Introduction

The Fulfillment Control Panel (FCP) is a web-based interface that allows you to manage your order fulfillment processing system and interact with eFulfillment Service from your computer. This guide can serve as both an introduction to the Fulfillment Control Panel when you are first getting started, as well as a reference guide when you need assistance with a certain feature of the program in the future.

Document Structure

This document is organized the following manner:

• Introduction/Objectives
• Getting Started and Accessing the FCP
• Topic-specific functionality descriptions and instruction section

Objectives

After reading this guide, you will be able to:

• Manage client information and inventory
• Monitor orders
• Track shipments
• Generate and view reports
• Generate and view invoices

Getting Started

You can access the Fulfillment Control Panel (FCP) 24 hours a day from any computer with an internet connection to manage your account. To begin, log in to the Fulfillment Control Panel and access your account.

Launching the FCP

Access the EFS Fulfillment Control Panel by clicking the Client Login button on the eFulfillment Service home page, or type the following web address:

https://fcp.efulfillmentservice.com/

Overview of Main Window

The Main Window is the starting point to manage client and order information:

From the Main Window, you can see the:

1. Menu Bar: The menu bar is at the top of the main window.
2. News/Announcements: Displays the latest news from eFulfillment Service, Inc.
3. New Features: Displays the recent features and functions added to the FCP.
4. Customer Service Information: Displays the methods to contact EFS departments.

Using the Control Panel Menu Bar

The Fulfillment Control Panel menu bar makes it easy to add inventory, monitor inventory levels, run reports, and even forecast inventory needs based on historical demand.

Client Info

This menu item provides access to certain client specific features and applications within the Control Panel that allow you to manage your products, inventory, and control panel settings and other functions.

Adding Products

The first item on the Client Info menu is the Add/edit products item where you add products to your inventory. This screen allows you to manually add individual products to you inventory.  If you have less than 25 SKUs to enter, you need to enter them manually into the FCP using this process.

Entering Product SKUs

A SKU is a Stock Keeping Unit. In the EFS Fulfillment Control Panel (FCP), SKUs serve as the unique identifiers for the different products you inventory in our warehouse. Note: Your SKUs must be in the FCP before EFS receives any shipment of corresponding merchandise.

Access this screen by selecting Add/edit products from the Client Info menu.  The products screen will display. Note: If you have 25 or more new products and SKUs to enter, prepare a spreadsheet file listing your SKUs, with five columns for the SKU number, UPC, description, Declared Value, and Customs Harmonization. Email the spreadsheet to customer support. Customer support then uploads the list to your inventory.

Field Definitions

SKU
Click to sort the list alphabetically by SKU number.

Description
Click to sort the list alphabetically by description.

Options/Edit
Click a SKU’s "Edit" icon in the product list to edit the SKU’s UPC, description, Declared Value, and Customs Harmonization — but not the SKU number itself. This is a protective restriction for EFS. Note: Contact EFS customer Service if a SKU needs to be renamed or deleted.

Add a product
Click this link to add a single product. The new product entry form will display. Enter the product information in the fields provided.

Field Definitions

SKU
Use any SKU numbering scheme that you like for your products. However, avoid using SKUs that begin with a leading zero or SKUs that are excessively long — fifteen characters or more, for example. Aside from those restrictions, you can use whatever combination of letters and numbers you like, as well as hyphenations. For example, you can use portions of UPC codes, ISBN numbers, or supplier product IDs, modifying them to suit your needs. Once you've defined your SKUs, you need to get them into the FCP. Note: The product item number SKU must exactly match the SKU number in the EFS Control Panel.

UPC
Enter the UPC code. This field is optional.

Description
Enter a short description of what the SKU is, for example, “Black Shirt – Lg”.

Declared Value
Enter the amount you charge your customer for the item. This field is required. Note: The FCP will not accept a Declared Value of zero.

Customs Harmonization
Enter a short description of what the SKU is, for example, “book,” “T-shirt,” or “vitamins.” This is required for all international orders.

Customs Harmonization Code
Enter the standard Customs Harmonization Code for your product. This field is optional and can be left blank.

Low Stock Threshold
This field allows you to edit individual SKUs with thresholds to override the global default.

Add Product
Click to save the changes. The product list appears again with the new product showing.

View Inventory

You have two primary methods for monitoring your inventory. First, you can view inventory in list form by selecting View Inventory from the Client Info menu. On this screen, you see a list of your inventory including SKU, bin location, description, quantity in stock, and a link to product history.

Field Definitions

SKU
Click to sort the list alphabetically by SKU number in ascending or descending order.

BIN
Click to sort the list alphabetically by BIN number in ascending or descending order.

Description
Click to sort the list alphabetically by description in ascending or descending order.

In Stock
Click to sort the list numerically by the number of in stock items in ascending or descending order. You can easily identify any SKUs in backorder status by sorting the items using this method.  SKUs in backorder status will appear with negative quantities.

History
Click to view the transaction history of this item. Click the “download” link to generate and print a report of this product’s history.

My Settings

Ship Confirmation Email

Ship confirmation emails are sent automatically when an order ships from the EFS facility. Use the settings page to configure your ship confirmation email settings that apply to all of your orders. You can update your email settings in the Fulfillment Control Panel at any time.

To begin, select My Settings from the Client Info menu.

Field Definitions

Status
Choose who will receive a confirmation email when an order ships – your company, the customer, or both.

From Address
Type the company email address that will appear in the ‘From’ field of your ship confirmation emails. The FROM address MUST be a real email address or alias.  If it does not exist, the email will fail. Note: If your customer hits reply to the ship confirmation email, their message will be sent to the email address you type here.

Your Address
Type your own email address. Note: If you choose for your company (or both the customer and your company) to receive a ship confirmation email, the email is sent to the address listed here.

Additional Text
Type any custom text you would like included in your ship confirmation emails. Enter plain text only. HTML is not supported. 

Update Ship Confirmation Info
Click this button to save your changes when finished with your Ship Confirmation Email settings.

Troubleshooting your Ship Confirmation Email

Below is a listing of common issues and basic troubleshooting steps that will help in diagnosing any shipping confirmation email problems.

1. If you use a spam filter, check your spam folder or filtered messages for any emails.
2. Check the ‘From’ address for error emails. Error emails occur when the actual email server rejects the message because it appears to be fraudulent. In that case, you would receive an error notification email from the recipient email provider, usually something like “mailer-daemon@emailprovider.com”.

Keep track of error emails and notify EFS with the exact content of the message. Below you will see an example of a failed ship confirmation email to reference.

1. Verify that the “From Address” is correct in the Control Panel. If that address is not an actual, valid email account or alias, emails will be rejected from the receiving mail server.
2. Verify that the customer email address is correct. A ship confirmation email will fail if it is incorrect.
3. It can also fail if the ISP is doing checks on the origination mail server. This could be an issue with the ISP server rejecting the emails.
4. Contact your email provider to add the EFS email server to their white list to always let our emails through.
5. Finally, if these solutions don’t correct the problem and delivery of the ship confirmation emails appears to be failing, contact tech_support@efulfillmentservice.com for additional support.

Sample Ship Confirmation Email

Below you will see an example of a successful ship confirmation email which includes tracking information and shipment details.

Low Stock Notification

Low stock notification emails are sent automatically when your inventory for a particular SKU reaches a threshold level that you configure.

To begin, select My Settings from the Client Info menu. Scroll down to the Low Stock Notifications screen.

Field Definitions

Global Threshold Setting
Type a global threshold for low inventory.

Activate/Deactivate Notifications
Click to activate or deactivate the feature.

Manage email preferences
Configure an email address to receive the low stock notifications under the Manage Email menu item (see Manage Email on page “12” for more information).

Remember to edit individual SKUs with thresholds to override the global default. This step is optional (see Entering Product SKUs on page “5” for more information).

Manage Email

You can assign email types and addresses for personnel to receive email notifications for events that happen in the control panel. These email types include:

• New Order: Single, Manual Orders
• Added inventory
• Error correction and changes
• Billing
• Return Notifications
• XML order submission errors
• New orders for Real-time XML
• Low Stock Notification

Select Manage Email from the Client Info menu. The email types screen will display:

Field Definitions

New Email
Click to add an email for a person to receive notifications for the email event types

Edit/Delete Email
Click to edit or delete the email in the row.

Manage Email Types
Click to enter email event types for the new email. The email screen will display.

Field Definitions

Remove Email Type
Click to delete the email type for the assigned email address.

back to email list
Click to return to the email list.

New Email Type
Click to add an email type for the assigned email address. The assign email type screen will appear:

Field Definitions

Email Types
Click the drop down box to select and email type, then click Submit when finished.

back to email list
Click to return to the email list.

Support

This menu item allows you to send a support request or comment directly from the Control Panel to the EFS Technical Support team. Select Support from the Client Info menu. The E-mail Support form will display.

Customer Tracking

This feature allows you to add an optional order-tracking button to your webstore's customer service page. Your customers can then access tracking information for their orders from your website.

Cut and paste the custom code onto your website so that customers can track their orders by typing in their email address, phone number, order number, or purchase order/reference number. To see these options, select Customer Tracking from the Client Info menu. This example uses the track by email address option.

Using this screen, you can:

• (A) Copy the custom code for the tracking method and paste it into your site.
• (B) Click the Track Orders button to test the tracking method. The following screen will display. Enter an email address for which you would like

EFS News

This menu item returns you to the FCP home page to view the latest news and announcements from eFulfillment Service, Inc. Select EFS News from the Client Info menu.

Inventory Search

The second method to view your inventory is to search for specific inventory items. Select Inventory Search from the Client Info menu. The search screen will display.

Field Definitions

Search
The search function allows you to search by SKU or by keyword within the Description field. Use “Contains” to perform a partial search on the SKU or description, or “Exact Match” for an exact search. Click Search when finished defining your criteria. You will see your inventory in list form again of up to four hundred items per page.

Field Definitions

Show Deleted Items/Show Memo Items
Click to further filter the inventory list by deleted or memo items.

SKU
Click to sort the list alphabetically by SKU number in ascending or descending order.

Description
Click to sort the list alphabetically by description in ascending or descending order.

In Stock
Click to sort the list numerically by the number of in stock items in ascending or descending order.

Weight
Click to sort the list by the weight of the item is ascending or descending order.

Declared Value
Click to sort the list by the declared value of the item in ascending or descending order.

History
Click to view the product history of this item. Click the “download” link to generate and print a report of this product’s history.

Edit
Click to change the product information. See “Adding Products” on page 5 for specific information on editing a product.

Add a new product
Click to enter new product information. See “Adding Products” on page 5 for specific information on adding a product.

Orders

EFS can only received orders electronically; no faxed, phoned, or emailed orders are accepted. This can be achieved a few different ways:

• by manual order entry via our Fulfillment Control Panel
• by batching your orders onto a .csv import file and uploading, as needed, or
• the third and most desirable way to get orders to us is by integration with our ecommerce platform (shopping cart) from the backend.

Create a new order

Orders can be entered a manually through the Control Panel using the single-order entry form. This method is not very practical if you have large order volume. Select Create a new order from the Orders menu. The new order screen will display.

Field Definitions

New Order
Enter the email and phone number of the customer who placed this order, if available. This helps delivery personnel when a signature confirmation is required.

Billing Information
Each order must include all critical address elements: name, street address, city, state (or foreign equivalent), postal code, and country. The address elements specified in an order must be free of errors such as incorrect or incomplete postal codes or incompatible address elements — a Zip Code, for example, that doesn’t exist for the specified state.

Shipping Information (if different than Billing Information)
The ship via method in each order must match one of the methods available in the FCP, unless EFS and the client have pre-arranged some form of custom translation. The ship via method specified in an order must always be an international method for an international destination and a US method for a US destination. The country specified in an order must be in the form of an ISO 3166-compliant country code or name. Otherwise, the FCP will reject the order. If you want the shipping information to be the same as the billing information, make sure that you do not UN-CHECK the box to make them the same as it is already checked by default.

Comments & Special Instructions
Type any special comments to be printed on the packing list for the order.

Products
In the SKU list shown, enter a quantity for each SKU the order requires.

Verify Order
Click this button when finished and follow the final instructions.

Search/edit orders

You can search for a specific transaction several different ways.  If you know the transaction number, then you can enter it and be taken right to the transaction.  However, if you do not know the transaction number but know a purchase order number or a product number, you can find a transaction that way too.  If you do not know any of that information but have an approximate idea of when the order was placed, you can search orders by a date range.

Tip:  Avoid entering more than one search criteria per order search. Some clients enter all of the order information (Name, Addy, eMail, etc.) and considering the specific nature of the search function this can be a bad idea.

Click the Search Orders button when finished to search for all orders in the system that matches your search criteria.

Any orders that match your search fields will display. Locate the order you would like to edit, and click the Edit icon.

The search screen shows the basic order data, a color-coded status icon, and active icons to Cancel or Edit. Note: Orders can only be edited or cancelled if they are in "pending" status or if they have not yet been printed for processing. Once the box is green (processing status) you can no longer cancel or edit the order since the packing list has already been printed and the order sent to the floor for pick, pack, and ship. If your order has already been printed, please contact Customer Service for assistance.

Ship in-stock items immediately from an order with backordered items

The FCP automatically holds any order containing a backordered item until the missing item arrives at our warehouse. If you’d like to ship the other in-stock items in such an order immediately — instead of waiting for the backordered item to arrive and holding up your order— you can split the order by clicking the Split button shown in the example below. The FCP will then automatically release the backorders for shipment as inventory arrives to fill them.

To begin, select Search/edit Orders from the Orders menu and choose the order with backordered items. The Order Information screen will appear:

Field Definitions

Split button
Click to begin the process of splitting the order. A confirmation screen will appear to verify that the SKUs on backorder will be removed and placed into a new order. This process is not reversible.

Continue button
Click to complete the process and all backordered items will be removed. Your original and new order numbers will appear with the ability to click and view each order. Inventory quantities will also be immediately updated.

View Backorders

Backorders are orders that have not been shipped because they contain backordered material.  The orders could be in different statuses if part of the order has been filled. 

To access the Control Panel backorder list, select View Backorders from the Orders menu. Orders in backorder status appear with red boxes in the Status column, like the screen below:

Field Definitions

Download Backorders in CSV format
Click to view, print, or save a list of backorders as a spreadsheet.

Detailed Backorders in CSV format
Click to view, print, or save a list of backorders as a spreadsheet with additional fields (Address, State, Zip Code, Country, Ship By).

View Returns

This menu item allows you to view all of the returned orders in list form. Select View Returns from the Orders menu.

Field Definitions

EFS # / Order # / PO/Ref # / Ord Date / Rtn Date
Click a column heading to sort the list by that category in ascending or descending order.

Details
Click to view specific order information. The following screen will display showing the return information about the order. Click the RE-SHIP button to create a new order using the existing order information.

Import Order File

Importing orders via the FCP is done by manually creating a CSV or XML file to export and using the Fulfillment Control Panel file upload feature to import the file. This process includes:

1. Uploading your file
2. Verifying the data
3. Importing the orders

Uploading order files

EFS requires that the order file be converted into a compatible format that can be used by the FCP. The EFS I.T. group can provide you the necessary details for conversion, or sample CSV files and instructions can be found within your Fulfillment Control Panel account by choosing Import Order File from the Orders menu.

On the Order Import page, click the Upload New Import File link (in section 3).

Field Definitions

Import File
Browse to the file to upload.

Select File Format
Select the predefined file format then click Submit. Your new file will appear at the top of the list of imported files.

Click Verify to check that the file imported correctly. A confirmation message will appear showing that the orders are valid. Invalid orders will display an error message and the reason for the error. If you encounter an error message, click the “Back” button, delete the file, correct the problem and re-upload the corrected file.

Click the Import these order now link. The Import Orders screen will appear showing the order information details, like the example below. Click the Import Orders button to finish the process. A verification message will appear showing that your orders were successfully imported.

The Import Order page shows a date and timestamp of the order that was imported.

If you’re using YahooStore or UltraCart, you can automate the export / upload process, using the Real-Time XML Order feature (shown below), and follow the setup instructions there.

Real-Time XML Orders

The Real Time order submission system allows you to deliver your orders to the EFS Control Panel, directly from your website. It also allows you to query the system for order status and tracking numbers.

Once you complete the signup process, you will be given access to our Fulfillment Control Panel (FCP). Within the FCP, choose Real-Time XML Orders from the Orders menu. This page shows samples and test and production URLs in addition to your Merchant Id and Merchant Name.

Reports

The Reports menu provides instant access to several levels of information within the Control Panel. These reports are generated and viewed in an Excel spreadsheet or within the Control Panel itself.

Inventory Report

This report shows your inventory by SKU numbers, descriptions, bin number / pallet locations, quantity “good” and quantity “hold”. To generate an inventory report, select the Inventory Spreadsheet menu item from the Reports menu.

Field Definitions

Sort Invetory By
Choose to sort the report by SKU number, Descriptions, or Good Inventory.

Generate
Click to create the report. An Excel file download window appears. Click Open or Save to view or save the report. The report will open in a new Excel window, like the example shown here.

Transaction Report

This report shows a list of shipped orders including names, addresses, items, quantities, and tracking numbers for a given date range. To generate a transaction report, select the Transaction Spreadsheet menu item from the Reports menu.

Field Definitions

Sort Transactions By
Choose to sort the report by Order Date, Ship Date, Order Number, or Customer Name.

Start Date/End Date
Type the beginning and ending date of the range for which you would like to filter. The date must be in the format mm/dd/yyyy. You can also select a date from the calendar menu by clicking on the Calendar icon to the right of the text box.

Generate
Click to create the report. An Excel file download window appears. Click Open or Save to view or save the report. The report will open in a new Excel window, like the example shown here.

Ship Tracking Export

This report shows all completed shipments by order number, between certain dates, by their tracking numbers, and shipping carrier. To generate a tracking report, select the Ship Tracking Export menu item from the Reports menu.

Field Definitions

Export items shipped on or after/and before
Type the beginning and ending date of the range for which you would like to filter. The date must be in the format mm/dd/yyyy.

Generate Report
Click to create the report. An Excel file download window appears. Click Open or Save to view or save the report. The report will open in a new Excel window, like the example shown here.

Inventory Forecast

This report will show your average inventory needs based on product sales history. To generate an inventory forecast report, select the Inventory Forecast menu item from the Reports menu.

Field Definitions

Use ____ days of history and forecast ____ days forward
Type the number of days to use as a time period range to forecast the inventory.

Start Date/End Date
Type the beginning and ending date of the range for which you would like to filter. The date must be in the format mm/dd/yyyy. You can also select a date from the calendar menu by clicking on the Calendar icon to the right of the text box.

Days Forward
Type the number of days forward to use as the filter range for the report.

Generate Report
Click to create the report. The report will appear showing all the inventory items with the amount sold and forecasted within the range specified.

Billing

Invoices are orders that have already been shipped to the customer and the customer has been billed for the material.  You can view the records of your weekly service invoices, with convenient links to transaction details.

View Invoices

Access this screen by selecting View Invoices from the Billing menu.  The invoices screen will display. On this screen, the invoices are listed by number and date.

Field Definitions

View Details
Click to see the see the specific details invoice including a list of orders with fulfillment and shipping costs, storage costs and base fees (if it is the first invoice of the month), and any additional services you purchased from EFS.

Field Definitions

Download detailed spreadsheet
Click to export invoice data as a spreadsheet.

Details
Click to review an individual shipment.