At CloudAnswers we regularly run internal hackathons. If you havenât read about how we do this, check out our blog post: How and Why We Run Hackathons. Read on to hear about our hackathon winner from our February 5th hackathon, Avinavaâs Shipment Scanner.
Introduction
The hackathon theme this time was âSalesforce Spring â21 release.â In other words, competitors had to build a solution that used at least one feature from the new release. Avinava decided to use the new API for barcode scanning in Lightning Web Components combined with a third-party library for generating QR codes to create a better way to generate shipping labels and receive packages. Scanning is essentially a non-destructive method of identifying and inspecting any goods (items). On a broader scale, security in the commercialization of goods and services has never been more crucial. This app can be customized and plugged into any Salesforce system and makes it easier for everyone to track packages.
If you look closely at most shipping/courier services, they have their API that you can integrate to track the shipped packages. These integrated systems come as a barcode and other shipping information on the packages. With our new shipment scanner app, we want to curtail the need for manual entry of shipments received. Hence, removing errors and inconsistencies from the picture.
Processing a Shipment
To process a shipment with the app, you simply scan the packing slip that is attached to the item. If your organization is providing the shipping labels the QR code generator can be used to add an easily scannable QR code to the shipping label. Otherwise, the scanner app can be connected to the appropriate API to get details about the scanned item. Hereâs an example of how it would work for a company processing returns:
- A customer requests a return
- The company generates a packing slip that has a QR code and the other necessary info such as their receiving address.
- The customer prints out the shipping label and mails the returned item.
- An employee at the receiving address opens the shipment scanner app on their device.
- They click on the scan button and point the camera at the package.
- Within a few moments, they have all the information about the item on the screen.
- They can now accept the return, submit it for processing, or whatever next actions would be appropriate for the workflow.
In the end, this scanning workflow can be used for a wide variety of applications even beyond sending and receiving shipments. Weâre excited to see this scanner library available for Lightning Web Components and we hope to customize this app for some customers in the very near future.
Features of the App
- Significantly reduce the amount of time needed to accept shipments.
- Reduce costs and avoid customer issues by skipping manual data entry.
- Risk reduction for customers and sellers.
- Creates a shipping alternative that lets your business work with as many logistics companies as you desire.
- A user-friendly interface follows a step-by-step pattern that helps you focus on what to do per time.
- Scanning apps within the Salesforce apps allow companies to leverage all of their existing pages and workflows to process the shipment, notify the right parties, and update other information in the system.
Learn More
If youâre interested in seeing how this could be customized for your organization, contact us, and letâs see what we can build! Here you can find the apps that we developed for Salesforce: -Report Sender -Marketing Calendar -Potential Duplicates Component -Opportunity Team Edit Override -Approval Process Reminder
Find us on AppExchange
Related Articles
How to build a Customer Churn Rate report in Salesforce
The churn rate is the total percentage of customers that join up and subsequently leave within a specific period. The churn rate is undesirable since it indicates that you're losing consumers. Customer churn rates may be divided into two categories: voluntary and involuntary. People who unsubscribe for their reasons, such as being dissatisfied with the service or no longer requiring it, are referred to as "voluntary churn." Involuntary churn can occur due to problems like payment failure that cannot be attributed to a customer intentionally canceling.
April 14, 2022
4 Min Read
Does reporting really matter?
What are the benefits of reporting? Business reports provide essential information to management, such as spending, profit, and growth. Reports deliver valuable information that the business can utilize to generate future predictions, marketing plans, assist budget planning, and improve decision-making.
January 21, 2022
6 Min Read
How to coordinate marketing and sales by avoiding duplicates in Salesforce
If you are in charge of handling client data, you have almost certainly dealt with the hassles that duplicate data causes. Whether the duplicate data entered your system due to clients filling out forms, manually inputting data, or importing it from other platforms, the implications are the same and highly expensive.
December 12, 2021
8 Min Read