When the receiving clerk counts an inbound container on a phone form, the automation compares each SKU with the client's advance shipping notice and emails the client a discrepancy report with photos within the hour, logged in a shared sheet.
Typical results
≈5 hrs/wk
Clerk and office time on reports saved
≈70%
Fewer disputed receipts with clients
40
Containers a week checked against the ASN
Figures reflect typical results for this kind of automation.
The challenge
A third-party warehouse receiving 40 containers a week finds shortages and damage on many of them. The clerk notes them on paper, the office types up a report later, and the photos stay on someone's phone. Clients hear about problems two days after unloading, too late to claim easily from their supplier, and receipts get disputed.
Before and after
Hours from count to discrepancy report
−98%Hours per week writing discrepancy reports
−83%Disputed receipts per month
−70%The automation
The clerk counts each container on a phone form, entering quantities per SKU and adding a photo for damaged or short lines. The automation compares each line with the advance shipping notice the client loaded into Google Sheets before arrival. Shortages, overages and damaged cartons go into a discrepancy report with the photos and the container and seal numbers. It is emailed to the client within the hour and logged in a shared sheet the client checks before confirming receipt.
How it works
- 01
Container counted
The receiving clerk counts each SKU from the inbound container on a phone form and marks any damaged cartons.
- 02
Compared with the ASN
The counts are compared line by line with the client's advance shipping notice for that container.
- 03
Discrepancies with photos
Shortages, overages and damaged cartons are listed with the clerk's photos and the container and seal numbers.
- 04
Report emailed in the hour
The client gets the discrepancy report by email within an hour of the count being finished.
- 05
Logged in a shared sheet
Each line is added to a shared sheet the client can check before confirming the receipt in its own system.
Starts from
- Clerk's count on phone form
- Advance shipping notice
Delivers
- Report with photos in 1 hr
- Shared discrepancy sheet
The impact
Clients hear about problems within an hour of unloading, with photos attached, while a supplier claim is still easy to make. Clerks and the office save about 5 hours a week on reports, and disputed receipts fall by about 70%, from around 10 a month to 3.
Questions about this automation
How does the form know what was expected in the container?
The client's advance shipping notice is loaded into a Google Sheets tab before the container arrives, either uploaded by the client or forwarded from email. When the clerk picks the container number on the form, the expected SKUs and quantities appear, so counting and comparing happen in the same step.
Does the clerk have to photograph every carton?
No. Photos are required only for lines marked damaged or short, and the form won't submit until each of those has one. Good lines just need a quantity, so a typical container with a few problems takes little more time to record than a paper count.
What does each warehouse client need to send?
A sample of its advance shipping notice, so the import into Google Sheets matches its layout, plus its SKU list and the email contacts for receiving reports. After a test container or two, the phone form replaces the paper count sheet. Simple automations like this are usually live within days.