postcode)

In certain cases, postal (ZIP) code changes can trigger other changes such as setting the sales tax location. This part of the address can be up to 10-characters in length. In North America, the zip code is numeric and is listed to the right of the city and state/province. In the United Kingdom, the postcode is printed as a separate line (the last or bottom line of the address).

Delivery Point

The USPS (United States Postal Service) assigns delivery points in addition to the zip + 4 codes as a way of designating multiple delivery points at the same address (4 offices in the same building -- or -- 2 apartments in the same house, for example). Delivery points are not typically printed (except for Canadian users in certain cases) but are included when POSTNET bar-coded mailing labels are printed. Usually, this is a single digit added to the end of the ZIP code, ZIP+4 code, or a combination of both codes when printing a barcode. Typically, a check digit is also added after the delivery point (if included). This part of the address can be up to 4-characters in length.

For Canadian users, the delivery point field has an alternate use (see below):

Settings for Canada

If your company is located in Canada (and assigned to the Canada regional parameter), the delivery point can be used to add a country notation to addresses on documents. If the delivery point is US, USA, or CAN, these is printed with most document addresses. Again, this is only done for Canadian systems (as determined by the "Canada" system parameter).

Phone

The phone number is the phone number for the selected job. If the job has no phone number, the phone number is not set. The phone number can be manually entered by the user processing the transaction.

Sales Tax

The tax location shown is the tax location that will be used for calculating tax for the transaction. In some cases, the tax location can be automatically set by certain actions within the Process form of the transaction. For example, changing delivery designation or zip code can automatically adjust the tax location. Typically, the current job's tax location is used in cases of delivery since that is where the goods are exchanged. There are tax code settings that can override this function. The actual sales tax calculated for the transaction can also be affected if a tax exempt ID is specified for the customer, job, or transaction as well as by any non-taxable or always taxable items that may be included. Some tax locations calculate the tax amount based on the cost of materials rather than the customer's price.