Tracked Services CustomerGuide v1.4.3
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Whistl Tracked Services Customer Guide
v1.4.3
Contents
1.0 Overview...................................................................................................................................................... 4
2.0 Included Services ........................................................................................................................................ 5
2.1 Delivery Speeds................................................................................................................................. 5
2.2 Service Coverage .............................................................................................................................. 6
2.3 Weights and Dimensions ................................................................................................................... 6
2.4 Delivery Confirmation ........................................................................................................................ 7
3.0 Item Detail.................................................................................................................................................... 9
2.5 Delivery Details .................................................................................................................................. 9
5.2 Shipment Options ............................................................................................................................ 10
5.3 Package Details ............................................................................................................................... 10
5.4 Item Contents ...................................................................................................................................11
4.0 Preparing your items.................................................................................................................................. 13
4.1 Labelling........................................................................................................................................... 13
4.2 Item Packaging ................................................................................................................................ 14
5.0 Manifesting ................................................................................................................................................ 15
6.0 Presentation............................................................................................................................................... 16
6.1 Segregation...................................................................................................................................... 16
6.2 Tray Cards ....................................................................................................................................... 16
6.3 Consumables ................................................................................................................................... 17
7.0 Collections ................................................................................................................................................. 18
7.1 Collection times ............................................................................................................................... 18
7.2 Customer Health and Safety procedures ........................................................................................ 18
7.3 Unloading and handover at customer premises .............................................................................. 19
7.4 Contingency ..................................................................................................................................... 19
8.0 Delivery...................................................................................................................................................... 20
8.1 Item Tracking ................................................................................................................................... 20
8.2 Address Queries & Requests for Information .................................................................................. 21
8.3 Delivery Delay.................................................................................................................................. 21
8.4 Delivery Attempts............................................................................................................................. 22
8.5 Delivery Success ............................................................................................................................. 22
8.6 Denial of Receipt ............................................................................................................................. 23
8.7 Refused Delivery ............................................................................................................................. 23
8.8 Undelivered Items............................................................................................................................ 23
8.9 Replacement Items.......................................................................................................................... 24
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9.0 Invoicing..................................................................................................................................................... 25
9.1 Postal Services ................................................................................................................................ 25
9.2 Courier Services .............................................................................................................................. 25
7.2 Querying an Invoice ......................................................................................................................... 27
10.0 Forecasting .............................................................................................................................................. 28
11.0 Supporting You......................................................................................................................................... 29
11.1 Implementation ................................................................................................................................ 29
11.2 Customer Services .......................................................................................................................... 29
11.3 24/7 Technical Support .................................................................................................................... 30
12.0 Procedures for handling non-compliant items ......................................................................................... 32
12.1 Item Details ...................................................................................................................................... 32
12.2 End of Day Manifest ........................................................................................................................ 35
12.3 Presentation..................................................................................................................................... 35
12.4 Collections & consumables.............................................................................................................. 39
12.5 Delivery ............................................................................................................................................ 39
13.0 Glossary................................................................................................................................................... 40
Appendix A – Example Tracking Label ............................................................................................................ 42
Appendix B – Example Tray Card ................................................................................................................... 43
Appendix C – Tracked Container Card............................................................................................................ 44
Appendix D – Premium Tracked Container Card ............................................................................................ 45
Appendix E – Example Forecasting Template................................................................................................. 46
Appendix F – Example Invoice ........................................................................................................................ 47
Appendix G – Suggested Fixed Weights & Dimensions ................................................................................. 48
Appendix H – Normalised Tracking Events ..................................................................................................... 49
Appendix I – Additional Transit Days ............................................................................................................... 51
Appendix J – Prohibited & Restricted Items .................................................................................................... 53
Appendix K – “This Way Up” Arrows ............................................................................................................... 60
Appendix L – LQ Labels .................................................................................................................................. 61
Appendix M – Authority Letter ......................................................................................................................... 62
Version Control ................................................................................................................................................ 63
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Whistl Tracked Services Customer Guide
v1.4.3
1.0 Overview
Whistl Tracked Services encompass a range of part and fully tracked services. Utilising both postal and courier channels,
delivery speeds vary from 2/3 day through to time specific next day services, with a range of formats by service including
eCommerce Large Letters through to heavy and large Parcels.
Our postal services use Whistl's established downstream access network to inject items into Royal Mail for final mile
delivery. Items despatched using courier services are handed over to specially selected carrier partners which use
lifestyle or traditional couriers for delivery.
Ideal for both large multi-channel retailers and small independents, our Tracked Services are accessed by either directly
integrating with the Whistl Carrier Management System or by using our Despatch Manager system to import and
despatch orders. For more information on our integration requirements, please refer to the following documentation:
• Integrate with Tracked Services Information Card
• Web Services Integration Guide
• Despatch Manager User Guide
This guide is designed to support customers accessing our range of domestic Tracked Services, should be used in
conjunction with our customer contract and the information contained is based on customers accessing our full range of
carriers. Covering our full process from item level detail through to presentation and invoicing requirements - collections,
invoicing and troubleshooting.
Please refer to the end of this guide in the section titled for information on any changes made to the guide since the last
version was issued.
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2.0 Included Services
Product & Service
Description
Tracked Lite
InSight
UK part-tracked postal service
Tracked 48
Domestic business to consumer tracked courier service
Tracked
Tracked 72
Domestic business to consumer tracked courier service
B2B 48
Domestic business to business tracked courier service
Next Day
Domestic business to consumer and business to business tracked courier service
By12
Domestic business to consumer and business to business tracked courier service
Premium Tracked
Saturday by12 Domestic business to consumer and business to business tracked courier service
Sunday
Domestic business to consumer tracked courier service
2.1 Delivery Speeds
The delivery speed for each of our products is measured from the first physical scan of an item. As a part tracked
service, InSight is only measured to carrier handover, whilst Tracked and Premium Tracked services are measured to the
first delivery attempt of the carrier. For more information on item delivery and delivery attempts, please refer to section
8.0 Delivery.
Please note that the delivery speeds and times set out in this guide are service aims only and the actual times for
processing and delivery are not guaranteed. Please refer to our customer contract for more information regarding our
service levels:
Delivery
Delivery Speed
Handover to Carrier
1st Delivery Attempt
Product & Service
Days
Attempts
Tracked Lite
InSight
Mon-Sat
1
1-2 days
2/3 days
Mon-Sat 2
2 days 3
Tracked 48
3
Tracked 1
Tracked 72
Mon-Sat
3
0 Days
3 days
B2B 48
Mon-Fri
3
1 days
Next Day
Mon-Sat
3
By12
Mon-Fri
3
Premium Tracked
0 Days
1 day
Saturday by12
Sat
3
Sunday 4
Sun
3
1 Items destined for Out Of Area (OOA) postcodes may take up to 7 days for a first time delivery attempt to take place. Please refer to section 2.2 for more detail on service coverage. 2 Delivery days may vary from some remote and mainland postcodes. Please refer to Appendix I for more information 3 Additional transit days may apply for some remote and mainland postcodes. Please refer to Appendix I for more information 4 Our Sunday service is a Next Day service, items must therefore be collected for injection into our carrier on a Saturday. Only the first delivery attempt will be made on the Sunday.
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2.2 Service Coverage
As a postal service, our part-tracked InSight service has full national coverage to all UK postcodes. Our Tracked and
Premium Tracked courier services have the following coverage:
Standard
Out of Area
OOA1 Channel Islands
OOA2 British Isles
OOA3 Northern Ireland
Mainland UK
British Isles
Product & Service
Tracked 48
Tracked
Tracked 72
B2B 48
5
Next Day
By12
Premium Tracked
Saturday by12
Sunday
2.2.1 Delivery Zone Postcodes
An out of area surcharge may be applied for out of area postcodes, please refer to your contract for more
information on your pricing. Our standard and out of area zones are defined by the following postcode districts:
AB, AB37-38, AB55-56 DD3-11, DG3-4, DG6-9 EH35-40, EH42-46 FK14, FK20-21,
G83-84 KA6, KA18-19, KA26 KY9-10, KY14-16 ML11-12
PH3-16 TD1-8, TD10-14
UK Mainland
FK18-19 TR21-25
British Isles 6
IM1-9, IM99
PO30-41
OOA1 Channel Islands
JE, GU
HS1-8, HS9 IM1-9, IM99 IV1-28, IV30-32, IV36, IV40-49, IV51-56, IV63
KA27-28 KW1-17 PA20--38, PA40-49, PA60-78, PA80
PH17-26, PH30-39, PH42-44, PH49-50 ZE1-3
OOA2 British Isles
OOA3 Northern Ireland
BT
2.3 Weights and Dimensions
The following weights and dimensions are indicative and based on accessing our complete range of products, services,
formats and carriers. If as part of your contract, you have chosen to exclude a carrier from your service mix, please refer
to your contract for details on the available formats, maximum weights and maximum dimensions.
Product & Service
Format
Max Weight
Max Dimensions
5 Please note that items over 1.2m in length, weighing greater than 15kg or despatched on Next Day B2B services may not be despatched to postcodes in this zone. 6 Depending upon item size, weight and service selected, these postcodes may appear as British Isles on your invoice, and pricing will be in-line with UK Mainland pricing. Items sent on Next Day B2B, by12 and Saturday by 12 services may not be sent to these postcodes.
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Large Letter
750g
353 x 250 x 25mm
Tracked Lite
InSight
Packet
2kg
640 x 460 x 460mm
Packet
1.5kg
450 x 350 x 200mm
1.5m in length and 0.23m 3
Parcel
31kg
Tracked 48
Large Parcel
Tracked
31kg
3m in length, 2.4m girth or length plus girth of 4.2m
Tracked 72
Packets
3kg
450 x 350 x 200mm
1.5m in length and 0.23m 3
B2B 48
Parcels
31kg
Packets
1.5kg
450 x 350 x 200mm
Next Day
1.5m in length and 0.23m 3
Parcels
31kg
1.5m in length and 0.23m 3
By12
Parcels
31kg
Premium Tracked
1.5m in length and 0.23m 3
Saturday by12
Parcels
31kg
Packets
1.5kg
1.2m in length or length plus 2x each other dimension must be no greater than 2.25m
Sunday
Parcels
31kg
2.4 Delivery Confirmation
Confirmation of delivery will be received in-line with the following table. For more information on POD, Signature and
Optional Guaranteed Signature – please refer to section 7.
Product & Service
Leave Safe
Signature
Optional Guarnteed Signature
Tracked Lite
InSight
7
Tracked 48
Tracked
Tracked 72
B2B 48
8
Next Day
By12
Premium Tracked
Saturday by12
Sunday
.
2.4.1 Proof Of Delivery (POD)
POD is defined by the provision of a signature either from the recipient address or a neighbour to the left, right
or directly opposite the recipient address. When available, a copy of a signature may be obtained direct from
Whistl Customer Services.
POD also includes an item being left in a safe place at the recipient address. Example safe places include, but
are not limited to: Garage, Outbuilding, Porch, Reception and Shed.
Where an item is left in a safe place, a calling card will be left by the carrier detailing the location – this may also
be reflected in tracking information for the item.
7 Items greater than 1.2m in length or weighing more than 15kg will be despatched on a Signature service with no leave safe option 8 B2B items and packages greater than 1.2m in length or weighing more than 15kg will be despatched on a Signature service with no leave safe option
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2.4.2 Signature
Delivery will not be effected unless a signature is received.
For B2C deliveries, a signature will be obtained from the recipient address or a neighbor to the left, right or
directly opposite the recipient address. Where an item is delivered to a neighbor, a calling card will be left by the
carrier detailing the address of the recipient – this may also be reflected in tracking information for the item.
For B2B deliveries, a signature will be obtained from the business on the label.
A copy of a signature may be obtained direct from Whistl Customer Services.
For the following services, the name of the signee may also be viewed within our Despatch Manager portal:
Next Day B2B
Domestic business to business tracked courier service
B2B 48
Domestic business to business tracked courier service
By12
Domestic business to consumer and business to business tracked courier service
Saturday by12
Domestic business to consumer and business to business tracked courier service
2.4.3 Optional Guaranteed Signature
Where available, our POD services may be upgraded to guarantee a signature on delivery. Delivery will not be
effected unless a signature is received. A signature will be obtained from the recipient address or a neighbor to
the left, right or directly opposite the recipient address. A copy of a signature may be obtained direct from Whistl
Customer Services.
Where an item is delivered to a neighbor, a calling card will be left by the carrier detailing the address of the
recipient – this may also be reflected in tracking information for the item.
For the following services, the name of the signee may also be viewed within our Despatch Manager portal:
Next Day B2B
Domestic business to business tracked courier service
B2B 48
Domestic business to business tracked courier service
By12
Domestic business to consumer and business to business tracked courier service
Saturday by12
Domestic business to consumer and business to business tracked courier service
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3.0 Item Detail
Irrespective of the integration method used to access Whistl’s Tracked Services, you must supply item level information
to produce a tracking label. For additional information on mandatory information and supplying item detail, please refer to
our Web Services Integration and Despatch Manager User Guides.
Item detail is used by our system in the following ways:
• Service Validation – Our system will use item detail to validate the despatch method (Product and Service)
selected for the item to ensure the item can be carried by our chosen carrier.
• Format Selection – Using the dimensions and weights declared against each item, our system will ascertain
the format of the item and ensure that an item is despatched on the correct format-specific carrier service
• Zonal & Delivery Routing – The postcode of an item is used by our system to declare an item against the
correct carrier zone and ensure an item is routed on the correct delivery round.
• Label Production – To meet our carrier labelling requirements, item detail will be used to both populate the
label produced by the system and also the type of label produced
Failure to provide accurate item detail may impact the ability of our carriers to effect delivery. Incorrect item detail can
also result in items being declared as the wrong format or routed through an invalid carrier service. Issues of
noncompliance can also impact tracking visibility and consumer notifications. For more information, please refer to
section 10 for our procedures for handling non-compliant items.
3.1 Delivery Details
3.1.1 Addressing Standards
All items must include a recipient name and delivery address in accordance with our address standards.
To meet the required address standards each address includes one premise element, one thoroughfare
element, one locality element and the Postcode as a minimum. Other elements may be included.
i. Premise elements : Customers must include at least one premises element, so that a single delivery
point is defined. Customers do not have to include all the premise elements (unless the premise
elements used do not sufficiently describe an address).
ii. Thoroughfare elements : At least one thoroughfare element should be supplied.
iii. Locality elements : Customers must include at least one locality element.
iv. Postcode : The address of all mailing items must contain the full and accurate postcode. The
postcode must be able to generate an address from PAF® which can be matched to the minimum
requirements above (at least one premise element, one thoroughfare element and one locality
element). The postcode must always appear in capital letters on its own as the last line of the address.
v.
The postcode must NOT be:
vi.
printed on the same line as the town or county
vii.
underlined or punctuated
viii.
be followed by ‘UK’ either on the same line or a line beneath the postcode
ix. A single space should be included between the two parts of the postcode. The first part (i.e. OX4) is
the outward code; the second (i.e. 5ZZ) is the inward code.
For example:
John Smith
Recipient Name
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Unit 1 Fieldhouse Lane
Premise and thoroughfare
Marlow SL7 1HY
Locality
Postcode
3.1.2 Addressing Standards
In order to access our consumer notifications, a valid recipient email address must be supplied. Failure to do so
will inhibit our ability to dispatch notifications.
3.2 Shipment Options
3.2.1 Despatch Date
The despatch date of an item will be used to determine the expected delivery date of an item and assist in
producing the carrier tracking label. When despatching an item, items are cross referenced against a carrier’s routing matrix (Gazateer 9 ) to help produce routing information and the tracking barcode(s) featured on the item.
Should an incorrect despatch date be supplied, items may be incorrectly routed through our carriers, leading to
a mis-route through the carrier’s network.
For day specific next day services (for example: by 12 Saturday & Sunday), the despatch date would be the
proceeding day to the expected delivery date.
3.2.2 Customer Number
As part of your Whistl contract you will be supplied a Whistl Customer Number. Commonly referred to as a
Client ID, you may be supplied multiple Client IDs depending upon your preferences when setting up your
account with Whistl. Failure to include a valid Client ID may inhibit Whistl’s ability to process an item or
handover to our chosen carrier.
3.3 Package Details
3.3.1 Weight
Weight is a mandatory field and used as part of our routing logic to select the correct format for an item.
For postal items, customers may use a fixed weight, rather than the actual weight, as long as the weight
declared is less than or equal to the maximum weight of the item format.
For courier items, customers may also use a fixed weight providing that the weight declared is in the same
weight band as the actual weight of the item.
For example:
9 Please refer to our Glossary in section 12.0 for more information
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A Parcel with an actual weight of 23.5kg would require a fixed weight between 15kg and 31kg in-line
with our pricing weight bands.
A fixed weight is where a customer chooses to use a standard weight for each format and weight-band. Please
refer to Appendix G – Suggested Fixed Weights for suggested fixed weights by service.
3.3.2 Dimensions
The length, width and depth of an item are not mandatory fields however will be used by our system to validate
the format selected by our system. Where the weight of an item is sufficient to ensure the correct format is
selected, customers need not include dimensions. If the weight is insufficient, the customer must supply the
actual dimensions or fixed dimensions to ensure the correct format is selected.
For example:
An item requiring full tracking and weighing 1.5kg may be eligible to be despatched as a Packet on our
Tracked 48 or Tracked 72 services. If however the same item exceeds the maximum dimensions for these
services, the customer must include either a fixed or actual dimension to ensure the item is routed as a
Parcel or Large Parcel.
A fixed dimension is where a customer chooses to use a standard length for each format and weight band.
Please refer to Appendix G – Suggested Fixed Weights for suggested fixed dimensions by service.
3.4 Item Contents
3.4.1 Prohibited Items
A number of items are prohibited from being handled by Whistl and our carrier partners. A list of prohibited items
may be found in Appendix J – Prohibited & Restricted Items. The list highlights items which may not be carried
by Whistl or its carriers and where there may be exceptions to these requirements.
It is the responsibility of the customer to ensure these requirements are adhered to and to check whether or not
an item is prohibited before despatching on a Whistl service.
If prohibited items are identified by Whistl or our carriers, the items will be handled in accordance with our
Procedures for handling non-compliant items in section 12.0
3.4.2 Restricted Items
Restrictions may apply to certain type of items being despatched on Whistl services. A list of restricted items
may be found in Appendix J – Prohibited & Restricted Items. The list highlights where restrictions apply and it is
the responsibility of the customer to ensure these restrictions are adhered to when despatching items.
Additional labelling and packaging requirements may apply for restricted items, these are highlighted in section
4.0 Preparing your Items and Appendix J – Prohibited & Restricted Items.
Where Dangerous Goods packed as Limited Quantities are allowed, please also refer to section 3.2.
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3.4.3 Dangerous Goods packed as Limited Quantities (LQ)
Consignors of dangerous goods packed in Limited Quantities must seek approval to despatch said items in the
form of a signed Authority Letter. For an example letter, please refer to Appendix M – Authority Letter.
Prior to despatching dangerous goods packed as limited quantities, the following information must be supplied
to Whistl Customer Services to be kept on record:
• The UN Numbers of the products to be sent
• A copy of the relevant MSDS forms
For shipments overseas, which include the off shore Islands around UK including NI, IOW and the Scottish
Islands, a Dangerous Goods Note (DGN) is also legally required and must be completed by the consignor.
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4.0 Preparing your items
4.1 Labelling
4.1.1 Address & Tracking Labels
In order to ensure items are processed quickly and without incident through Whistl and Carrier networks, items
should be clearly labelled using a Whistl approved address and tracking label.
If directly integrating with Whistl via Web Services with Key Value Pairs your label designs will be approved as
part of our onboarding process and may only be changed with prior approval from Whistl and our carriers. For
more information on label design approval, please refer to our Web Services Integration Guide.
For all other integration methods, your label design 10 will be pre-approved by Whistl and our carriers, making it
possible for Whistl to seamlessly add new carriers, products and services without the need for you to maintain
label templates or follow a label approval process.
When labelling your items, it is essential you ensure the following:
• Tracking barcode(s) are uninterrupted and where possible placed on a flat surface
• Human readable elements are clearly visible and not obscured
• Print quality is maintained and all elements clearly readable
• The right label is applied to the correct item
Failure to ensure the above may lead to delays in processing your items and could incur a relabeling surcharge.
For more details on our procedures for handling non-compliant items, please refer to section 12.
4.1.2 “Orientation Arrows” - Liquids
Where liquids are allowed, packaging containing liquids should include “Orientation Arrows” arrows on two
opposite faces of combination packs containing liquids. For example labels, please refer to Appendix K –
“Orientation” Arrows and please refer to Appendix J – Prohibited & Restricted Items for more information on
which liquids may be handled by our network.
4.1.3 Labelling Dangerous Goods packaged as Limited Quantities
An LQ label is required on all consignments that contain Dangerous Goods in small amounts. Example labels,
including label sizes and orientation may be found in Appendix L – LQ Labels.
For more information on which Dangerous Goods packaged as Limited Quantities may be handled by our
network, please refer to Appendix J – Prohibited & Restricted Items and section 3.4 Item Contents.
10 For example labels, please refer to section Appendix A – Example Tracking Label
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4.2 Item Packaging
Suitable item packaging is required to ensure items are safely transported through Whistl and our carrier partner networks 11 . In order to ensure your items arrive in the best possible condition, please ensure the following:
• Packaging should be durable, strong and include sufficient cushioning for fragile items
• Packages should be sealed using tape of sufficient strength and using strapping where possible • Items over 15kg should be clearly marked with the item weight 12
• Items should not be dispatched using tubes, triangular tubes should be used instead
• When reusing packaging, item labels and stickers should be removed
• Fragile items should be suitably packaged, labels and stickers should not be used as a substitute for the correct
packaging
• Item contents should be secure within their packaging with movement limited
• All liquids should be secured in a plastic bag to contain leaks, with suitable rigid outer packaging and cushioning 13
• All items should be packaged for dispatch, point of sale packaging is not sufficient (for example DVD player
boxes should be placed in an additional box for transit and labels should not be applied directly to the DVD
player box).
• If dispatching an item as a Large Letter, movement should be restricted to ensure the dimensions of the
package do not alter in transit
11 Failure to suitably package items may impact delivery speeds and the ability for Whistl to process items and carriers to effect delivery. For more information, please refer to section 12.0 of this guide and our procedures for handling non-compliant items. Packaging requirement are also detailed in Appendix J – Prohibited & Restricted Items 12 If the weight is not present on the carrier label, the customer should add the weight manually in a visible location next to the carrier label. This may be in the form of a sticker identifying the item as a heavy load 13 Please refer to Appendix J – Prohibited & Restricted Items for more information on liquids accepted for transit and section 4.1.2 for additional labelling requirements
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5.0 Manifesting
At the end of each day it is essential that your items are manifested to Whistl to enable us to pre-notify our carriers.
The end of day manifest may be triggered as part of your API integration or by using our Despatch Manager portal and
creating a Last Manifest of the Day. For more information on triggering your end of day manifest, please refer to our
Web Services Technical Guide and Despatch Manager User Guide.
Failure to send an end of day manifest may lead to your items being reverted to a different service or the loss of tracking
information. Please refer to our Procedures for handling non-compliant items in section 12.2 for more information.
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6.0 Presentation
6.1 Segregation
6.1.1 Postal Services
Postal services should be segregated by format for presentation:
Product
Tracked Lite
Service
InSight
Formats
Large Letters
Packets
6.1.2 Courier Services
Courier services should be segregated by Product for presentation:
Product
Tracked
Premium Tracked
Tracked 48
Next Day
Tracked 72
By12
Service
B2B 48
By12 Saturday
Sunday
6.2 Tray Cards
6.2.1 Postal Services
Items dispatched using our InSight service should be presented with a Whistl InSight traycard 14 . This traycard is
used to book in your consignments and trigger scanning activity. Failure to provide the correct traycard may
result in the loss of tracking visibility.
A traycard must be affixed to each container of InSight traffic; separate traycards are supplied for Large Letters
and Packets.
6.2.2 Courier Services
In some instances, Whistl may request that items despatched using Tracked and Tracked Premium services be
presented with a corresponding Tracked container card (see Appendix C – Example Tracked Container Card )
or Tracked Premium container card (see Appendix D – Example Premium Tracked Container Card ).
14 For an example traycard, please refer to Appendix B – Example Tray Card
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When requested, the container card must be affixed to each container to ensure work may be processed
through the correct processing channel when received by our depot. Failure to provide a container card may
result in items being misprocessed or failing to meet our carrier injection windows.
6.3 Consumables
As part of our onboarding process, we will agree the most appropriate consumables to be used in the collection and
transportation of your items into our network.
• InSight items may be presented in bags, magnums or ALPS. • Tracked and Tracked Premium items may be presented 15 in bags, magnums, roll cages or on pallets
• Segregated work should be presented in different containers
The initial allocation will be based on your forecast figures and agreed with your Implementation Manager.
Replenishment will be determined by your two week rolling forecast (for forecasting requirements, please refer to section
10.0 Forecasting) and containers will be exchanged on a one for one basis unless forecast figures dictate additional
requirements. If additional containers are required, these should be ordered as part of our reordering process.
6.3.1 Reordering Consumables
Consumables may be ordered through your Whistl Customer Services Specialist. Outside of peak, requests
should be made by 3PM on the proceeding day. In peak, this period extends to two working days.
Whistl will endeavor to provide the customer’s required amounts within the notice period and would ask where
possible that we receive as much notice as possible.
To re-order consumables, please contact Whistl Customer Services on 01628 816799.
15 In some cases, customers may be allowed to provide tracked items loose loaded on our vehicle. This is by special agreement only,
subject to the type of vehicle used to collect and where all other alternatives have been exhausted.
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7.0 Collections
7.1 Collection times
Whistl will agree collection windows prior to a customer’s first collection. A schedule will be agreed which ensures
forecasted volumes are received by our network in time to meet our carrier injection times. Collection times are
considered fixed from this point, however may be changed by agreement between Whistl Customer Services and the
customer. Should forecast volumes increase, Whistl may look to adjust collection times to ensure carrier injection
windows continue to be met.
For our Premium Tracked Sunday service, items must be collected on a Saturday for injection into our carriers. Saturday
collections are by agreement only and may be subject to collected volumes, processing windows and carrier injection
times.
7.1.1 Changing a collection time
A request to change a collection time may take up to 5 working days to be processed. The request should be
made by email to Whistl Customer Services who will then investigate capability and capacity to ascertain
whether the change in time is acceptable. Whistl Customer Services will then confirm by email whether the
change may be made.
Whistl will always work to meet a customer’s requirements, there may be occasions where we are unable to
change a collection time where capacity and capability prohibit us from doing so.
7.1.2 Changing or adding a collection location
A request to change a collection location or add a new location should be placed a minimum of 5 working days
in advance of the change. The request should be made by email to Whistl Customer Services who will then
investigate capability and capacity to ascertain whether the change in time is acceptable. Whistl Customer
Services will then confirm by email whether the change may be made.
Whistl will always work to meet a customer’s requirements, there may be occasions where we are unable to
change a collection location where capacity and capability prohibit us from doing so.
7.2 Customer Health and Safety procedures
Whistl will require all drivers to wear safety shoes, high visibility jackets and comply with all customer site traffic rules
whilst on customer premises. All drivers should only have access to those areas directly related to the handover of
mailing items unless previously agreed with Whistl Operations.
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7.3 Unloading and handover at customer premises
Separate shipments must be unloaded into separate containers to facilitate the revenue protection checks against each
product and service. Where Tracked and Tracked Premium services are accessed, Tracked Premium containers should
be loaded last onto a vehicle to ensure prioritization when unloaded at our depots.
Customers provided with Whistl containers are responsible for loading and unloading the containers when and where
directed by the Whistl driver.
All mailings handed over to a Whistl driver must be accompanied by a consignment docket. At handover, the Whistl
employee will sign, time and date both copies of the consignment docket. In the event of a vehicle seal being used, the
seal number will be noted and a signature obtained to confirm the seal numbers match. The customer and Whistl’s driver
will each retain one copy of the consignment docket.
7.4 Contingency
In the event of customer premises being inaccessible for any reason, the customer must notify Whistl Customer Services
of any alternative arrangements and any subsequent change to normal practice at the earliest opportunity.
To avoid a zero collection charge, Whistl Customer Services should be notified no later than 10:30AM on the day of the
collection.
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8.0 Delivery
As a postal service, items despatched using our Tracked Lite InSight service will be handed over to Royal Mail for final
mile delivery using Whistl’s Downstream Access contract with Royal Mail. As a part tracked service, tracking is available
from receipt into Whistl’s network through to handover downstream at the recipients local Royal Mail Inward Mail Centre.
Tracked and Tracked Premium items are handed over to couriers offering fully tracked services and may be tracked from
receipt through to delivery. B2C services are typically delivered using lifestyle couriers, whilst items despatched on B2B
services will be delivered using traditional couriers.
8.1 Item Tracking
When tracking items, customers may view normalised and carrier tracking events.
Carrier events are events supplied direct by a carrier to Whistl and may also be viewed on a carrier website when
tracking an item direct. As tracking event descriptions may vary between carriers, our normalised events allow Whistl to
use a standardised list of carrier events across all carriers to assist with reporting and increase consumer understanding
of the delivery process.
To help our customers manage their item deliveries, Whistl has provided a number of tools and features to help track items and
manage the expectations of recipients:
8.1.1 Despatch Manager
Our Despatch Manager platform includes item level search by UPI (Unique Parcel Identifier), Consignment
Number and a range of additional search fields. Customers may view both normalised and carrier events, with
tracking information updated near-real time by our carriers.
Despatch Manager also includes a number of additional features to help with item tracking and reporting,
please refer to our Despatch Manager User Guide for more information.
8.1.2 Consumer Portal
Recipients may search for items using Whistl’s consumer tracking portal and searching by UPI (typically the
item barcode) or Consignment Number with postcode validation.
www.whistl.co.uk/trackmyitem
Tracking information is in line with our Despatch Manager platform and only normalised events will be shown.
8.1.3 Email Notifications
Email notifications from Whistl are free of charge and can also include tracking links which link directly through
to our consumer portal with the latest tracking information for your items. With a range of tracking events
available, you can choose when to email your customers, using different email templates for each of your
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brands. For more information on sending email notifications to recipients, please refer to our Despatch
Manager User Guide.
8.1.4 Tracking Files
Scheduled tracking files can be returned to you via FTP to enable you to update your own websites and
systems. The files may be configured to show normalized events, carrier events or both.
8.1.5 Tracking Links
Customers which integrate direct with Whistl using web services have the added benefit of taking a tracking link
back through an API call. Allowing them to use their own systems to send email notifications with tracking links
through to our consumer portal.
8.2 Address Queries & Requests for Information
For our courier services, if a courier is unable to deliver an item due to a problem with the address, an address query or
request for more information will be raised by the carrier with Whistl Customer Services. Example address queries
include, but are not limited to:
• Incorrect item postcode
• Address does not exist
• Unable to locate address (or house name)
Should a query be raised by our carrier, you will be contacted by your customer services specialist and asked to update
the delivery information for the item. From the point of a query being raised, the carrier must be updated within two
working days of the corrected detail. If you are unable to correct the detail within the given time period, the item will be returned to you as undeliverable and an undeliverable surcharge applied 16 .
Should the query result in a new address label being applied to the item, a relabel surcharge will apply.
8.3 Delivery Delay
8.3.1 Postal Services
If a recipient is querying an item due for delivery, our Despatch Manager portal may be used to confirm when
the item was received by Whistl and handed over to Royal Mail. As a part tracked service, it is not possible to
track items after handover and identify delivery delays which may occur in Royal Mail’s network. A delay will
have occurred in Whistl’s network should an item be shown as handed over more than two working days after
receipt. Please note that no compensation is payable for delay in postal processing, handover or
delivery.
16 For more information on the procedures for handling items when an address query is not resolved, please refer to section 12.5 in our
procedures for handling non-compliant items.
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