The Final Shipping and Packaging feature is found in the Level 5 (or higher) program.

To reach this part of the program select SHIPPING TOOLS >> FINAL SHIPPING AND PACKAGING TASKS.  The "Final Shipping and Packaging" dialog box appears:

This feature is very handy when you work in the normal sequence where you process orders in two stages.  The first stage is the invoicing stage:  getting the customer's name, address and products entered on the invoice.  And the second stage is packing and labeling the package for shipment.  The "Final Shipping and Packaging" dialog box is intended to be used along with the second stage.

If the shipping and receiving area of your business is removed from where you do your invoicing, you may want to consider placing a networked computer there.  Those working in the shipping area need only to access the "Final Shipping & Packaging" dialog box.  The rest of the invoice can be locked from accidental changes, and the only fields that shipping personnel can change are related to shipping.

If you are a one-person business, you'll also find the Final Shipping and Packaging feature useful.  This portion of the program allows you to concentrate on shipping tasks only, reducing the possibility of mistakes.

Selecting Invoices. Once you have activated the Final Shipping dialog box, you'll want to select the proper invoice.  You can move to different invoices by using the VCR buttons at the top right of the screen.  Or, you can activate a selection list by clicking on the "Look-up List" button.  Or, you can click on the "Search" button to search for an invoice number, billing name or a portion of the address.  The search feature is used in combination with "Repeat."  If your first search doesn't turn up the right name, click on "Repeat" to continue the search.  You can also scan the barcode of a printed invoice and AnyOrder will find the invoice.  (For more information on barcoding invoices, see "Print Invoice - More Options".

Entering Tracking Numbers, Shipping Costs, etc. In the middle of the dialog box, you can enter the Tracking Number, Shipping Cost, Weight, and Shipment Date.  All of these are optional.  You can enter some or all of the information.  To paste this information to original invoice, click on "Enter Information."

If you make a mistake, you can re-enter the information and click on "Enter Information" again, and the information will be corrected on the invoice.

You don't necessarily have to enter information in one session.  You can enter the tracking number, and then come back later and enter the shipping cost.

A note about the S-Date field.  Most folks use the S-Date field for the shipping date, but it can also be used as a subscription date.  If you are using it as a subscription date, then you would want to avoid using it for shipping purposes.  When used as a shipping date, however, you will have a record of when the package was shipped.  There are two buttons to the right of the S-Date field which you can use.  The first is "C" which activates a calendar from which you can select a date.  The second is "TD" which inserts "Today's Date" in the blank.

Final Package Check. This provides you with one last opportunity to make sure that the numbers and items in the package are the same that are invoiced.  To do a final package check, click on the "Get Item List."  All the products that are included on the invoice will appear in the spreadsheet at the bottom of the screen.  Next, count the items in the package, and enter the numbers in the "Pkg Quan" column.  (If you have a barcode scanner, you can make the process easier by scanning the product's barcode and entering the quantity.  For more information, see Scanning Product Barcodes).  Finally, when you have finished entering the numbers, click on "Run Check."  If the quantities that you've entered don't match the original invoice, AnyOrder will notify you.

If you have more than one package for the invoice, then use the Multi-package dialog box feature.  You can access it by clicking on the "Multi-package Invoices" button.  Or you can reach it by selecting SHIPPING TOOLS >> MULTI-PACKAGE SHIPMENTS from the menu bar on top of the Main Invoice Screen.

Send Email. Level 7 Feature. This feature allows you to send an email to the customer notifying them that their package has been sent.  You may or may not use this feature.  If you are shipping with standard shipping companies, you may wish to have them do this for you.  However, the option is available for you should you wish to use it.

If desired, you can create and send a standardized message to send the customer.  The standardized message is created by selecting MAIN TASKS >> SETUP AUTOMATED EMAIL MESSAGE.  Once the standardize message is created you can click on the "Auto Send" button to send the message.  If you would like to personalize the message, click on the "Open" button.  To use either of these buttons, and if you haven't already, you'll need to configure the program for your email server.