The ‘Delegate Consignment’ function allows you to create rules which, when a consignment is created, automatically determine which vehicleVehicles are the means of transport used by Couriers to make deliveries (bicycle, car, truck, etc.). or group of vehicleVehicles are the means of transport used by Couriers to make deliveries (bicycle, car, truck, etc.).s the associated task should be assigned to.
The purpose of this function is to ensure that the dispatcherThe Dispatcher member of the Courier Service team. Manages customers and dispatches couriers. He/she uses the Deliveo dispatcher (admin) portal. does not have to manually assign every new delivery to the courierThe person who delivers Shipments to the recipient.s. With properly configured rules, tasks can be automatically assigned to the appropriate vehicleVehicles are the means of transport used by Couriers to make deliveries (bicycle, car, truck, etc.). or group of vehicleVehicles are the means of transport used by Couriers to make deliveries (bicycle, car, truck, etc.).s.
How the rules work
The system checks the rules in the order they appear in the list, from top to bottom.
If a consignment meets the criteria of a rule, the system carries out the allocation and does not check any further rules for that particular consignment. For this reason, it is advisable to place more complex rules with stricter criteria at the top of the list and more general rules at the bottom. The order of the rules in the list can be changed.
Creating a new rule
A new delegation rule can be created via the Actions / New Rule menu item.
In the rule editor window, you can enter the following details, amongst others:
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Rule name
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Comment
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Location
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Active
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Purpose of the assignment
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Conditions of the rule
The rule name is primarily intended to facilitate identification. The purpose of the rule, such as a postcode range or geographical allocation, can be briefly described in the Comment field.
Specifying a location
A location can also be assigned to the rule. The location can be used to specify which location the rule should be linked to. For example, you can select a ‘storage’ type location on the screen. If you select a ‘storage’ type location, when the rule is applied, the consignment becomes an active consignment and is placed in the selected storage facility.
Active / inactive rule
Each rule has a separate ‘Active’ toggle. The system skips inactive rules, so they do not take part in automatic delegation. This allows you to temporarily disable a rule without having to delete it.
Collect the consignment after assignment
The ‘Collect the consignment after assignment’ option can be enabled in the rule. Normally, the rule simply assigns the task to the selected vehicleVehicles are the means of transport used by Couriers to make deliveries (bicycle, car, truck, etc.).. If this option is enabled, the system will collect the consignment on behalf of the courierThe person who delivers Shipments to the recipient. after assignment. In this case, the consignment will no longer appear in the CourierThe person who delivers Shipments to the recipient. app as ‘ready for collection’, but as ‘ready for delivery’.
Conditions
One or more conditions can be assigned to a rule.
Each condition consists of three parts:
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Parameter
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Operator
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Value
For example, you can create a rule that applies only to items from a specific country and within a specific postcode range.
The example shown on the screen:
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Sender’s country = Poland
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Sender’s postcode ≥ 00-000
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Sender’s postcode ≤ 09-999
The conditions within the rule are linked by an ‘AND’ operator, meaning the rule only applies if all specified conditions are met. A new condition can be added using the ‘Add’ button, whilst an existing condition can be deleted.
Assigning to a vehicleVehicles are the means of transport used by Couriers to make deliveries (bicycle, car, truck, etc.).
The rule can also assign the task directly to a specific vehicleVehicles are the means of transport used by Couriers to make deliveries (bicycle, car, truck, etc.).. This is useful in cases where a particular area, customer or consignment type is always handled by the same vehicleVehicles are the means of transport used by Couriers to make deliveries (bicycle, car, truck, etc.)..
Assigning to a vehicleVehicles are the means of transport used by Couriers to make deliveries (bicycle, car, truck, etc.). group
The rule can delegate not only to a single vehicleVehicles are the means of transport used by Couriers to make deliveries (bicycle, car, truck, etc.). but also to a group of vehicleVehicles are the means of transport used by Couriers to make deliveries (bicycle, car, truck, etc.).s. In this case, Deliveo automatically distributes the tasks amongst the members of the group. Several methods are available for group allocation.
Balanced
The Balanced method assigns the next task to the vehicleVehicles are the means of transport used by Couriers to make deliveries (bicycle, car, truck, etc.). with the fewest active and available parcels. This is useful when the aim is to distribute the workload as evenly as possible.
Circular
The Circular method allocates tasks in a circular fashion. The next task is always assigned to the vehicleVehicles are the means of transport used by Couriers to make deliveries (bicycle, car, truck, etc.). that received its last new task the longest time ago. This ensures a simple, predictable rotational allocation.
Proximus
The Proximus method assigns the next task to the vehicleVehicles are the means of transport used by Couriers to make deliveries (bicycle, car, truck, etc.). that is closest to the sender’s address as the crow flies. This can be particularly useful for local, fast deliveries where the courierThe person who delivers Shipments to the recipient.’s current location is important.
Order of rules
It is advisable to organise the rules in order of priority. As the system does not check further rules once it has found the first matching rule, a rule that is too general can easily take precedence over a more specific one.
For example:
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a specific rule for a particular customer;
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a rule for a specific postcode range;
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a general geographical rule;
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a general fallback rule.
This ensures that specific cases always take precedence.
Copying rules
An existing rule can be copied using the Actions / Copy function. This is particularly useful if you wish to create several similar rules and only need to modify a few parameters.
Editing and deleting rules
This can be accessed via the ‘Actions’ menu on the right-hand side of the rule’s row:
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Copy
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Edit
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Delete
Editing allows you to modify any parameter of the rule. Deleting permanently removes the rule.
Rerunning rules
The Actions / Re-run Rules function allows you to run delegation rules manually. This is useful, for example, if:
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you have created a new rule;
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you have modified existing rules;
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you wish to have previously undelegated items re-examined;
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automatic execution has been temporarily disabled.
Manual re-run applies all active rules at once.
Disabling automatic operation
Automatic execution of delegation rules can be disabled. In this case, when a new message is created, the system will not automatically run the rules, but they can still be executed manually using the ‘Re-run Rules’ function.
Rule usage counter
On the right-hand side of the rule list, a counter shows how many times a particular rule has been applied. This provides useful feedback for monitoring how the rules are working. If a rule’s counter remains at 0 even after a long period of time, it is worth checking:
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whether the conditions are correct;
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whether the rule is in the correct position in the list;
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whether an earlier rule is intercepting the same messages.
In such cases, it may be necessary to move the rule higher up in the priority order.
Practical example
Let us assume that a courierThe person who delivers Shipments to the recipient. service handles three areas:
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PL00: 00-000–09-999
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PL01: 10-000–19-999
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PL02: 20-000–29-999
A separate rule can be created for each of the three areas.
The conditions of each rule relate to the sender’s country and postcode range; the system then delegates the task to the assigned location, vehicleVehicles are the means of transport used by Couriers to make deliveries (bicycle, car, truck, etc.). or vehicleVehicles are the means of transport used by Couriers to make deliveries (bicycle, car, truck, etc.). group in accordance with the relevant rule.
This means that the allocation of consignments can take place automatically, without the need for dispatcherThe Dispatcher member of the Courier Service team. Manages customers and dispatches couriers. He/she uses the Deliveo dispatcher (admin) portal. intervention.