Release 4.8

Release note 4.8

EasyTrans Software strives to make the Transport Management System EasyTrans optimally suitable for your company. We are constantly working on perfecting the software. New features are made available to our customers on a regular basis.

New and improved functionalities are provided by EasyTrans Software through an automatic update. Our customers do not have to take any action themselves.

You can find all information about the latest update on this web page, information about previous updates can be found at release notes.

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Release notes

Release 4.8 – May 2021

NEW

Route Planning & Optimisation Module

EasyTrans Software offers a new module that allows you to merge several orders, from different customers, into one transport order, a composite route. The destinations in a composite route can then be optimised and scheduled to a driver or external carrier.

A composite route remains linked to the original orders. Are you using the Carrier Portal including the Driver App? Then the carrier only receives the composite route but the sign-off information is (also) linked to the original order. So your planner and your customer are always up to date about the status of the transport order. In addition, the information required for delivery confirmation and sales invoicing is always available in the original order.

In addition to merging and planning orders, you can also generate optimal routes for (composite) orders. The route optimisation includes the loading and unloading addresses, as well as the times when you are expected to be there. In addition, you can also specify a service time, the average time you need for a stop.

The most important functionalities of the Route Planning & Optimisation module:

Merging multiple orders into one transport order
Creating optimal routes for (composite) orders
Current insight into the status of the route and ETA per stop
Choice of vehicle profiles for car, van, truck or bike
Sign-off information available in original orders and composite routes with the Driver App^*1
Requesting, sharing or invoicing of composite routes^*2

¹The Driver App is part of the Premium Plus Package. ²These functions are part of the Purchase module.

Route Planning & Optimisation

Module Connecting External Systems

EasyTrans Software offers various possibilities for connecting external software with the EasyTrans Transport Management System. We have existing links available with accounting software, systems of logistics service providers and various other sector-specific software. However, there are so many software packages available that it is impossible to offer an existing link for all of them. Therefore, we offer the Module Connecting External Systems which provides access to APIs and now also to an EDI platform of EasyTrans Software. New in the module:

EDI

EasyTrans Software has developed a standard EDI basis for realising connections via EDI between the Transport Management System EasyTrans and an external system. From this (EDI) basic platform we can help you to develop a customised interface. In consultation with you, we look at the wishes and possibilities of a connection between both systems. Naturally, we will think along with you for the best solution. Based on these consultations, our developers will make an estimate of the amount of hours custom work and the associated costs. After which – of course in consultation with you – the link will be realised.

REST API

EasyTrans Software has developed and made available a REST API. This API can be used to retrieve data and/or change orders.

Order import API

The Order Import API can now also respond with transport documents (delivery note, order list, label or CMR).

Module Connection External Systems (API/EDI)

Pro forma invoices

It is now possible to create and send pro forma invoices in EasyTrans! A pro forma invoice is an unofficial, preliminary invoice that provides a buyer with information about the services you are going to provide. A pro forma invoice is often used, for example, to request an advance payment for a delivery.

You can send a pro forma invoice with both a quotation and an order confirmation. Do you use the pro forma to receive advance payments? If so, you can of course record the payments and deduct them from the official invoice.

The new pro forma function is available in all EasyTrans Software packages.

Pro forma invoice

Import function

There are new functionalities available within the import function of the Transport Management System EasyTrans!

Import orders

Import format for orders with a pick-up and delivery address. You can add columns to your import file that give extra information when importing data:

Comment on the invoice;
The imported comment will be displayed on the invoice.
Rate type number;
Import the rate type to be used, or type of goods (maximum one rate type per order line).
Goods description;
Import a description of the goods to be transported.
Delivery note number;
Import the number of the delivery note for this order.
Address line 2;
Import a second address line, for example to include a department in the addressing.

Import orders with multiple destinations

Import format for orders with multiple destinations. You can add columns to your import file that provide additional information when importing data:

Rate type number;
Import the rate type, or goods type, to be used (maximum one rate type per destination).
Volume;
Import the number of goods to be transported. The volume can only be specified for delivery destinations. If there is a pick-up destination, destination 1 is always imported.
Weight;
Import the weight of the goods to be transported. Does it concern several packages? Then import the weight of the heaviest package.
Dimensions (length, width, height);
Import the size of the goods to be transported. Does it concern several packages? Then import the size of the largest package.
Description of goods;
Import a description of the goods to be transported.
Delivery note number;
Import the number of the delivery note for this order.
Address line 2;
Import a second address line, for example to include a department in the addressing.

You can find more information about adding columns in the import files themselves: ‘Planning’ > ‘Import’ > Open the required import file > Open tab ‘Explanation’.

Invoicing

There are new features available for invoicing in the Transport Management System EasyTrans!

Contact person for payment reminders

Do you need to send payment reminders to a different e-mail address than the regular invoices? You can now specify in your contacts whether they should (also) receive payment reminders.
You can find the setting in your contacts: ‘Customers’ > ‘Customer overview’ > Open the relevant customer > Check the ‘Use e-mail address for payment reminder’ option for the appropriate contact > Click ‘Save & Close’ to save your setting.
Tip: Does sending payment reminders to an alternative e-mail address not apply to you? Then you don’t need to do anything. The invoice e-mail address that you have already set up will still be used for the payment reminders.

In addition to the new function above, the existing functionalities of invoicing in EasyTrans have been improved and extended:

Standard text e-mail

You are now able to define default texts in EasyTrans that are used when you send your invoices by e-mail. When sending an invoice by e-mail, you can still change the default text, but this text will no longer be saved. The next time you send an e-mail, the default text will be used again.

Invoices;
You can set the default text for invoices under ‘Settings’> ‘General’, open the ‘Invoices’ tab and enter the preferred text under ‘Default text for the invoice e-mail’. Click on ‘Save & Close’ to save the text.
Purchase invoices;
Do you use the Purchase module and do you send purchase invoices by e-mail? You can also define a default text for your purchase invoice e-mails. This text can be defined under ‘Settings’ > ‘General’, open the ‘Invoices’ tab and enter the text you prefer under ‘Default text for the purchase invoice e-mail’. Click on ‘Save & Close’ to save your text.
Payment reminders;
You can set the default text for payment reminders under ‘Settings’> ‘General’, open the ‘Invoices’ tab and enter the preferred text under ‘Default text for the payment reminder e-mail’. Click on ‘Save & Close’ to save your text.

EORI on invoice

Every transport company that conducts international business and carries out customs activities uses an EORI number (Economic Operator Registration and Identification). You can now define this EORI number yourself in EasyTrans, the EORI number will then automatically be displayed on your invoices.
You can define the EORI number under ‘Settings’ > ‘General’, enter your EORI number under ‘Company data’ > ‘EORI number’. Click on ‘Save & Close’ to save your EORI.

Outgoing e-mail settings invoicing

To prevent e-mail providers from marking your e-mails as spam, you can e-mail from EasyTrans via your own e-mail account. For this, you need to configure the settings of your outgoing SMTP mail server in EasyTrans. Do you use a different e-mail address for your invoices than for general mailings? Then you can now set up the outgoing e-mail separately for the invoice e-mail address.
Note: The invoice e-mail address must still be part of the same domain name as your general e-mail address.

New authorisation level ‘Invoicing

There is a new authorisation level ‘Invoicing (sales only)’ for employees of the accounts receivable administration. This level of rights gives access to the necessary functions for sales invoicing.
A user with this permission level does not have access to: Import, Periodic Orders, Carriers, Purchase module, Rate management, Vehicles, Address book, Statistics, Login history and Settings.
Note: Do you use the Purchase module? If so, an employee with this level of authorisation does not have access to this module.

Rate management

There are functionalities available for the rate management in EasyTrans!

Rate type Loading meter

In EasyTrans you can select various rate types to determine how/why a rate should be calculated. You can now also select the rate type ‘Loading meter’ (LDM). When you enter in the order the length and width of the goods to be transported, the number of loading metres and the corresponding rate are calculated automatically.

Weight class for packages/Own rate types

For the rate type ‘Packages’ and ‘Own rate types’, a rate can now also only be activated within a certain weight class. When defining a rate, after selecting the rate types “Package” or “Own rate types” you now get the additional function “Weight class”. If a rate only should be active at a certain weight (for example: Package 2 to 5 kg), then you can set the weight class here.

Tip: Is a weight category not relevant for your rate? Then leave the fields empty.

In addition to the new functions mentioned above, existing functions for rate management in your EasyTrans Transport Management System have been improved and extended.

Percentage over ‘Fixed amount’

The rate type ‘Fixed amount’ can now be used in combination with a percentage. Similar to the other rate types, you can now calculate a percentage over prices with the rate type ‘Fixed amount’.
For example: You use the rate type ‘Fixed amount’ to register fixed fare prices in your order. Over this fare you want to automatically calculate a fuel surcharge. For this purpose, you can now create a percentage rate with the rate type ‘Fixed amount’. This rate is then automatically used to calculate the set percentage over all rates in the order with rate type ‘Fixed amount’.

Rate types – Rate type number column

Each rate type that you create and register in EasyTrans receives a rate type number. This number can now be found in the rate types overview. You can use it, for example, to indicate which rate type must be imported with the goods, when importing orders.

Export

There are new functionalities available within the export function of EasyTrans.

Orders – Turnover per product

From now on, it is possible to export the turnover per product to a file of your choice. To do so, go to ‘General’ > ‘Export’ and select ‘Orders – Turnover per product’ at ‘Choose the data to export’. If necessary, adjust the file type and/or set filters. Then click on ‘Execute’.

You will now receive a file in which you can view the turnover per product, including product number (number of your service), product (name of your service), total sales (total turnover for sales), total purchase (total purchase costs (with the purchase module)) and the number of orders.

Subscription page

In the general settings, you will find a new tab ‘Subscription’. Here you can see the package and additional modules of your subscription.

You can also see which connections are active. Some connections require some specific data from your external system in order to make a request, for example your user name and password of the external software. If necessary, you can now also view and change these data yourself.

Tip: Additional modules can be added to your subscription at any time. If you are interested in an additional module, please contact us. The prices per module can be found under prices.

IMPROVED

Module Connection Accounting Package

EasyTrans Software has standard interfaces with the most well-known accounting packages. The connections with the partners below have been improved and/or extended.

Exact Online

EasyTrans Software now offers a direct interface with Exact Online. With a direct interface, you can exchange data directly from your EasyTrans Transport Management System. You no longer need to export and import.

What’s new about this connection is not only the way of exchanging data. You can now also set up a corresponding general ledger account for each product. In this way, you can easily separate the turnover of the various services.

Connection Exact Online

Twinfield

The connection with Twinfield has been renewed. As of the 1st of June 2021, Twinfield requires you to log in with a username and password that you must enter yourself. Our connection has been adjusted to this. In addition, it is now possible to set up a corresponding general ledger account for each product. In this way, you can easily separate the turnover of the various services.

Connection Twinfield

Document storage module

The Document Storage module of EasyTrans Software offers secure digital file management with your TMS. You can store and optionally share documents with your transport orders. Think for example of signed transport documents, images or original orders. The functionalities within the Document Storage module have been improved and/or extended:

Share documents via Carrier Portal/Driver App

With a Premium Plus Package you have your own Carrier Portal including Driver App. The Carrier Portal allows your planning department to pass on new transport orders to drivers in real time. Do you use the Document Storage module to store (public) documents? If so, you can now also display them in your Carrier Portal/Driver App!

Go via the main menu to ‘Settings’ > ‘General’.
Define your setting, on tab ‘Orders’ > ‘Driver App settings’ > ´ Show attached documents in the Driver App’: Selected: Public documents are visible in the Driver App.
Not selected: Saved documents are NOT visible in the Driver App.
Click on ‘Save & Close’ to save your setting.

When a carrier opens an order, there is an ‘attachment’ icon: Icon at all destinations where a document is stored. Your carrier can download and open the documents by clicking on this icon.
Of course, internal documents are never visible in the Carrier Portal/Driver App.

Document Storage Module

Carrier Portal / Driver App

The functionality of the Carrier Portal / Driver App has been improved and/or extended:

Sign off orders to planning

An order is only signed off to the planning in its entirety when all destinations, with the exception of the first, of the order have been signed off via the Driver App.

Customer Portal

The functionalities within the Customer Portal have been improved and/or extended:

Sorting function order overview

As well as in the planning environment, the sorting options in the order overview of the customer portal have also been expanded. In the order overview it is now possible to sort on:

Destinations
Delivery note
Your reference

Planning

The functionalities of the planning environment within your Transport Management System EasyTrans have been improved and extended.

Order Overview

Various improvements have been made to the functionalities within the order overview.

Postcode columns

Two new column options have been added to the order overview, you can now also activate columns that show the postcodes of the (first) pick-up and delivery addresses. These columns can also be sorted so that you can easily group addresses that are close to each other.
You can activate the columns via ‘Settings’> ‘General’ > ‘Display settings for the order overview’ > ‘Show pick-up postcode column’ and/or ‘Show delivery postcode column’ > ‘Save & Close’.
Note: The ‘Pick-up postcode column’ only shows the postcodes of the first destinations. The ‘Delivery postcode column’ shows only the postcodes of the second destinations. For orders with multiple pick-up and/or delivery addresses, the other postcodes are not shown.

Sorting function expanded

As in the order overview of the customer portal, the sorting function of your planning environment has been expanded. In addition to the above-mentioned postcode columns, you can now also sort by:

Delivery note
Reference customer
Comments on the delivery note
Comments internal

Search function extended

When you use the search function of the order overview, goods data are now also queried for the search results.
Tip: The goods data fields are also often used in connections with external carriers, such as UPS. Searching for tracking numbers is therefore now even easier!

Sending order confirmation(s)

When you send order confirmations via a batch operation from the order overview, you can now add a comment to the e-mail. This comment is included in the e-mail, along with any comments that may have been entered in the order.

In addition, you can now send an order confirmation of multiple orders to recipients via the order overview. Select the relevant orders in your order overview and choose the batch operation ‘Order confirmation to recipient’, enter a comment if necessary and click ‘OK’.

Sending transport order(s)

When you send transport orders via a batch operation from the order overview, you can now add a comment to the e-mail. This comment will be included in the e-mail, together with any comments that may have been entered in the order.

Merging orders

When merging orders it was already possible to ‘ignore the same pick-up address’. This meant that the same pick-up address that applied to multiple orders, was carried over only once to the merged order. This functionality has now been changed to ‘Ignore same destinations’.
When the selected orders contain identical destinations, this functionality allows you to copy all ‘double’ destinations once into the combined order. The recorded flow of goods to/from the double destinations will of course still be transferred.
Note: The ‘double’ destination is only ignored if the contact and address details are identical in all orders.

Show locations

EasyTrans uses Google Maps for the automated mileage calculation. This allows you to calculate the distances from your order automatically up to 25 destinations. After the calculation, you can view the route using the ‘Show route’ button. If you enter more than 25 destinations, this button now changes to ‘Show Stops’. This button opens a location map that shows the positions of your destinations on the map.

Accept quote

You can easily send a quote from EasyTrans to your customer by e-mail. When using a Customer Portal, you could optionally add a link that allows your customer to accept the quote easily and quickly. From now on, it is no longer necessary for your customers to have access to a customer portal to accept a quote!

The ‘accept quote’ link is now included in all quote e-mails. This allows all customers (now also without logging in) to easily accept a quote sent by you. An accepted quotation is then automatically converted into an order in your order overview. Your customer will also automatically receive an order confirmation of the accepted order.

Transport documents

There have been several improvements to the transport documents that you can create and send in EasyTrans.

CMR

Several improvements have been made to the CMR that you can create in EasyTrans:

Display carrier details

The options for displaying carrier details on a CMR have been expanded. All the options are listed below:

Own data;
Put your own company details as carrier on the CMR (box 16).
Carrier details;
Put the details of the scheduled carrier on the CMR (box 16).
Own details + (sub)carrier details;
Put your own company details as carrier on the CMR (box 16) and the details of the scheduled carrier as “successive carrier” on the CMR (box 17).
Do not display;
Do not enter the carrier(s).

Tip: You can specify the option you want to use by default in your general settings! (‘Settings’ > ‘General’ >Tab ‘Transport documents’).

Order list

To make the order list even easier to read, a thicker line has been added between different orders.

Shipping labels

The total number of goods to be transported per destination is now shown on the shipping labels.

Address book

The functionality for managing common destinations has been improved and extended.

Time window of address book items

Destinations that you visit frequently can be stored in an address book. You can now also enter a time window for an address book item. When entering a destination in an order, these times are then automatically used. You can find the setting in your address book items: ‘Address book’ > Open the required address > ‘Time window’.
Tip: Do you work with exact times, instead of window times? Enter the times as follows:

Delivery/Pick-up from 09:00

Delivery/Pick-up at 09:00

Delivery/Pick-up until 09:00

Note: Times can only be saved via the address book itself. If you save an address via an order (with a destination ‘Add to address book’) then the times are not saved in the address book. This prevents saved times from a previous order from being used again by mistake.

Sort code

From now on, it is possible to register the sort code at customer and carrier level. Go to: ‘Customer overview’ or ‘Carrier overview’ > Open the required customer or carrier > enter the sort code under ‘Other information’.

OTHER

Password fields

Since the previous release, passwords were completely shielded. We have made a small change to this update. Users with administrator rights can see shielded passwords in EasyTrans again at general settings > tab ‘Subscription’ and ‘Outgoing mail’. To do this, click on the eye icon next to the password field.

Dynamic rates

With dynamic rates you can activate rates based on postcode areas or countries. The dynamic rates function within EasyTrans will be available from 01/03/2021 from the Premium Package.

Route optimisation module

The Route Optimisation module will no longer be offered from 18-05-2021. As an alternative, EasyTrans Software offers the module Route planning & Optimisation.

Connection with Courier Exchange

As of 01/03/2021 the price (for new users) of the module Connection with Courier Exchange has changed. You can find the prices of all EasyTrans Software products at: Prices

Release notes

Release 4.8

Release note 4.8

Release 4.8 – May 2021

Release notes

NEW

Route Planning & Optimisation Module

Module Connecting External Systems

EDI

REST API

Order import API

Pro forma invoices

Import function

Import orders

Import orders with multiple destinations

Invoicing

Contact person for payment reminders

Standard text e-mail

EORI on invoice

Outgoing e-mail settings invoicing

New authorisation level ‘Invoicing

Rate management

Rate type Loading meter

Weight class for packages/Own rate types

Percentage over ‘Fixed amount’

Rate types – Rate type number column

Export

Orders – Turnover per product

Subscription page

IMPROVED

Module Connection Accounting Package

Exact Online

Twinfield

Document storage module

Share documents via Carrier Portal/Driver App

Carrier Portal / Driver App

Sign off orders to planning

Customer Portal

Sorting function order overview

Planning

Order Overview

Postcode columns

Sorting function expanded

Search function extended

Sending order confirmation(s)

Sending transport order(s)

Merging orders

Show locations

Accept quote

Transport documents

CMR

Display carrier details

Order list

Shipping labels

Address book

Time window of address book items

Sort code

OTHER

Password fields

Dynamic rates

Route optimisation module

Connection with Courier Exchange

Links

Contact