For many businesses, the process and paperwork associated with shipping product can be tedious and time consuming. From rate shopping for the best price and delivery standard, to communicating with customers to ensure availability, the process can be very manual and subject to many changes and potential errors. With Epicor’s Quick Ship module (formerly the Manifest product), the shipping process becomes more streamlined and efficient, making the entire shipping process faster and less prone to error, while also increasing customer satisfaction.

Epicor Quick Ship is a cloud product that is compatible for use with on premise systems as well as Epicor Cloud ERP. It replaces the Manifest product and incorporates the Epicor Kinetic Design and Framework in a new web application. While Manifest is still supported short-term, any upgrades to existing Manifest product will mean upgrading to Epicor Quick Ship. The ERP 10 module Packout Management is the only prerequisite to install Quick Ship, and once the initial set up is complete, Quick Ship acts like a background process, allowing users to complete all day-to-day activities from within Epicor ERP 10. 

All functionality related to Epicor Quick Ship is accessible without leaving the Epicor ERP 10 Customer Shipment Entry screen – using web API to communicate between the ERP system and carrier systems. Once an order is brought into the shipment screen, it is as simple as closing and freighting the shipment (quick tip – set up hot keys to make it as simple as pressing 2 buttons, for example, F4 and F5) and then Quick Ship uses the information in the Ship To, Ship Via, Container, and Weight fields to access the correct carrier’s system, bringing back the tracking number and populating a freight charge as a miscellaneous charge on the order automatically.

The Rate Shopping module within Quick Ship allows users to look up rates from within the quote, order, or shipment screens. Carriers available for rate shopping include FedEx, UPS, Purolator, and many others, including international carriers. The rates and delivery standards for various types of delivery services are visible, and once one is selected the information can be stored in the ERP system as a Miscellaneous Charge. No longer is it necessary to switch between various sites, re-entering data as the user attempts to find the best rate and delivery timeline.

Beyond streamlining processes when shipping parcels, Epicor Quick Ship also handles LTL and international shipments. With many of the top carriers world-wide already integrated with Quick Ship, users can select the carrier of choice and once a shipment is closed and freighted, the software will automatically notify the carrier of a pickup requirement and bring back the charge associated with the freight into Epicor ERP. There are also rate import tools available for carriers that are not integrated currently, meaning that almost any shipment can occur within the software, eliminating multiple systems that may currently be in use. Any documentation required, including customs paperwork, certificates of origin, and Shipper’s Letter of Instruction, etc. are automatically sent to a laser printer, without any user input necessary. These reports and any company specific fields required are set up when the module is initially implemented and are auto generated with each shipment. Any necessary labels are also auto generated, such as those required for carriers such as FedEx or UPS and are routed to print on a Zebra laser printer.

Epicor Quick Ship also makes it easy to handle miscellaneous shipments, such as samples or RMAs, through either the Quick Ship interface or Epicor ERP 10. Customers’ shipping account numbers can also be stored so the information is available for use whenever freight is to be charged to their account. After closing out the carriers for the day, reports can be run on the daily activities, allowing a user to capture freight costs by carrier, as well as the value of any freight billed to the customer.

Epicor continues to expand the Quick Ship module offerings, adding additional carriers and functionality with each new release. As of version 5.3.0, Loomis and Canada Post are now integrated, meaning any Canadian customers wishing to use Quick Ship should now be supported with full functionality for all shipping requirements. And for U.S. customers with CH Robinson accounts, the ability to rate and process shipments for associated services is now available. This includes calculating freight charges, assigning tracking numbers and creating shipping labels.

Epicor Quick Ship is an add-on module that can add value to any shipping department looking to improve metrics and increase workflow. If looking to automate further, TeccWeb has experience in creating APR’s (Advanced Print Routings) that use contact information found on the customer record to auto-email packing slips that include the Quick Ship tracking information or will ensure the customer contact information is included in the data sent from Quick Ship to the carrier so that an email with shipment information is sent directly to the customer. The shipping process with Quick Ship and APR can eliminate a lot of manual work, allowing for a greater volume of shipments to flow through the business, while also improving customer service by ensuring timely, accurate information is sent for each shipment. 

For more information on the Epicor Quick Ship product, contact your Epicor Customer Account Manager. You can also reach out to info@teccweb.com for more information and examples on how TeccWeb has installed the product and our ability to gain further efficiencies when used alongside APR.