Many aspects of the supply chain require your attention to maximize customer satisfaction — and provide detailed information for your receiving process. Retailers and distributors need accurate order information, so their inventory and warehouse management systems don’t have discrepancies with delivery dates and purchase order information.
An advance shipping notice (ASN) can help you with order management and pending delivery information to avoid any human error or order status mistakes in your deliveries. It ensures that everything from the delivery date to the carrier information is accurate for all the players in your supply chain. In this article, we’ll help you understand what the ASN is and how it can help your business.
What Is an Advanced Shipping Notice?
An advanced shipping notice, often abbreviated as an ASN, is a tool to notify different retailers and buyers in your supply chain when an order has shipped. It’s similar to a bill of lading but includes more essential details about the order that are helpful to your receivers. It provides real-time information and updates on an order, which helps regulate buying budgets, manage inventory and stock, and builds confidence in the supply chain system.
Businesses can vastly improve the supply chain management process with an ASN. It helps create better and stronger relationships between different players in the supply chain and helps vendors and retailers work with the same information when planning their supply processes.
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
An important part of an advanced shipping notice is electronic data interchange, or EDI. EDI allows real-time data to transfer between different parties in the supply change without delays. Sometimes referred to as EDI 856, this electronic data interchange gives everyone the same source of truth, so there are no discrepancies or human errors with the shared information.
What Does an Advanced Shipping Notice Include?
The advanced shipping notice includes essential information about the order. While the specifics might differ from company to company, the details generally include the order number, the delivery date and estimated time of arrival, and the location of the order. It might also include specifics like pallet codes, product details, carrier information, and details about the physical characteristics of the delivery (like the type of packaging, colors, etc.) to help the receiving process run smoothly.
Why Advanced Shipping Notices Are Valuable in Supply Chain Management
Advanced shipping notices are an important part of the supply chain process. They help answer important questions about which orders have shipped, when they should arrive, and what needs to be done to prepare to receive the order (barcode scanning, looking for specialty packing, etc.).
An ASN also helps reduce lead time and make the supply chain run more smoothly. By eliminating back-and-forth communication and misinformation, everyone in the supply chain can move forward with the same information and plan their actions faster and more accurately.
Benefits of Using Advanced Shipping Notices
There are many benefits to using an advanced shipping notice in your business. It’s helpful for buyers, end consumers, and shippers, as it provides cohesion and communication across the supply chain.
Better Order Visibility
The advanced shipping notice helps to improve supply chain visibility across the entire organization and beyond. It helps your receivers prepare for incoming stock, gives your customers important information about when their deliveries will arrive, and makes sure that the distribution center or warehouse is well aware of the order’s status. The document ensures that all important details about the order are accessible to the people who need it.
Final Confirmations on Orders and Necessary Details
When an order goes through shipping and tracking processes, it can almost feel like it’s in limbo. There’s no clear information about when the order is going to come in or what the delivery status of the order is, particularly with drop shipping orders.
The ASN helps ensure that final order confirmations are made, and the necessary details are shared across the supply chain. It also ensures that retailers and distributors can accurately manage their inventory and warehouses.
Building Trust and Confidence Across All Parties
One of the most important parts of supply chain management is maintaining, supporting, and nourishing relationships between the different parties in your supply chain. It’s important that you gain not just your customers’ trust but your suppliers’ as well. Building trust lets these key partners know that you can deliver on your promises, which contributes to a solid reputation.
By having clear and accurate information in your advanced shipping notice, you can ensure that you are communicating clearly with your supply chain and doing what you can to build confidence across all parties involved in the delivery of an order.
Manage Your Supply Chain With Anvyl
An advanced shipping notice ensures that you and your trading partners have the detailed information you need about your orders and deliveries. From the distribution center to the shipper to the end customer, everyone can benefit from the ASN. ASNs help eliminate questions about a pending delivery or unclear order status, allowing everyone in the supply chain to feel more confident.
Anvyl helps businesses optimize supply chain management. Get a demo to learn how our powerful platform can help you streamline production and create a central source of truth for your business processes!
