Carrier Settlements: Key Features and How to Use Them
The Carrier Settlements module in Alvys (Beta) offers brokers powerful tools for generating transparent, accurate settlements for carriers. This article highlights the most recent updates and improvements, emphasizing new functionalities that enhance workflow speed, accuracy, and user control.
Key Features of Carrier Settlements
Carrier Settlements Permissions
Approve Payable Items: Allows users to approve, unapprove, or dispute payable items. Default for Admin and Biller roles.
Create Carrier Statement: Enables users to generate settlement statements. Default for Admin and Biller roles.
Revert Carrier Statement: Allows Admins to revert previously generated statements.
Edit Carrier Rate: Modifies carrier linehaul charges in the Carrier Settlements modal.
Enabling/Disabling Permissions:
Permissions can be managed from the user profile under the Billing column. Simply select or deselect the relevant checkbox.
💡Please Note: View Carrier Rate and View Payable Amount permissions are not supported yet but will be in future releases.
Super Settle View: The Core of Settlement Accuracy
The Super Settle view has been enhanced to provide brokers with a centralized location to manage trip documents and payables, simplifying reconciliation and improving settlement accuracy.
How to Access:
From the Open or Approved tab, select a trip and click “View All” to open the Super Settle view.
Key Features:
Document Management: Review, upload, and modify trip documents to ensure they match payables.
Payable Item Review: Categorizes payables as Open, Approved, or Disputed. Modify the rate or dollar amount for Open or Approved items.
Approval/Dispute Handling: Open items can be approved or disputed. Disputed items cannot be edited until resolved.
Key Benefits:
Keep It All in One Place: Access trip details, documents, and payment information from a single screen. No more switching between multiple systems.
Built for the Way You Work: Sync with your accounting system has been improved to ensure accuracy and eliminate double entry. Notifications help resolve issues faster.
Stay in Control: Updated permissions provide more flexibility in managing who can approve or edit statements. Reverting statements has been simplified for hassle-free corrections.
Emailing Carrier Settlement Statements
With the updated Carrier Settlements module, you can now seamlessly email settlement statements directly to carriers, streamlining communication and reducing manual effort.
Steps to Email a Statement:
Select a Carrier for Settlement: Navigate to the Approved tab and select the relevant trip.
Generate Statement: Click on the trip number and choose Generate Statement or Preview Statement.
Email the Statement: After generating the statement, select the option to email it to the carrier's contact email.
Syncing Statements with External Accounting Systems
The ability to sync carrier statements with external accounting systems like QuickBooks, Business Central, and NetSuite is one of the most impactful updates. This integration reduces manual data entry, improves accuracy, and saves time.
How to Enable:
Modify your accounting integration settings to enable the Carrier Settlements sync feature. Once enabled, generating a carrier statement will automatically submit the bill to the external accounting system.
💡 Important Setting Considerations:
The Carrier Settlements setting takes precedence over the Generate Carrier Invoice Separately setting. If this setting is enabled, the user must generate a carrier statement for the bill to be submitted to the accounting system.
Trip Status Updates with Carrier Settlements
New logic has been introduced that connects Carrier Settlements with the rest of Alvys, providing automatic updates to trip statuses when certain actions are taken in Carrier Settlements.
Trip Status Changes:
When a statement is generated, the associated trip(s) will update from Delivered/Released to Invoiced.
When a statement is marked as Paid, the associated trip(s) will update from Invoiced to Completed.
Multiple Statements:
A trip may have transactions across multiple statements. The logic of updating the trip status only applies once all of the trip’s transactions are included in statements.
This update connects the dots between Carrier Settlements and other parts of Alvys, making the system more integrated and improving the accuracy of trip statuses as settlements progress.
Statement Status Tracking
Once a statement is generated, its status can be tracked under the Statements tab. The following statuses are available:
Queued: Statement is being processed.
Processed: Statement has been successfully sent.
Paid: Statement is marked as paid and cannot be reverted.
Failed: Statement generation failed due to issues like PDF creation or submission failure.
Why These Updates Matter
These updates make the Carrier Settlements module much more functional for brokers by streamlining key tasks:
Save More Time: New features like email functionality and accounting system integration automate manual tasks, allowing brokers to work more efficiently.
Boost Accuracy: Error handling, improved syncing, and the Super Settle view reduce mistakes and ensure settlements are accurate.
Simplify Workflows: Updated permissions, better visibility into trip data, and enhanced error handling make it easier for brokers to navigate the process.
By allowing users to email statements, sync with external accounting systems, and review documents in the Super Settle view, these updates simplify the process of managing carrier payables and increase operational efficiency.