Who should invoice an order: the warehouse or the office? In most operations, warehouse staff ship the goods and someone in accounting handles invoicing. But some businesses, especially smaller distributors and counter operations, want the warehouse to close out the order in one step. Warehouse Insight for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central supports both approaches.
Standard Business Central rules apply
Shipping and invoicing through Warehouse Insight follow standard Business Central. What has to be in place before an order can be invoiced, such as posted shipments, correct quantities, and any required document fields, is determined by your Business Central setup, not by the handheld app. If an invoice can be posted in Business Central, the same rules apply when it is posted from a device.
The default: warehouse ships, office invoices
Out of the box, Warehouse Insight is set up around the common division of labor. Warehouse workers pick and post shipments from the handheld. Invoicing happens in Business Central, handled by office staff. That keeps financial posting in the hands of the people responsible for it.
Posting invoices from the handheld
If you want warehouse staff to invoice, the Add-On Catalog includes an add-on for ship and invoice posting. Install it, and the handheld gains the ability to post the invoice along with the shipment. You do not need custom development or a separate application. Uninstall the add-on if your process changes.
This is useful in operations such as will-call counters, small branch warehouses, and businesses where the same person fulfills and bills the order.
Shipping labels from the handheld
Warehouse staff can also handle shipping labels on the device. For domestic parcel shipments, OrderShip Express plugs into Warehouse Insight and generates carrier labels from the handheld. This is a completely free app from Insight Works for Business Central. Operations that need LTL, full truckload, or international shipping can use Dynamic Ship, which also generates shipping labels and bills of lading from the handheld.
How the Add-On Catalog works
The Add-On Catalog extends Warehouse Insight without customization. Each add-on installs with a click, includes documentation describing what it does, and can be removed just as easily. The source code is available as well, so a partner can review how an add-on works or adapt it. Other add-ons cover tasks such as proof of delivery, quality inspections, fixed asset counting, and voice picking.
Before you enable it
Decide which workers should post invoices, and install the add-on only where that fits your process.
Confirm your Business Central invoicing requirements are met at the point of shipment.
Test the process in a sandbox before using it in production.
Bottom line
Warehouse Insight posts shipments from the handheld using standard Business Central rules. When you want the warehouse to invoice as well, an add-on from the Add-On Catalog enables ship and invoice posting from the device, with no custom development required.