FSpec211. Royal Mail Tracked Next Day. COSS Specification. Royal Mail Customer Solutions

Transcription

1 FSpec211 Royal Mail Customer Solutions Royal Mail Tracked Next Day COSS Specification The FSpec211 document details, for customers, the various outputs required to access Royal Mail Tracked Next Day It specifically covers label design and associated paperwork. 29 th July 2010 Version 1.3 Page 1 of 18

2 Contents 1 Overview Label Designs Standard Layout Label Fonts & Sizes PPI (Printed Postage Impression) Alternative Layouts Despatch Documentation Collection Manifest Posting List (optional) System Design Considerations Barcode number range management Barcode number allocation Label reprinting and cancellation Label testing Service selection Manifest Integrity Reprinting Manifests and Posting Lists Barcode Production Number Ranges (Formatting) Number Ranges (Testing) Number Ranges (General Maintenance) Barcode Standards Check Digit Algorithm Checklist of Requirements...19 Page 2 of 18

3 1 Overview Royal Mail contract customers using barcoded services can develop their own systems to produce the documentation required to accompany items on collection, reducing the manual processes on despatch. Customers may also produce appropriate barcode labels directly from their own systems. These must adhere to a high quality of readability and follow specific guidelines for content, colour and layout. This guide specifically provides the rules for different options for manifest and label presentation for the Royal Mail Tracked Next Day service. Note: Customers wishing to use their system to support other barcode services will need to consult the other documentation guides for a complete picture of requirements. In addition to the paper Collection Manifest, Royal Mail Tracked Next Day service also requires the provision of an electronic manifest, or pre-advice file, to be transmitted to Royal Mail each day. Details of this file and the transmission process are not covered in this document and can be found in other customer systems guides as below Royal Mail Tracked Pre-advice File Specification Connectivity to Royal Mail Network Customers wishing to develop or implement a system to provide any of this functionality should gain agreement from Royal Mail before commencing work. Labels and manifests produced are subject to approval by Royal Mail before being used, and live barcode number ranges will not be issued before this approval is given. Further sample labels will also need to be submitted to Royal Mail periodically for quality checks. Note that following approval, any changes or additions to the outputs relating to Royal Mail despatches will also need to be discussed and validated before implementation. This includes the addition of new services. Customers should address initial enquiries regarding development of systems for these purposes to their account handler. Page 3 of 18

4 2 Label Designs Royal Mail can provide a blank label stock that can be used for all services. This avoids having to use multiple printers or switching label stock when using different services. Alternatively, customers may source their own label stock, to fit with existing or preferred despatch processes. All relevant label elements can be printed by the customer s system. 2.1 Standard Layout The Royal Mail label stock is thermally sensitive and provided on a continuous roll. Label dimensions are 101mm long and 87mm wide (with backing). Small quantities of labels can be supplied for development purposes. When using this method of label production, the customer s system will also need to produce the appropriate despatch documentation (see section 3). All barcode production requirements must be adhered to (see section 5). Royal Mail Label reference P6557 This shows the blank label stock as provided by Royal Mail for use with all barcoded services The Royal Mail cruciform is pre-printed, and the label has peel-off sections as shown. The standard printed label layout is shown over. The peel off sections are not required for Royal Mail Tracked or Royal Mail Tracked Next Day. Page 4 of 18

5 Standard Royal Mail Tracked Next Day Label - without signature Note: That XX barcode prefix shown on the labels in this section is for example only. Live number ranges issued may have an entirely different prefix, and will vary between services. NOTES The service graphics (shown at the top left of the label) will be supplied by the Royal Mail Customer Solutions team. The PPI graphic (shown at the top right of the label) will be supplied by the Royal Mail Customer Solutions team. This will need to be edited to show your PPI number as issued by Royal Mail. The Royal Mail cruciform is pre-printed on the supplied stationary. The return address should also be included. This address must show the postcode and end with UK or GB. The delivery address should be bordered with a box as shown. If required, Sender s own references (e.g. account number, invoice number etc) can be printed at the top right or bottom right of the address box as shown. Barcodes allocated for Royal Mail Tracked Next Day are unique and have their own prefix for the different service type (see section 4). Page 5 of 18

6 Standard Royal Mail Tracked Next Day Label - with signature Standard Royal Mail Tracked Next Day Label - with Safeplace Note: Signature items can only be delivered to an address. Safeplace is not available with items requiring a signature. Page 6 of 18

7 2.2 Label Fonts & Sizes Note: Royal Mail Tracked Next Day labels will need to be approved by the Royal Mail Customer Solutions Team. 2.3 PPI (Printed Postage Impression) The PPI design must not be altered other than to insert the PPI licence number and, where appropriate, a town name as advised by Royal Mail. All other text must remain fixed. The words "Postage Paid" and the initials "GB" should appear in all designs irrespective of which PPI service the customer is using and the destination of the mail. The words "PPI LICENCE NO. HERE" must be replaced with the actual licence number. The licence number must always appear after HQ if you are using a national PPI licence (e.g. HQ 1234), or after the town name if you have a local PPI licence (e.g. BRIGHTON 1234). Page 7 of 18

8 2.4 Alternative Layouts Customers may source their own label stationery for plain labels, for example where a larger label is required. By way of example only, standard layouts which would be acceptable to Royal Mail are shown below. These examples use labels with dimensions 100mm by 148mm (approx 4 x 6 ). All elements, including the service description, PPI indicator, address, return address, barcode and tracking numbers; can be printed by the customer s own system. When using this method of label production, the customer s system will also need to produce the appropriate despatch documentation (section 3). All barcode production requirements must be adhered to (see section 5). Customers may include information, other than that described in this document, on labels (e.g. own separete barcodes). In this circumstance the Royal Mail Tracked zone (the area, of the label, in which Royal Mail s components are situated) should be constrained by a box. The minimum line width of this box is 0.5mm. Note: Royal Mail does not provide this form of label stationery. Alternative Label Design Page 8 of 18

9 Customers wishing to use their own stationary will need to discuss the requirements in more detail with the Royal Mail Customer Solutions team. It is advisable not to purchase label stationary until approval from Royal Mail. 3 Despatch Documentation Consideration should be made for documentation to be produced by the customer s system at despatch. Royal Mail Tracked Next Day customers are required to produce a Collection Manifest as part of the end of day process. This Collection Manifest is a summary report that provides number ranges, and service totals (section 3.1). The poster s name, collection address, and account number details. The collection driver will collect this report with the despatched items. Note: Where a proof of posting is required (for example for claims, or where postings are made on behalf of a third party) then a copy of the Collection Manifest (figure 3.1) should be produced and the collection driver be asked to sign for customer retention. Collection Manifests can be produced more than once each day for example where multiple collections are made. Each report in the day should be marked as Series 1, Series 2 etc. 3.1 Collection Manifest Hardcopy Collection Manifests are mandatory for Royal Mail Tracked Next Day. Where a proof of posting is required (usually for claims processing), then an additional Collection Manifest should be produced, and copies signed by the collection driver should be retained by the customer. Manifests should provide space for the collection driver to record the collection details and sign a receipt (see figure 3.1). Note: Customers will need to present the standard Royal Mail Tracked items separately from the Royal Mail Tracked Next Day items when handing these over to the collection driver. These two services should also be shown as separate lines on the manifest. Any changes will need to be approved by Royal Mail prior to going live. Page 9 of 18

10 Figure 3.1 Standard Collection Manifest Royal Mail Collection Manifest Customer Godfrey Consulting Services London WC1-2 Delivery Office Rathbone Place LONDON W1T 1HQ Collection Date dd/mm/yyyy <<Series n>> MAIL CENTRE ITEMS DOMESTIC SERVICES (Royal Mail Tracked Next Day) Account Number Service No of Items <<nnnnnnnnnn>> Royal Mail Tracked Next Day <<n>> ITEM SUMMARY Accepting Officer is to sign below to confirm receipt of the items summarised below: Number of Bags <<n>> Number of Pouches <<n>> Collection Date <<ddmmyy>> Accepting Officer s Signature Collection Time <<hh:mm>> End of Collection Manifest Page 10 of 18

11 3.2 Posting List (optional) The posting list is not a mandatory requirement but is recommended as a manual backup for the customer s record, listing details of each item by service, and may be required for claims processing. Ideally these reports should carry a matching date/series number to the corresponding Collection Manifest(s). You may want to keep a purely electonic version without the need to print-out. The format is not critical, but the layout here is suggested as a start point. Note that Royal Mail does not need to validate or check Posting List outputs. Account No Royal Mail Posting List A.J Bloggs 49 High Street Blowtown Lincs LN5 8HH 01/09/2010 Series 1 Service : Royal Mail Tracked Next Day Barcode number Item Addressee FB GB 1 Mr J Brown 14 Ash Gardens Wimbourne Dorset DT6 8HW FB GB 2 Mr J Brown 14 Ash Gardens Wimbourne Dorset DT6 8HW FB GB 3 L B Lewis 9 Fall Grove Evington Leicester LE6 5KW FB GB 4 Mrs R Peters 4 West Road Newcastle NE3 1GG FB GB 5 Mick s Toys 12a High Street Bedford MK40 6GQ Royal Mail Tracked Next Day TOTAL ITEMS 5 Page 1 of 1 Page 11 of 18

12 4 System Design Considerations Modern warehouse and despatching operations utilise different environments and functionality. It is impractical, therefore to recommend specific designs for customers own systems. However there are some basic principles that should be considered when planning to introduce facilities to support despatch using Royal Mail services. 4.1 Barcode number range management Where systems create barcodes on demand, consideration must be made for managing the number ranges. The first and last number for each service and compensation level will need to be stored, along with a marker to the last number used in each range. When each range is within a few weeks of being exhausted, the customer will need to request a new range of numbers from Royal Mail. Numbers are normally allocated in 12 month batches for each service, and up to 4 weeks should be allowed for supplying new ranges so it is suggested that the system has a low-range warning built in to flag when each range is 90% used. Note that new ranges may have different prefixes to those being replaced. New ranges can be requested from Royal Mail by contacting your Royal Mail Account Handler or the Customer Solutions Team 4.2 Barcode number allocation Barcodes allocated for Royal Mail Tracked Next Day will consist of two ranges covering the following services: Signature Non Signature (including Safeplace) The customers system should be able to assign the correct barcode for the respective service, ensuring the physical label also demonstrates the service attributes. 4.3 Label reprinting and cancellation Labels can be damaged in printing, or in peeling from their backing. The system should therefore have a mechanism for reprinting labels where required. In high security environments, this facility may need to be restricted to authorised users, and may need to be automatically logged. If an additional package is going to the same address a new label must be printed. A reprint is not acceptable Each item must have its own unique label & barcode number Page 12 of 18

13 There may also be occasion where a label needs to be cancelled after printing for example where an order needs to be held over or rejected for some reason. In order to maintain integrity in the system, these labels should be formally cancelled that is deleted from the despatch list for the day, and they must not be included in the Collection Manifest. Again this facility may need to be restricted to someone with the appropriate authority and the activity recorded. 4.4 Label testing On initial implementation and whenever new ranges are issued, Royal Mail will request 20 sample labels for testing. This is important to ensure that the correct ranges are being used for each service; that the label designs are valid; and that the barcodes are correct and of the appropriate quality to be read consistently. This also includes a check digit validation. Some facility for printing a number of labels for test and then cancelling them from the system should therefore be considered. 4.5 Service selection Depending on the specific situation, the customer may choose to select the Royal Mail service at the point of order capture, or else allow selection or override of the selection at the packing point. With either solution the customer is advised to consider who has authority to determine the service (in order to best control costs while meeting recipient expectations). Control of human error and speed of operation are two aspects which may help decide which approach is taken. Here again, a log of any changes or overrides may be desirable. 4.6 Manifest Integrity On collection, the Royal Mail collection driver will be expecting paperwork to accompany the collected items. It is important that the paperwork matches the collection, as this ensures accurate billing and also avoids the expense of invalid claims or chasing ghost packages. To achieve this, the system will need to keep accurate record of shipments, by service and barcode, and also any changes or cancellations made during the day. An appropriate cut off mechanism will also be required to produce the manifest paperwork at the appropriate time. A frequent problem is how to ensure that all items recorded on the system have actually been despatched and collected. The best approach to this problem is to have some form of despatch confirmation at the point at which packages are bagged or stacked to pallets, Yorks, or other containers. This may be by way of a scan of the barcode, or else the act of printing the label itself where this is the last action before the item is stacked or bagged for collection. In this respect, it is often helpful to consider packages which have been stacked or bagged as being already in Royal Mail s possession, and not to allow these items to be moved or interfered with further. Page 13 of 18

14 You must ensure that the items listed on the Collection Manifest, the Pre-advice file and posting list match the items collected, by Royal Mail, for that specific posting or day. 4.7 Reprinting Manifests and Posting Lists Consideration should be made for a facility to reprint collection manifests in case of printer error or loss of original document. Posting lists may also be required some time after collection particularly in support of claims and provision should also be made for this. 5 Barcode Production 5.1 Number Ranges (Formatting) Royal Mail barcode numbers are in the form of a 13 alphanumeric sequence. Customers who use their own systems to create the shipping barcodes, the following numbering scheme is to be used AANNNNNNNNNAA (e.g. FF GB) Key Represents AA Product Prefix Two alpha characters part of the allocated number range for each service. For test purposes, the prefix TT is issued, but live number ranges may be assigned any 2 letter prefix. Note: These prefixes may be different for each service and each subsequent issue of additional range. NNNNNNNN Item Identifier An eight-digit number that is unique within each range prefix. Part of the allocated number range, and should be assigned sequentially. Note: Different ranges will be issued for each service and each subsequent issue of additional range. N Check Digit You will need to calculate this modulus 11 check digit for which the algorithm is specified in section 5.5. AA Country of Origin Code There is only one code a UK customer can use: GB = Great Britain 5.2 Number Ranges (Testing) Before live posting may commence, a minimum of 20 consecutive sample labels for each service must be submitted to Royal Mail for barcode quality, number and label format validation. Customers should use the specific test number range described below. A live barcode range will be issued when the development work has been validated by the Royal Mail Customer Solutions Team. Page 14 of 18

15 Royal Mail Tracked - Next Day (without signature) Range start number Range end number Range total TT GB TT GB 100 Royal Mail Tracked - Next Day (with signature) Range start number Range end number Range total TT GB TT GB 100 The test ranges and live ranges will carry different prefixes as well as different numerical elements, so the prefixes should not be hard coded. 5.3 Number Ranges (General Maintenance) Separate number ranges will be issued, and must be held by the customer s system, for each service being used. Note that each number in each range may be used once only. Where more than one item is sent to the same address on the same day, each must carry a different barcode number. However spoiled numbers (e.g. where a despatch is cancelled) do not need to be used in a subsequent despatch, and may be skipped. The customer s system will need to manage each number range as follows Record the prefix, and the start and end of each range, and the service, compensation level etc relevant to each. Record the last number used in each range. Allocate the next available number when a label is required. Calculate the checkdigit each time a number is used. Report when any range is nearly exhausted, so that a request can be made to Royal Mail for additional numbers. We advise allowing at least four weeks for this process. Ranges issued must not be reused, but must be replaced when exhausted. Royal Mail will provide new number ranges when required, and additional sample labels will need to be validated before each new number range is issued. For this reason, new ranges should be requested well in advance of previous ranges becoming exhausted. Page 15 of 18

16 5.4 Barcode Standards Royal Mail tracking label barcodes are produced using the Code128 encoding standard with subsets B & C as per the following example. Most Code128 printers and fonts will meet this standard automatically. FF GB Start Character FF Change Character Subset Coded To B in B subset C Change Character Numerics To coded in C subset B 5 GB 128 Check Royal Mail Origin Code numeric text 128 check digit coded modulus coded in B in B 103 check digit. Stop Character Coded in B. The following dimensions apply The minimum barcode size is 38mm wide by 16mm high. Each barcode also requires a 6mm quiet (blank) zone before and after, and a 1mm quiet zone above and below. It is imperative that barcodes are printed to a high quality, both for readability by RM scanning equipment, and for resistance to damage during the life of the item. Royal Mail imposes rigid standards on barcodes created by customers own systems, and a detailed technical specification of requirements is available on request. The main technical quality standard required is measured with a Symbol Laserchecker II scanner and should record a minimum 75% STI. This level has been recommended as an industry standard by Symbol Technologies Ltd, and is the standard met by all existing suppliers of product labels to the Royal Mail. The use of thermal printers, or of high definition laser printing (e.g. 400dpi or greater), should produce the necessary quality, if equipment is properly maintained and kept clean. Further advice is available from Royal Mail Customer Solutions Team. Page 16 of 18

17 5.5 Check Digit Algorithm The tracking number check digit is included to assist possible manual keying. It should not be confused with the modulus 103 check character which is a mandatory element of code 128 barcodes, albeit not printed as human-readable. The barcode creation software normally calculates this modulus 103 check digit automatically. Some printers will also construct the barcode, with this check character. The algorithm used for the tracking number check digit is a modulus 11 sum of products algorithm, with weightings Each digit is multiplied by its related weighting, and the 8 results added together. This total is then divided by 11 and the remainder recorded. The check digit is the result of subtracting this remainder from 11. If the remainder is 0 or 1, then the result from the subtraction will be 11 or 10. As there is only room for a single digit, these cannot be used. In these cases, a check digit of 11 will be substituted with a 5, and a check digit of 10 will be substituted with a 0. The check digit algorithm will always be performed against all 8 digits in the tracking number. The prefix and suffix elements are not include in the calculation. EXAMPLE: Original Item Identifier: FF *GB (* is the check digit) Original Digit: Weight: Result: Total: 193 Take the modulus 11 of this: (i.e. find the maximum multiple of 11 that will divide into 193 thus calculating the remainder) (17 11) = = result of 6 The check digit is 11 minus the result: 11-6 = 5 Giving the result of FF GB Page 17 of 18

18 6 Checklist of Requirements Royal Mail Tracked Next Day service Despatch Labels Barcode Range Artwork Collection Manifest Pre-advice Connectivity to Royal Mail network Access to OBA (Online Business Account) If using Royal Mail supplied thermal labels a 4 label thermal printer is required e.g. Zebra GK420d Other requirements outside of these IT specific are: Bag Labels Collection Arrangement Equipment Bags / Yorks / Containers Page 18 of 18