Prepare Shipment Delivery
Send shipment preparation notification to the shipping provider.
Overview
The Prepare Shipment Delivery step sends a preparation notification to the shipping provider before the actual shipment is completed. This pre-notifies carriers about upcoming shipments.
Identifier
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Key | PrepareShipmentDelivery |
| Group | Shipments |
| Applicable Statuses | Ship |
Configuration Properties
This step has no configurable properties.
Behavior
What It Does
- Identifies shipments that are not already Released, Shipped, or Cancelled
- If running at shipment level, only processes the current shipment
- For each eligible shipment:
- Sends a preparation notification to the shipping provider
- Returns success after processing
Prerequisites
- Shipments must exist and not be in final states
- Shipping provider must support preparation notifications
Side Effects
- Shipping provider receives preparation notification
- May generate preliminary tracking information
- Prepares carrier for incoming shipment
Business Cases
When to Use
- Carrier pre-notification: Alert carriers about shipments
- Same-day delivery: Prepare carriers for urgent deliveries
- Scheduled pickups: Notify carriers before pickup windows
Example Scenarios
Scenario 1: Standard Preparation Order moves to Ship status. Step notifies carrier about incoming shipment before labels are printed.
Scenario 2: Express Delivery Same-day delivery order. Step pre-notifies carrier to ensure capacity.
Scenario 3: Already Released Shipment already released. Step skips as preparation already done.
Error Handling
| Condition | Result | Continues Workflow? |
|---|---|---|
| No eligible shipments | Warning | Yes |
| Preparation successful | Success | Yes |
| Provider error | Error | Yes (doesn't cancel) |
Related Steps
- Complete Shipment - Finalize the shipment
- Update Shipment Status - Update status