Understanding your Shipping Operations

In the Tech Spec, we document your current processes involving shipping.  This includes such items as your current ERP, WMS, host database, and shipping systems, the general process flows used to process various shipments, what carriers and carrier services are used, documents that are printed.

Understanding the Integration

The Tech Spec then documents in great detail exactly how you want the new system to function.  This includes items such as any changes to the ERP, WMS or host databases, details about the carriers that will be implemented, specific business rules your company uses that will be implemented in the system, and the process flows the new system will use.  The Tech Spec also includes information regarding how the ERP, WMS and/or other host systems will interface with InfoShip, the shipping and pallet labels and other documents the system will print, what fields and toolbar buttons will be displayed on the InfoShip screen, what reports the system will print, and much, much more, Our Integration team then implements the business logic and configures InfoShip per the Tech Spec.

The Beginning: Integration

Integration involves taking all the information we learned during the Tech Spec generation process and preparing InfoShip to do its job. During this time we typically work at our office so the team can quickly and efficiently complete this phase in a familiar environment with the resources they need. If we ever do need access to your system, we have found that this can be done just as well with a remote connection.

Middle: End-to-end Testing

The next phase is called “end-to-end.” Before we introduce InfoShip into your company’s environment we conduct a series of remote and on-site tests on your systems using InfoShip. This usually involves different benchmark tests and running various shipping scenarios to make sure all your business rules are executed properly. During this time, we also help finalize the training of your employees.

End: User Acceptance Testing

User acceptance is the final phase before going live. Now your employees go through the validation process to ensure all employees can operate InfoShip efficiently and effectively. We will take the production data from your actually daily operations, port this over into the testing environment we have set up and expose InfoShip to the different and unique situations your shipping department encounters. Sometimes, especially with larger, more complex systems, a company will even do a full dry run of every scenario. This is usually a one or two week process.

Go Live

This is often the most exciting phase. The day before you go live with InfoShip, we return and see if everything is ready to go. Our team will stay for the next two or three days as InfoShip fills orders according to your business rules.

The Next Month

After go live and throughout the warranty period, CLS provides full support if you need us. Then after the warranty period, we offer a wide variety of support options in case you need us again. Click here to see some options.