What is a Shipment Identifier Spreadsheet?
Sometimes, you as the supplier have access to additional information that would help our integrations tools find and match shipping documents more quickly and efficiently. As an example, you may receive a monthly statement from Fedex that lists all your tracking numbers, cross-referenced to PO numbers. In a case like this, you might want to provide that information to us via a Shipment Identifier Spreadsheet. This information is usually provided as a cross-reference between PO numbers, invoice numbers, destination zip codes, and carrier tracking numbers, which we're able to import into PO-related deductions to find shipping documents such as BOLs and/or PODs to help you dispute your shortage deductions.
When is a Shipment Identifier Spreadsheet needed?
Ultimately, a shipment identifier Spreadsheet is needed when the data available in a retailer portal is not sufficient to successfully locate and match shipping documents to deductions. This may be due to how the order was shipped, or because certain data elements are needed for searching in a particular carrier/3PL portal.
Small parcel/ground collect shipments are a good example where a Shipment Identifier Spreadsheet is needed. In this instance, a BOL is not commonly available, and a POD is necessary for disputing. To locate the matching POD, we require additional shipping information, namely tracking numbers.
How often should Shipment Identifier Spreadsheets be Submitted?
We recommend a monthly cadence for this process due to the time required to produce them and because the retailer dispute timeframes are long enough to allow plenty of time for disputing after the documents are found.
How to import your Shipment Identifier Spreadsheet?
The more detailed information you provide, the better we can assist you in tracking down the necessary documentation.
Follow these steps:
Click Add New located at the top right of the Documents Table
Select a Retailer:
Choose the retailer associated with the shipment.
Download the CSV Template:
Use the provided template to structure your data.
Fill Out the Template:
Include your PO numbers and any optional columns for shipment identifiers, such as:
Destination ZIP
Invoice Number
Reference Numbers (e.g. BOL number or Order number)
PRO Numbers (unique tracking identifier used by carrier)
Suggested Carriers
Tracking Numbers (unique tracking identifier specific to Fedex or UPS)
Upload the CSV File:
Once completed, click on Upload CSV File and attach your document.
Click Validate:
Use the validation feature to check for errors.
Correct and Upload:
Resolve any validation errors and re-upload the corrected file.
Best Practices for Clean Data:
Avoid putting any labels inside cells, such as the PO Number cell showing "PO 123456". "PO" would have to be removed from each cell before the spreadsheet could be processed.
Avoid adding more than one reference number in any cell, such as two or more POs or several tracking numbers in one cell (even if followed by commas). Those would need to be separated into new rows to have a 1-to-1 relationship before the spreadsheet could be processed.
Avoid 9-digit zip codes (12345-1234) The last 4 digits would need to be removed before the spreadsheet could be processed.
Avoid having bullet points, dashes, or numerical prefixes or suffixes on any of the primary numbers.
Remove linking capability from any fields in a column.
In cases where there are multiple tracking numbers for one PO, each tracking number should be on a separate row, and the PO number should be repeated in its column.
Most importantly, ensure the PO number entered matches our system exactly.
Examples of these issues are in red below.