POD Value Overview
Proof of Delivery Software - ABC Scan .NET
Leveraging the flexible nature of
American Barcode’s ABC
Scan .NET product it is a quick and easy process to create a
configuration to
enable Proof of Delivery tracking.
As an
entry level solution for data and signature capture using mobile
devices, ABC
Scan .NET is Proof of Delivery software that provides for a quick and easy installation to get your operation
running
in no time.
ABC Scan .NET is a widely installed
solution that American
Barcode is continually improving as new technology and requirements
arrive. It can be
used for many
applications in the mobile data collection arena and is well suited to
Proof of
Delivery systems in particular. It
allows
companies to quickly get up and running without a lot of headaches and
enables
their workforce to use handheld devices to accurately and efficiently
collect
data in the field.
ABC Scan .NET in Use
There are many options for how to
implement Proof of Delivery
with ABC Scan .NET and our Solutions Team can help you decide what may
be the
best solution for your situation.
Below
is a description of one of the most typical implementations.
The Desktop
Interface
ABC Scan is based on Microsoft’s
Access program and takes
advantage of all the built in functionality of the Office suite of
products and
the user interface that you are used to.
Below is a screenshot of what the main menu of the
software looks like.
From this
menu you
will access all of the functionality available to you in the software.
You will
want to
start with the Setup Titles area in order to configure the software to
fit your
particular situation. From
this interface
you are able to change how the software refers to data so that it makes
sense
to you and your users.
The Setup
Handheld
button will also be an area you will want to go to make specific
changes to how
the handheld devices will behave for your users. Through
this interface you will have very
specific control and flexibility over what they users are able to do
with the
device and the software in the field.
In this case, we are going to track
packages and so we will take
advantage of the uniqueness of tracking numbers and use them to refer
to the
packages in the system. This
example
also tracks the quantity of boxes associated with each tracking number,
an
optional description, and optional PO Number as shown in the screenshot
below:
There are up to 7 user-definable fields that can be
associated to and tracked with each and every package.
You
can make changes to the look and feel of the entire
application from this interface by moving through the tabs at the top.
Next
we need to set up our delivery locations,
delivery vehicles, and our receipt carriers referred to as the From/To
list. The
screenshot below shows an
example of how this is done after clicking the View/Edit button on the
main
menu:
You
can also enable your users to add From/To entries on the
fly in the field as they are working on the handheld devices.
This
screen also shows how you can work with the data you
capture from the desktop Access interface.
You
are able to search, filter, sort, copy/paste and print
any or all of the data you collect on the handhelds from this interface. Importing and Exporting of
data is also
available to add even more flexibility.
The Handheld
Interface
With the desktop interface
configured, you are ready to
begin collecting data. Synchronizing
the
handheld device of your choice with the desktop application will update
it with
all of your setup information and prepare it for use in the field. The screenshot below shows
the mobile
interface that your worker will use while collecting data about
packages:
Our
mobile worker’s process begins with signing in to the
device so that we know who is performing the work after which they are
directed
to this screen to begin collecting data.
First
up in the process is to receive the package and so we
choose what delivery company is dropping off packages to us from the
From/To
list. In this
example we have chosen
UPS.
They
will then scan the tracking number for each box that
they accept creating the first record in the system for the package. If you require your
receiving staff to sign
for the packages they can do so after scanning all the packages in this
step.
Next,
your internal delivery driver would scan the packages
that belong on his route as he loads them on his truck, in this example
it is
Truck 1. He can also sign at this time
if necessary.
The driver would then make stops at all of the places that
he has deliveries for and collect signatures as he goes. As arrives at each
location, he chooses (or
enters on the fly) the location name from the drop down list, in this
example
it is the Engineering department.
As he
takes packages off the truck he scans each one and then collects the
signature
from the party who received the packages.
He continues this process until all of his packages are
delivered and
then returns with his device to the office.
A
screenshot from the signature form is shown below.
Once
he returns to the office, the driver uploads all of his
collected data back to the central system where it is compiled and
stored. End users
and anyone else with the proper
credentials is then able to view the data through the web interface. System administrators will
also have access
to the data through the desktop interface.
Web
Interface
There
are many options for how to set up the web interface
depending on what your specific needs may be.
It could be set up so that people need to log in with a
username and
password to view the data in which case the site can intelligently
restrict the
available records to only those that pertain to them, or it could be
wide open
to anyone with knowledge of the correct web address.
Below is an example of what a search for all
tracking numbers could look like:
Once
he returns to the office, the driver uploads all of his
collected data back to the central system where it is compiled and
stored. End users
and anyone else with the proper
credentials is then able to view the data through the web interface. System administrators will
also have access
to the data through the desktop interface.
Web
Interface
There
are many options for how to set up the web interface
depending on what your specific needs may be.
It could be set up so that people need to log in with a
username and
password to view the data in which case the site can intelligently
restrict the
available records to only those that pertain to them, or it could be
wide open
to anyone with knowledge of the correct web address.
Proof of Delivery Software |
