Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
On this page you will find answers to frequently asked questions about EayTrans.
Do you have another question? Please do not hesitate to contact us via the contact form.
Orders
Can I monitor when an order is created or changed?
EasyTrans registers all activities and changes that are made to an order. You can access the history of an order in two ways:
Basic order history
The basic order history can be found at the top right of your screen and shows the creation date and time of the order and which user created it. The same information from the last time the order was saved is also displayed.
Extended order history
A detailed order history can be found at the bottom of the order. It shows all actions and changes to the order, including the user who carried them out.
Can I forward an order to another EasyTrans user?
Do you ever outsource transportation to another carrier? Or do you occasionally drive on behalf of another carrier? If this carrier also uses EasyTrans, you can easily exchange orders* with EasyTrans! The details of an order are forwarded one-to-one as much as possible, with a few exceptions:
- Vehicle: When a vehicle is specified, it will be placed at ‘ Comments on the delivery note’ by the receiver.
- Remarks: A comment entered under ‘Comments on the purchase invoice’ will be added to ‘ Comments on the invoice’ for the recipient. (the recipient is the carrier, and for the carrier the originator is a customer).
- Order number: The order number is placed in the field ‘Customer reference’ of the first destination at the recipient. The originator automatically receives the order number of the carrier which will be placed in the field ‘Comments on the purchase invoice’.
- Customer reference: The field ‘Customer reference’ will not be forwarded (Because this information is from the customer of the originator).
- Rates: Rates will not be forwarded. When you submit an order to a carrier, the carrier’s rates apply.
- Rate types: If custom rate types are entered at ‘Goods & Distribution’, these will be placed in the description field of the goods at the recipient
You outsource transports to a carrier
In this case you are a customer of the carrier to whom you want to forward orders*. The carrier needs to create you as a customer in EasyTrans and give you permission to send data to its system with the Import/Export API.
- Request the following information from your carrier:
- EasyTrans URL carrier : The web address of the EasyTrans login screen of the carrier.
- Your login details: The user name and password with which you have obtained permission to exchange data (Import/Export API).
- Your customer number: The customer number with which you are registered as a customer in the EasyTrans package of the carrier.
- EasyTrans product number: The product number that your carrier uses for the service you want to outsource. You can also enter multiple product numbers if you book different products with your carrier.
- Fill in the information obtained from the carrier in your EasyTrans Package:
- In the main menu click on ‘Carrier overview’.
- Open the data of the carrier by clicking on the row of the relevant carrier
- Under ‘Connecting with EasyTrans carrier’ enter the required data:
- Click on ‘Save & Close’.
When you now assign an order to this carrier, the following icon appears: 
You can send the order to the carrier by clicking on this icon.
You operate on behalf of another carrier
Create the originator as a customer in EasyTrans and give permission to send data to your system with the Import/Export API.
- Give the customer permission to send data to your system:
- In the main menu, click on ‘Customer overview’.
- Open the client’s data by clicking on the row of the relevant customer.
(If the client has not yet been created, create it via ‘New customer’ in the main menu) - Create a new contact and give it a username, password and the rights Import/Export API:
- Click on ‘Save & Close’.
- Give your customer the following information:
- URL EasyTrans: The web address of your EasyTrans login screen.
- The login details: The username and password with which your customer is able to send data (as shown above).
- Customer number: The customer number of the carrier/customer in EasyTrans.
- EasyTrans product number: The product number that the carrier/customer can use for the services you provide. You can give multiple product numbers for different services.
With the information you provide, the client can now easily forward orders to you, which means you no longer need to enter these yourself. In your order overview, a received order has the same visual appearance as a web order, bold and depending on your settings a different colour.
* With a Small Package you cannot send orders but you can receive them.
Invoicing
My customer asks me to put a second company name on the invoice, is this possible?
You can list two company names below each other on the invoice. In the customer data at ‘Company name’, enter the two company names separated by a / (space/space). For example: Company name 1 / Company name 2:
The appellation on the invoice will then look like this:
Would you like to put an alternative company name on the invoice? That is also possible; enter an alternative company name at the ‘Invoice address’ at the customer data. The entered company name for this customer will be displayed on the invoice.
How do I create a credit invoice?
An incorrectly invoiced order can be corrected in three ways. You can enter a correction via an order, create a credit invoice or modify and resend the invoice. Invoices with a negative total amount are created as credit invoices.
Correction via an order
Is the correction an error in one order? Then you can credit the overpaid amount by means of a ‘return’ order. You can create a new order, for example by copying the incorrect order, and deduct the overcharged amount by adding a minus sign (-) to the amounts. You can add a comment as ‘correction XXX (order number)’. The order can now go along with the next invoicing.
! EasyTrans generates collective invoices by default, invoices with a negative total amount are created as credit invoices.
Correction of incorrect invoice
You can also delete an invoice and create and (resend) a new corrected invoice with the same invoice number.
- Removing an incorrect invoice
- Go to the ‘invoice overview’
- Write down the invoice number and date of the incorrect invoice
- Remove the invoice by clicking on the X in the column ‘operations’
- All corresponding orders now get the status ‘Checked’.
- Correct the order(s)
- Correct the error in the order(s) or in the customer data
- Create invoice again
- Go to ‘new invoicing’
- Set the period and date of the invoice as that of the incorrect invoice
- In the ‘Next invoice number’ field, type the number of the incorrect invoice.
- Click on the ‘Execute’ button.
The incorrect invoice has now been corrected.
Credit Invoice
If your customer does not agree to receive a corrected invoice as described above, you can also create a credit invoice. EasyTrans generates collective invoices by default, therefore all orders listed on the invoice must be credited.
- Go to the ‘invoice overview’
- Open the invoice for which you want to create a credit invoice
- Go to the ‘order overview’
- Select all orders on the invoice and select ‘Duplicate’ under ‘With selected orders’ for quick processing.
- Open the orders and place a minus sign for the amounts
- Set the orders to checked in order to be able to invoice them
- Invoice the orders as you are used to
Invoices with a negative total amount are created as a credit invoice, you now have a credit invoice of the previously incorrectly created invoice.
- Now create the correct orders and re-invoice them as you are used to.
Customers
How do I give my customer access to my customer portal?
When you have access to a Premium- or a Premium Plus package, you have your own customer portal. You can give your customers access to your Customer Portal by creating login details and granting rights to a contact person:
- In the main menu, click on customer overview
- Open the respective customer by clicking on the corresponding row
- In the ‘Contact persons’ panel, create the login details for the relevant contact:
- Username
- Password
- Assign permissions
- Click on ‘Save & Close’ to return to the customer overview.
Your customer now has access to your customer portal with the login details you entered.
The web address of your Customer Portal is the same as that of your Transport Management System.
Can I change the text of the home page in my customer portal?
You can customize your own welcome message on the home page of your customer portal.
- In the main menu, click General (under Settings).
- At the bottom of the tab ‘Orders’ you will find the settings for the web order environment.
- Enter the text to be displayed on the home page of your customer portal.
If desired, you can use formatting codes to format text. A few examples:
Result:
Carriers
How do I give carriers access to my Carrier Portal / Drivers App?
When you use a Premium Plus package, you have your own Carrier Portal. Detailed information about the use of the Carrier Portal can be found in the manuals that are available.
You give your carriers access to your Carrier Portal by creating login details and granting rights to a carrier:
- In the main menu, click on ‘Carrier overview’
- Open the carrier by clicking on its row.
- In the ‘Carrier portal’ panel, create the login details:
- Username
- Password
- Assign permissions
- Click on ‘Save & Close’ to return to the carrier overview.
Your carrier now has access to your Carrier Portal with the login details you entered.
Products and rates
How do I create a rate for a first package and then a separate rate for the following packages?
You have different rates for a first and following packages. It is best to enter these rates using the graduated prices:
- In the main menu, go to ‘Rates’
- Click on ‘Add new rate’
(or open an existing rate to be edited) - Enter a description of the rate
- Select the appropriate rate type, in this case: Packages (amount)
- Select the product to which the rate should apply
- Select the vehicle to which the rate should be applied
If the rate applies to all vehicles, select ‘Every vehicle’. - Indicate whether the rate should be active by default.
- Select whether the rate is a price or a percentage, in this case: a price (per unit)
- Fill in the rate, in this case: the rate of the following packages.
(The rate of the first package will be set later at graduated prices) - Click ‘Save’ or press enter.
The window will now be expanded, the button ‘graduated prices’ will now appear:
In this case there is a different rate for the first packages, so we will create a graduated price for this:
- Click on ‘Graduated prices’
- Select the method for graduated price calculation: ‘Amount x rate cumulative’
- At the amounts enter the correct amount: ‘From amount’ 0, ‘Until amount’ 1
- At ‘Rate’ enter the rate of a first package
- Click ‘Save & Close’ to return to the rate.
- Click ‘Save & Close’ again to return to the rates overview.
With the example shown, the price of an order with 3 packages will now be: £8,- + 2 x £6,- = £20,-.
General
How do I create a user account?
If you work together with others in EasyTrans, give each user its own login account. This way everyone gets its own planning environment and you are able to see who has changed what in an order.
- In the main menu, go to Customers -> ‘Customer overview’
- Open your (head) office by clicking on the corresponding row
Next to your company details, under ‘Contact persons’ you see the users who can log in to your software package.
- Click on ‘New contact’
- Fill in the contact details of the user
! Note: If a password is forgotten, the email address you entered will be used to reset the password. If more than one user has the same email address, a new password cannot be sent. - Create a username and password and give the user the proper permissions
- Click on ‘New contact’ to add more users or click ‘Save & Close’ to return to the customer overview
How do I setup my outgoing email?
EasyTrans can be used to send various e-mails, such as quotations, order confirmations, transport orders, invoices, etcetera. In order to send these e-mails, the outgoing e-mail must be set up.
To send e-mails from EasyTrans, your own e-mail is used. This has the benefit that e-mails originate from your own e-mail address. This gives the recipient more confidence that the emails are actually from you and do not end up in the spam folder. The recipient can also easily reply to the e-mails.
To be able to send e-mails from EasyTrans, the outgoing e-mail settings must be filled in. You need the SMTP settings of your e-mail provider for this. The required information can be requested from the supplier of your e-mail.
You can set the SMTP settings in the following way:
- In the main menu, go to Settings -> ‘General’.
- Go to the tab ‘Outgoing e-mail’.
- Fill in the SMTP server, Port, Security, Username and Password (If you don’t know these settings, ask your e-mail provider).
- Follow the test procedure to check if your outgoing e-mail is setup correctly.
Alternative solution: Allow EasyTrans to send e-mails on your behalf
If it is not possible for you to use your own SMTP server, there is an alternative, you can give EasyTrans permission to send e-mails on your behalf. The receiving party checks if the received mail originates from you, if this is not the case it checks if you have given permission to send the mail on your behalf. This solution is called SPF. Unfortunately, setting up your “SPF record” is not always easy. It is a technical setting in the DNS settings of your website. The way this setting is done differs per provider.
Setting up your SPF record
You can set your SPF record in the DNS settings of your website. How you get to your DNS settings differs per provider. Usually you can log in to a Control Panel. You can ask your provider exactly how to access your DNS settings and how to modify your SPF record.
The SPF record often looks like this: v=spf1 a mx ip4:your.ip.address ~all
By default, an SPF record will contain settings to allow your own domain name to be used as sender. To allow EasyTrans to send email on your behalf, you need to add the EasyTrans SPF record to your SPF record: include:spf.easytrans.co.uk
The adjusted SPF record will then look like this: v=spf1 a mx ip4:your.ip.address include:spf.easytrans.co.uk ~all
Please note: You need to contact the EasyTrans support desk if you want to send e-mails using the SPF record method.
Can I add more countries?
In the main menu under ‘Countries’ you will find an overview of countries that can be selected within EasyTrans.
Activated countries can be selected in an order, deactivated countries are not shown.
Activate/deactivate countries:
- In the main menu, go to ‘Countries’
- Activate: In the ‘Operations’ column, click on the plus icon
Deactivate: In the ‘Operations’ column, click on the minus icon
! Note: You can also activate or deactivate countries via quick editing.