Irregularity
During the execution of a transport order all kinds of events can take place that require attention. Irregularities help you record and manage these events at any level within a transport order or trip — for example an address that isn't open to receive goods, or an order delivered too late due to specific circumstances.
Overview
Irregularities help you:
- Record exceptions with a default impact level per type, so you can triage the most urgent ones first
- Follow up an irregularity with the 3PL status and step functionality
- Set up custom attributes and translations on irregularity codes
- Automatically create irregularities for the open sections of a cancelled trip
- Count related irregularities — optionally including everything the irregularity is linked to — in a status template, and act on the result
- Exchange e-mail messages about an irregularity with a customer, carrier, or contact, directly from the irregularity
Set up irregularity codes
- Choose the
icon, enter Irregularity Codes List, and then choose the related link. - Choose New to create a code.
- Fill in the fields as necessary. The following table describes key fields.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Code / Description | Identity of the code. The description is copied onto an irregularity when you select this code, and can be translated — see below. |
| Caused by | Default classification for irregularities of this code: Transport Company, Bill-to Customer, or Restriction. |
| Level of Impact | Default impact — Information, Warning, or Error — shown as a color on the irregularity list and card, and copied onto the irregularity. |
| Default Status Template | The status lifecycle a new irregularity of this code starts in. Required — without it, the irregularity has no usable status. |
| Create New Shipment | When enabled, and the irregularity is fully linked to a shipment, selecting this code automatically creates a replacement section for that shipment. |
| Status Original Shipment | The status the original shipment should get when a replacement shipment is created. |
| Resolution Action | What happens when this code's irregularities are resolved: nothing, delete the irregularity, or move it to a Resolved Status. |
Note
Register at least one status template for the Irregularities table, with one status that allows posting, before creating irregularity codes.
Attributes
Choose the action Attributes on an irregularity code to set up to 10 custom attributes for that code. When you select the code on an irregularity, its attribute values are copied onto the irregularity — only the attributes configured to be visible are shown.
Translations
Choose the action Translations on an irregularity code to add translated descriptions per language. If no translation exists for a language, the base Description is used.
Automatically create irregularities when cancelling a trip
Use the function set function CANCEL TRIP IRR (on the trip) to automatically create an irregularity for every open section of a trip — for example, from a step run when a trip is cancelled. A section counts as open when its status is before Unloaded.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| TRIPNO | The trip to create irregularities for. Required. |
| IRREGULARITY CODE | The irregularity code applied to each created irregularity. |
| SECT STATUS FILTER | Optional filter on the section's status code. |
| GROUPING CRIT. CODE | Optional grouping criteria — when set, sections matching the same criteria are added to one existing irregularity instead of creating a new one each time. |
| COPY HU | When enabled, the section's carriers (handling units) are added to the irregularity as related entities. |
| REMARKS | Remarks set on each created irregularity. |
Count related irregularities in a status template
Use the status function Count Irregularities related to current record to check, at any point in a status flow, how many irregularities exist for the current record — and optionally act when there are too many.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| IRREG. CODE FILTER / STATUS CODE FILTER / IMPACT LEVEL FILTER | Optional filters on the irregularities to count. |
| LIMIT | The maximum number of irregularities allowed. |
| INCL. ENT. RELATIONS | When enabled, counts every irregularity related to the current record through its entity relations, not only the ones directly linked by document number. For an order, this also includes irregularities on the order's sections. |
| WHEN LIMIT EXCEEDED | What happens when the count exceeds the limit: show an error, ask for confirmation, or show a message. |
| NEW ORDER STATUS | Optional. When set and the limit is exceeded, the current record is moved to this status instead of showing the error/confirmation/message above. |
Exchange messages about an irregularity
Open an irregularity and use the conversation subform to keep a running e-mail history with the customer, carrier, or another party about the exception, directly next to the irregularity.
- Use Reply / Reply All on a message to draft a response; the recipients (and, on Reply All, all other original recipients) are copied onto the draft automatically.
- Use the function set function CREATE INTERACTION to start a new conversation with a specific party as part of a scripted flow — for example a step that both notifies the carrier and advances the irregularity's status.
Note
When a reply arrives by e-mail, it's matched to the irregularity and added to the conversation automatically. Depending on setup, a reply from a specific party can also automatically advance the irregularity to a configured status — for example, moving it back to In progress as soon as the customer responds.