Managing Delivery Notes

Delivery notes are the documents that accompany a shipment or delivery.  They provide essential information about the contents of the delivery from start to finish and enable payment to be released.   

They can also be known as a goods received note or dispatch note and more often than not they're printed.  This is why managing delivery notes can be so difficult.

The Headaches Around Delivery Notes

A variety of organisations speak to us because of the headaches involved with processing delivery notes.  They're a vital part of invoice processing and contractual agreements and therefore a document that should not be overlooked.

Do any of the below headaches sound familiar to you?

• Inaccurate or incomplete information such as incorrect item quantities, wrong product descriptions, or incomplete recipient information leading to confusion and discrepancies between the delivered goods and the recorded information
• Delays of lost delivery notes means payments can be delayed alongside unhappy customers
• Illegible or unclear handwriting means the information on the delivery note can’t always be relied upon
• Lack of standardisation and the inconsistent formats of delivery notes can make it difficult to automate or integrate the data into key business systems
• Fraudulent activities where delivery notes are tampered with or edited because there is no secure process in place.  If quantities are changed or unauthorised items added it may cause financial losses and a damaged reputation
• Communication issues which can mean the delivery note doesn't effectively reach all the relevant parties, such as the recipient, the warehouse, or the accounting department.  This can lead to misunderstandings, delays in processing, or even non-payment
• Increased administration alongside the additional cost of posting delivery notes internally or to head office to be processes

DocTech supports many businesses that produce high volumes of delivery notes to avoid the issues above.

We can provide a simple repository where all delivery notes and associated documents are scanned and stored digitally.  This enables organisations to track the status and location of each delivery.  Our document management software can automatically update the tracking information as the delivery progresses, and cross-reference it with the corresponding delivery note. 

As there is only one location to store all delivery notes, those with authorised access can easily view a document as required.  This improves communication and speeds up processes as delivery notes aren't in the post or in a delivery drivers van.

When you need to call on a document (with or without a signature) you have a simple secure way to find it.  There is no more printing or manual filing as everything is stored digitally.

Our software can create tasks for specific individuals in the approval process in order for them to approve invoices where a delivery note is present and confirmed as correct.  Likewise, any problems can be escalated and addressed before a bigger problem has time occur.

Delivery notes can also be matched or linked with any other document stored in the system.  Once stored, they are secure and any edits or downloads will be tracked.