Orivia Shipping · 1.2.0 · Quick Guide

Orivia Shipping Made Simple

One page to see it all: when to open a Booking, when to work in a Shipment Job, when to make a Bill of Lading, and when you can finally raise an Invoice — plus the most important question: why use this plugin at all.

Most important

Why use the Shipping Plugin?

A forwarder's daily headache: one shipment's information is scattered across Excel, email, WhatsApp and AutoCount — retyped, easy to get wrong, and hard to tell if you made money at month-end. Orivia Shipping pulls it all into one place, inside AutoCount.

In one line: less typing, fewer mistakes, operations-to-accounts in one flow, every shipment clear, always traceable.

  • 📦
    One shipment, one fileBooking, schedule, containers, cargo, B/L, SI/VGM, charges and invoice all hang on the same Shipment Job. No more hunting around.
  • ⌨️
    Type it onceWhat you enter on the Booking (customer, ports, vessel/voyage) flows into the Job, the B/L and the reports. Saves time, avoids typos.
  • 🔗
    Operations straight to accountsChecked charges post to AutoCount as SO → DO → Invoice using the official transfer (not retyped), and every invoice traces back to its shipment.
  • 🛡️
    Won't mess up your accountsShipping data lives in the plugin's own tables; invoices are still created and managed properly by AutoCount. Clean separation, safe.
  • 🤖
    Reads customer files for youA PDF B/L or Excel from the customer is read into customer, cargo and charges automatically, cutting re-keying (Smart Document Import).
  • 📊
    See profit at a glanceEach shipment's Revenue − Cost = Gross Profit; plus weekly volume and target-vs-actual reports.
  • 🔍
    Everything on recordWho changed what and when, why the schedule moved, which shipment an invoice belongs to — all in the Activity Log and History.
  • 🧭
    Know what to do each dayThe Dashboard shows what needs attention: unbilled shipments, overdue milestones, containers in transit.
The core flow

The four main steps: when to use which

Remember this one line and you're set. The first half is "arranging", the second half is "getting paid"; each step carries its data forward.

1

Booking

When a customer gives you the job and you haven't started detailed work yet — record the request (customer, ports, vessel, estimated dates).

Customer service
2

Shipment Job

The real operation starts here. Containers, cargo, documents and charges all live here — the master file for this shipment.

Ops / Docs / Finance
3

Bill of Lading

When the cargo is going on board and needs a proper transport document, make the B/L from the Job; prepare SI and VGM for the carrier.

Documentation
4

Invoice

When the charges are all checked and it's time to bill the customer, raise the Invoice in AutoCount. This is the one that gets you paid.

Finance
Cheat sheet

When to use which document

Document / recordWhen to useWhoRemember it as
BookingJust got the job, no detailed work yet — record the requestCustomer serviceGot the job? Write it down
Booking ConfirmationAfter the Booking is confirmed + a Job is created — show the customer the arrangementCS / DocsThe arrangement on one page
Shipment JobReal operation begins; schedule, containers, docs, charges all hereOps / Docs / FinanceThe master file
SI / VGMGive the carrier document instructions; declare the loaded container weightDocs / OpsInstructions + weight for the carrier
Bill of LadingCargo going on board, needs a formal transport documentDocumentationThe cargo's transport document
InvoiceCharges checked, time to bill the customerFinanceThe bill that gets you paid
The big question

When can you raise an Invoice?

The invoice is the last step and the strictest. Once these four are in place, raise it in AutoCount.

  • ✓
    Charges are enteredSELL charges in Job → Charges: quantity, unit price, currency and tax all filled.
  • ✓
    Customer is matchedThis shipment's customer is matched to an AutoCount Debtor (receivable account).
  • ✓
    Charges have itemsEvery charge maps to an AutoCount Item (service item).
  • ✓
    Tax is confirmedTax is confirmed by Finance; the system never guesses tax.
In Job → AutoCount Documents:
SOSales Order
→
DODelivery Order
→
Invoice

You can also go SO → Invoice directly, depending on your flow. It uses AutoCount's official transfer, not retyping.

Key reminder: Saving a Job or printing a B/L does NOT mean an invoice has been raised. An SO is just a "sales arrangement", not payment; the invoice only counts once it's created in AutoCount, and getting paid is yet another step. Check AutoCount Documents first to avoid billing the same charge twice.
Walk through one

A complete example

Training example: ABC Trading ships 1 × 40HC of consumer goods from Port Klang to Jakarta. Amounts are made-up practice figures.

1
Take the job, create a Booking — customer, Port Klang → Jakarta, vessel V001, ETD 12 Oct / ETA 15 Oct. Result: a booking record
2
Confirm Booking → Create Shipment Job — the data carries into the Job automatically. Result: the work file (master)
3
Produce the Booking Confirmation — let the customer confirm the arrangement. Result: confirmation note
4
Fill the transport facts in the Job — 1 × 40HC + seal, 100 cartons of cargo, confirm the schedule. Data complete
5
Make the Bill of Lading: draft → check → final — shipper, consignee, cargo, container numbers verified. Result: the B/L
6
Prepare SI / VGM — document instructions for the carrier, declare container weight. Result: SI, VGM
7
Enter charges in Job → Charges — Revenue RM 3,400 − Cost RM 2,540 = Gross Profit RM 860. You can see the profit
8
Finance raises the invoice — AutoCount Documents: SO → DO → Invoice (RM 3,400). Result: the formal invoice
9
Check the reports — Reports: weekly volume, target vs actual, profit per shipment. The manager sees the whole picture
Frequently asked

The questions everyone asks

I printed the B/L — can I collect payment now?

No. The B/L is the cargo's transport document; to collect you raise an Invoice in AutoCount, and actually getting paid is another matter.

What's the difference between a Booking and a Shipment Job?

A Booking is "recording the request" (the intention; CS records it first). A Shipment Job is "doing and filing it" (the operations hub where all later work hangs). Create the Job from the Booking and the data carries over.

Do I have to make a Booking before a Job?

Not necessarily — you can create a Shipment Job directly. But to produce a Booking Confirmation, you first need the Booking confirmed and linked to a Job.

Does every shipment need a DO (Delivery Order)?

No. You can go SO → DO → Invoice, or SO → Invoice directly, depending on your flow and settings.

Will this plugin change my AutoCount accounting data?

No. Shipping data sits in the plugin's own tables (it doesn't touch AutoCount's core accounts); SO / DO / Invoice are still created and managed properly by AutoCount.

What if I forget to enter a cost?

Your gross profit will be overstated. Put both BUY costs and SELL charges on the same Job so Revenue − Cost = Gross Profit is accurate.