Help centre / Warehouse Management

Dispatch Desk

A dispatch is one vehicle load. Open it with the vehicle, driver and seal, put the ready orders on it, let the loader scan the cartons on ( Load , on the phone), and close it: one Delivery Note per order is posted for what was loaded, the stock leaves the dispatch bin, the manifest and the gate pass print. A dispatch short of what was staged closes only with approval ; what is short stays owed.

1What this screen is for #

Menu path: Warehouse Management > Outbound > Dispatch Desk. Route /warehouse/dispatch . The dispatches of one storage space, as cards on the left; the working ones first.
An order is ready while stock is staged for it in the dispatch bin - picked on a wave or on the Picking screen - and, where the storage space packs, all of it is in closed cartons. An order with an open carton, or staged stock not yet packed, is held back and says so.
The dispatch names the Delivery Note type it posts: a type that takes stock out, with Use WMS bins on, Post from = Warehouse confirmation , Enable Storage Space, and Linked Transaction with the order types as its sources. Only orders of those types go on it.
Loading : a packing space loads carton by carton - the loader scans each label on Load, or the desk marks a carton Missing with a reason; a loose space loads an order as one. Finish loading tells the desk the vehicle is loaded.
Close dispatch (F5) checks the load against what was staged and shows it: everything loaded, the notes post at once; anything short, the dispatch is held for approval - a holder of Approve on WMS - Dispatch approves (the notes post for what is loaded; the rest stays owed on the order and the Backorders report lists it) or rejects (back to loading). A refused note leaves nothing behind: the dispatch stays open.
Closed: print the manifest (the driver's copy, one line per order with its note, cartons and weight, a space to sign on delivery) and the gate pass (security checks vehicle, cartons and seal). Vehicle out records the time security let it go; the Gate Pass Register reads it.
A carton left Missing on a dispatch that closed short, and found afterwards: press Found on it. It is a closed carton in the dispatch bin again and its order is ready for another vehicle.
Cancel a dispatch not yet closed: its cartons go back to the dispatch bin as closed cartons and its orders are free for another vehicle. A closed dispatch is never cancelled - its notes are vouchers.

2Step by step #

Pick the storage space. Press New dispatch (F3) : vehicle number (compulsory), driver and phone, carrier, seal, route, note, and the Delivery Note type.
Press Add orders (F4) , tick the ready orders, Put them on. Their closed cartons are claimed for this dispatch.
The loader opens Load on the phone, picks the dispatch and scans each carton on; the counts here rise as you Refresh. Mark a carton that cannot be found Missing, with the reason.
When the loader has pressed Finish loading, press Close dispatch (F5) ; read the check, confirm. Short: wait for the approver, or approve here if you hold the right.
Print the manifest and the gate pass from the Papers dialog. When security lets the vehicle out, press Vehicle out and enter the time.

3Toolbar & keyboard #

Refresh (F2) , New dispatch (F3) , Add orders (F4) , Close dispatch (F5) . Esc closes a dialog; with none open, the page.
Approve short close / Reject show while a dispatch waits and you hold Approve. Papers , Vehicle out and Cancel dispatch follow the dispatch's state. Return to shelf sends goods standing in the dispatch bin for an order that will not go back to the bins they were picked from, by Move tasks on My Tasks; it needs the Delete right and the order must be off every dispatch. Show closed and cancelled too lists the last 30 days.

4If something does not work #

"You do not hold the right to open the dispatches ... WMS - Dispatch (View) or WMS - Tasks: Load (View)." / "... open a dispatch ... (Create)" / "... put an order on a dispatch ... (Create)" / "... change a dispatch ... (Alter)" / "... close a dispatch ... (Alter)" / "... cancel a dispatch ... (Delete)" / "... approve a short dispatch ... (Approve)"

Why: The desk opens with View on WMS - Dispatch; opening a dispatch and putting orders on it need Create; changing, loading, finishing and closing need Alter; cancelling Delete; approving or rejecting a short close Approve.
What to do: An administrator ticks the right on WMS - Dispatch for you in User Manager.

"This storage space is not run by the WMS - nothing is dispatched from here." / "... has no dispatch bin - set one in the block Run by the WMS of the Warehouse master ..."

Why: A dispatch takes the stock staged in the storage space's dispatch bin; the storage space must be run by the WMS and name one.
What to do: Switch the storage space on in the block Run by the WMS of the Warehouse master and set its dispatch bin.

"Give the vehicle number - the gate pass and the manifest carry it." / "The vehicle number can't exceed 30 characters." / "The driver's name ... 100" / "... phone ... 30" / "The carrier ... 100" / "The seal number ... 50" / "The route ... 100" / "The note ... 500"

Why: The transport details have their lengths; the vehicle number is compulsory.
What to do: Fill them in and save again - every failure is listed at once.

"Pick the Delivery Note type the dispatch posts when it is closed." / "... is not a voucher type that takes stock out with Use WMS bins on." / "<type>: Post from is Voucher entry ... / Enable Storage Space is off ... / No order type is set as its link source ... / Linked Transaction is off ... / Its number is typed by hand ... Set it in Voucher Manager."

Why: The dispatch posts only a type that takes stock out, with Use WMS bins on, Post from = Warehouse confirmation, Enable Storage Space, Linked Transaction with the order types as sources, and System numbering.
What to do: An administrator sets the Delivery Note type so in Voucher Manager (Warehouse tab, Linked Transaction, Numbering).

"... was changed by someone else since you read it. Press Refresh and make the change again." / "... is <status> - its transport details are not changed any more." / "A dispatch stays in the storage space it was opened in."

Why: Two people had the dispatch open, or it is past the point where its head changes.
What to do: Press Refresh.

"Tick at least one order to put on the dispatch." / "Order ... has nothing staged in ... - pick it first." / "<order>: Already on dispatch .... / A carton of it is still open on Pack - close it first. / ... staged but not yet in a closed carton - pack it first ... / Nothing of it is in a closed carton yet - pack it first." / "... is a <type>, which <note type> does not link to ..."

Why: An order goes on a dispatch while it is ready - staged in the dispatch bin, fully packed where the storage space packs, not on another working dispatch - and its type is a link source of the dispatch's Delivery Note type.
What to do: Pack or pick the order first; or pick the right Delivery Note type on the dispatch; or take it off the other dispatch.

"... is loaded (...) - take it off the vehicle first (Load, Take off)." / "That order is not on the dispatch. Press Refresh." / "... is <status> - its orders are not changed any more." / "... does not link to ... (<order> is on this dispatch). Take the order off first, or keep the type."

Why: An order is taken off a dispatch only while nothing of it is loaded; the Delivery Note type cannot change under an order it does not link to.
What to do: Take the cartons off (or the order), then remove it; or keep the type.

"Nothing was scanned." / "Typing a code is switched off (WMS Settings, Scanning). Scan the carton's label." / "'...' is not a carton's label."

Why: Load reads carton labels (C- and six digits); a typed code is taken only when setting 295 allows.
What to do: Scan the label on the carton's side.

"Carton ... belongs to dispatch ... - leave it in ...; it does not go on this vehicle." / "Carton ... is of an order that is not on .... Put the order on the dispatch first, or leave the carton ..." / "Carton ... belongs to another storage space."

Why: A carton goes only on the dispatch its order is on.
What to do: Leave the carton in the dispatch bin, or put its order on this dispatch at the desk.

"Carton ... is still open on Pack - close it first." / "Carton ... is cancelled - its label is void. Leave it." / "Carton ... is on the vehicle already (...)."

Why: Only a closed carton is loaded, once.
What to do: Close it on Pack, or leave it.

"Say why the carton is missing - it is kept with the carton and shown to the approver." / "The reason can't exceed 200 characters." / "Carton ... is <status>." / "That carton is not on this dispatch. Press Refresh." / "Carton ... is ... - it is not on the vehicle."

Why: Missing needs a reason; Take off works on a loaded (or missing) carton of this dispatch.
What to do: Give the reason; press Refresh if the list is stale.

"... is closed: carton ... left on it and is not changed. Only a carton that was missing can be found."

Why: On a closed dispatch only a carton that was marked Missing can still be acted on - Found puts it back in the dispatch bin as a closed carton for another vehicle. A loaded carton left with the vehicle.
What to do: Nothing to do for a loaded carton; press Found only on a missing one.

"<space> packs into cartons: an order is loaded by scanning its cartons, not as one." / "Nothing of ... is staged in ... any more - take the order off the dispatch."

Why: A packing space loads by carton; a loose order is loaded as one only while stock is staged for it.
What to do: Scan the cartons; or take the order off.

"... has no order on it." / "Nothing is loaded on ... yet - scan the cartons on first." / "... is <status> - nothing is loaded on it any more."

Why: Finish loading needs at least one carton or order on; a closed, waiting or cancelled dispatch is not loaded.
What to do: Load first, then finish.

"... has no order on it - put the orders on, load, then close." / "The Delivery Note type ... is no longer set up for the dispatch ... Pick another on the dispatch." / "Nothing of ... is staged in ... any more (a Delivery Note took it, or it was moved back) - take the order off the dispatch." / "Nothing of ... is loaded - scan its cartons on, or take the order off the dispatch."

Why: The close checks every order: something loaded of each, stock still staged, the type still usable. Every failure is listed at once.
What to do: Put it right as each line says, then close again.

"No transaction class can be found for <party> on <note type> (<order>): ... Set the party's default transaction class on its ledger (or its GSTIN and state), then close again."

Why: A Delivery Note needs a transaction class - it decides the tax. The dispatch takes the class the party implies for the voucher type (local or inter-state, as the voucher screen's auto-selection does), else the party's default class. Neither gave one.
What to do: Set the default transaction class on the party's ledger, or complete its GSTIN and state, then close again.

"... is short: it closes only with approval (WMS - Dispatch, Approve) ..." / "... is short and is held for approval: ..." / "... waits for approval of its short close - a holder of Approve decides on the desk."

Why: A dispatch with any order loaded below what was staged (a missing carton, a carton not loaded, a loose order not fully staged) closes only once a holder of Approve approves; the holders are told through the approval bell.
What to do: Wait for the approver, or approve on the desk if you hold the right. Reject sends it back to loading.

"Credit Limit variation ! Limit Available ... Current Closing Balance (Including Current Bill And Linked Item Pending Value): ..." / "Credit Period variation ! ..." with the panel "Ask for a credit approval for <customer> ?" / "The remarks can't exceed 500 characters." / "The request could not be sent - ..."

Why: The customer is over the credit limit, or has bills past the credit period, so the Delivery Note was not posted. A Delivery Note is credit-checked when Voucher Manager's Include Linked-Tran Pending Value For Credit Limit is on for its type; the figure then counts the customer's delivery notes not yet invoiced. The goods stay loaded and nothing is written. Once an approval is granted, each such Delivery Note uses one of its bills and the invoice made from that note uses none - unless General Settings, Credit approval: a delivery note uses one of the granted bills, is set to No, in which case only vouchers posted to the books use a bill.
What to do: Press Request credit approval on the panel: the approver decides it on Approvals. Granted - press Close dispatch (F5) again. Not granted - press Cancel dispatch; the cartons go back to the dispatch bin as closed cartons and the order is free for another vehicle. To put the goods back on the shelf, press Return to shelf.

"Closing the dispatch posts a <note type> in your name, and you do not hold the Create right on <note type>. An administrator grants it in User Manager, Vouchers tab. Nothing is posted."

Why: The Delivery Note is saved under the name of whoever closes the dispatch, so that person needs the Create right on the Delivery Note voucher type as well as Alter on WMS - Dispatch.
What to do: Ask an administrator for the Create right on the voucher type (User Manager, Vouchers tab), then press Close dispatch (F5) again; or let someone who holds it close the dispatch.

Return to shelf: "Say why the goods go back to the shelf - it is kept with the tasks." / "The reason can't exceed 200 characters." / "Pick the order whose goods go back." / "... is on dispatch ... - take its cartons off the vehicle and the order off the dispatch (Take off), or cancel the dispatch, then return it." / "... is already going back to the shelf: ... Return to shelf task(s) are open on My Tasks." / "Nothing of that order is staged in ... any more - it was delivered, or returned already. Press Refresh." / "... holds ... of ... free, but ... is staged for .... The stock left the bin some other way - check Bin Reconciliation and the bin's card first." / "No bin can be found for ... of ...: ... Make a bin Active or give the item a pick bin (Item Warehouse Settings), then return again."

Why: Return to shelf is for goods picked for an order that will not go now: the credit was refused, the order was cancelled or put off. It raises one Move task per line from the dispatch bin back to the bin the goods were picked from; where that bin is no longer Active, to the item's pick bin, else to a storage bin that already holds the item. The order's open and closed cartons are cancelled. Nothing moves until each task is confirmed on My Tasks; the order is then to pick again and a later wave takes it if the order still stands. It needs the Delete right on WMS - Dispatch, and the order must be on no working dispatch.
What to do: Give the reason; take the order off its dispatch or cancel the dispatch first; wait for the open return tasks; or put the bin right as the message says, then press Return to shelf again.

"... is going back to the shelf: ... Return to shelf task(s) are open on My Tasks. Nothing of it is packed." (Pack) / the chip "Going back to the shelf: ... Return to shelf task(s) are open on My Tasks." on an order in Add orders

Why: While an order's Return to shelf tasks are open its goods are on their way back to the bins: it is not packed and not put on a dispatch.
What to do: Confirm the tasks on My Tasks, or cancel them on the Task Board if the order is to go after all.

"... is <status> already." / "... is not waiting for approval. Press Refresh." / "Say why the short close is rejected ..." / "The note can't exceed 500 characters." / "... cannot be posted as it stands - reject it, put it right on the desk and close again:"

Why: Approve and Reject work on a dispatch whose approval is Pending; a reject needs a reason; the approval re-checks the load and refuses what no longer holds.
What to do: Press Refresh; give the reason; or reject and close again.

"Say why the dispatch is cancelled - it is kept with it." / "... is closed: its Delivery Notes are posted. Cancel the notes on the voucher screen if the goods did not go." / "... is cancelled already." / "... has posted a Delivery Note for ... - it cannot be cancelled; finish the close."

Why: A dispatch is cancelled while nothing of it is posted; after that its notes are vouchers.
What to do: Give the reason; or finish the close; or cancel the notes on the voucher screen.

"... is <status> - the gate pass is raised when the dispatch is closed; the vehicle goes out after." / "... went out at ... already (gate pass ...)." / "The time out cannot be in the future." / "The time out cannot be before the dispatch was closed (...)."

Why: Vehicle out is recorded once, on a closed dispatch, at a time between the close and now.
What to do: Close the dispatch first; or correct the time.

"The manifest could not be sent to the printer - ..." / "The gate pass could not be sent to the printer - ..."

Why: The browser refused the print window (a pop-up blocker, as a rule).
What to do: Allow pop-ups for this site and press Print again.

"That dispatch no longer exists. Press Refresh."

Why: The screen is older than the database.
What to do: Press Refresh.

This is the help InvoiceNET® ERP shows beside the Dispatch Desk screen. Whether you have the screen depends on the modules of your licence and the rights your administrator has given you.

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