Filing an incoming e-Despatch is easy; the real job is checking that the goods match the order. How goods receipt, returns for differences and the supplier reply move in one flow in our business management software.
In most businesses that have moved to e-Despatch (Turkey's electronic delivery note, e-İrsaliye), the incoming note lands in the system, sits in a list and stays there. The goods go into the warehouse and may or may not be counted; missing, extra or damaged items are often written on paper, in a message or simply remembered. Then the invoice arrives and the difference gets paid without anyone noticing.
Yet the incoming e-Despatch is exactly where the warehouse check should begin. In this article we explain how that flow works in our business management software.
The problem: the note arrived, but did all the goods?
What the supplier's delivery note says and what arrives at your door are not always the same. The order was for 100 boxes and 96 arrived; one item was never ordered; a few products are damaged. Catching these differences at goods receipt is far easier than sorting them out later in emails with the supplier.
The flow in our software
1. Goods receipt is filled from the order
The goods receipt is filled from your open purchase orders. The difference between the quantity you accept and the quantity on the e-Despatch is calculated, so it is clear what is missing or extra.
2. Product matching is done once
The supplier's own product code may differ from the code on your stock card. You link an unmatched line on an incoming invoice to your stock card once; the system remembers this match for that supplier and applies it automatically on their later invoices. In the desktop application the same match is also used on incoming e-Despatch notes.
3. A return note is opened for the difference
A return delivery note is opened for the quantity not accepted, so you don't enter the same information twice. In the desktop application you also record the quantity of damaged or non-conforming goods and the reason for rejection at goods receipt.
4. The reply to the supplier comes from the goods receipt
In the e-Despatch system the receiver sends a reply to the supplier. The missing and extra quantities in this reply come from the goods receipt; you don't need to calculate or retype them.
5. The supplier score is updated
In the desktop application, goods rejected at receipt, on-time delivery and price compliance feed into the supplier's performance score. For your next purchase, you decide whom to work with by looking at this data.
e-Despatch arrives → goods are received against the order → a return note is opened for the difference → the reply goes to the supplier → the supplier score is updated.
On the invoice side
Incoming e-Invoices arrive in the same application. When you select and confirm one, it is transferred as a purchase invoice; the supplier is found from the sender's tax number. The same invoice can't be transferred twice and the amounts stay as on the document. Product matching is learned here: once you link a line, it matches automatically on that supplier's later invoices. Acceptance or rejection replies to commercial invoices are sent from the same screen; a reason is required for rejection.
What to watch at goods receipt
- Receive goods against the order, not the delivery note; the note itself may differ from the order.
- Record missing, extra and damaged items on the spot; they're hard to remember later.
- Write down the reason for rejection; recurring problems with the same supplier only become visible this way.
- Don't delay the reply to the supplier; the earlier a difference is reported, the easier it is to resolve.