Early-access requests open

DESPATCH, STRAIGHT FROM THE WORK ORDER

Scan the work order.
Scan the parcel.

ParcelOffice turns a packed work order into a booked courier shipment. Scan the job, then scan the parcel choice your team has approved. The courier labels go to the bench printer and the tracking details go back to your factory software. Describe your parcel rules in plain English, and approved rules recommend the parcel or choose it for you.

Request early access Explore the workflow

No payment. Start with your workflow.

DESPATCH STATIONParcelOffice

PARCELOFFICE · ILLUSTRATION

Packing bench 1

Work order

Despatch stepsLabel sent

Work orderWO-000042: recipient and postcode loaded

Ready

Parcel choiceOperator scanned 1 × small bag

1 pkg

Courier bookingOne shipment on your own account

Booked

Labels and trackingSent to the bench printer; tracking returned

1 label

Two scans: the work order, then the approved parcel choice. Nobody typed the address.

Fictional examples. This illustration does not book a shipment or print a label.

Change the work order. See what the station does.

BUILT AROUND YOUR KNOWLEDGE

For manufacturers who despatch finished work from a packing bench, with work orders and delivery addresses already held in their own software.

FROM KNOWLEDGE TO A WORKING PROCESS

Despatch should not mean typing the address again.

The work is packed and the order is already in your system. Someone still copies the address into a courier website, picks a service, prints the label from another tab and types the tracking number back into the job. ParcelOffice puts that whole step behind two scans, using parcel choices your team has set up and approved.

Approve your parcel choices

Set up the bags, boxes and services you actually use, such as “1 × small bag” or “2 × medium box”. Each becomes a scannable preset tied to your courier account, tested with example orders before use.

Scan the work order, then the parcel

ParcelOffice fetches the delivery details from your factory software. The operator scans the preset that matches the packed parcel, and the shipment is booked on your own courier account.

Print the labels, report the result

Courier labels go to the bench printer through SmartFACT PrintStation, one for each package. The shipment and tracking details are sent back to the job that started it.

THE SERVICE

Scan the job. Book the courier. Report it back.

No address re-entry

Recipient details come from the work order in your own system. They are read-only at the bench: correct the source, then scan again.

Parcel choices on a sheet

Every approved preset has a readable caption and a Code 128 or QR barcode. Print the preset sheet for the bench or show the tiles on screen.

One booking per despatch

Scanning a despatch twice opens the existing shipment instead of booking another. An uncertain courier response is held for a supervisor, never retried blindly.

A label for every package

Two boxes get two courier labels, not two copies of one. Labels go to the printer set up for that station, with no printer to choose for each job.

Tracking back to the job

Signed updates tell your factory software what was booked, the tracking reference and how the labels were sent. An update your system does not accept is retried, then kept for an administrator to replay.

Exact reprints and history

Supervisors can find any shipment, reprint its original label and see who booked it, at which station and with which preset. A reprint never creates a new shipment.

AUTOMATION FROM PLAIN ENGLISH

Describe the parcel rule. Let the station follow it.

Your packers already know which bag or box each job needs. Describe that knowledge in plain English. SmartFACT turns it into a rule that selects one of your approved presets, or holds the despatch for attention. You test the rule against example work orders and approve it. In Assisted mode the station recommends the preset and the operator confirms it with a scan; at an armed Automatic station the work-order scan alone is enough. Approved rules run exactly as written, with no AI call at the bench, and manual selection stays available whenever you need it.

How your rules become automation

EXAMPLE CONDITION

“For a single packed item under 2 kg, use the 1 × small bag preset.”

DescribeApproveSelect the parcel

Automatic result: A work order with one 1.4 kg package gets the 1 × small bag preset. A job the rules do not cover, or that two rules disagree about, is held for the operator rather than guessed.

IS IT A FIT?

Start with one
clear workflow.

A good starting point

You despatch finished work from a UK site using a DHL eCommerce UK or DHL Parcel UK account.
Your factory software holds the work order, delivery address and package details, and can answer a lookup.
A short list of parcel and service choices covers most of what you send.

The initial scope

One despatch site, one order source and one courier account per organisation.
Great Britain delivery addresses through DHL in the UK. Northern Ireland, international shipping and returns are not covered.
No rate shopping, picking, stock control or parcel measuring. ParcelOffice books what your approved presets describe.

Read the service guide →

BEFORE YOU START

A few useful answers.

How do we get started?

Tell us how finished work leaves your site today, which courier account you use and where your work orders are held. We review the fit and contact you to arrange access and onboarding. Submitting the form does not create an account or book anything, and no payment is taken.

Which carriers does it work with?

ParcelOffice works with DHL in the UK: DHL eCommerce UK accounts, and accounts still using the earlier DHL Parcel UK interface. It books on your own account, under your existing rates and collection arrangements. Each account, service and label format is checked with real output before you go live. Other carriers are not supported.

How does it connect to our factory software?

ParcelOffice asks your system for the scanned work order through a secure, signed lookup, and sends signed updates back when the shipment is booked and the labels are sent. Your software can answer directly, or a small adapter can sit alongside it. The connection is set up for your system during onboarding.

Does AI decide how we ship?

No. AI helps turn your plain English parcel rule into a precise condition during setup. Your team tests and approves it. At the bench, ParcelOffice applies the approved rule exactly, without calling an AI model. A rule can only choose one of your approved presets or hold the job. It cannot invent a service, a weight or an address.

What if a scan is repeated or the connection drops?

Scanning a despatch that already has a shipment opens that shipment instead of booking another. If the courier’s reply is lost after a booking request was sent, the despatch is held for a supervisor to check. A timeout never turns into a second booking.

What do we need at the bench?

A browser station, a barcode scanner that types like a keyboard, and a label printer connected through SmartFACT PrintStation. PrintStation reaches the printer through a small connector app it helps you install. The printer, label stock and courier label format are checked with real labels when the bench is set up.

Is this a WooCommerce or online shop plugin?

No. ParcelOffice is a hosted SmartFACT service that reads work orders from your factory software. It needs no WordPress installation or online shop. If your orders do live in an online shop, a small adapter can answer the same work-order lookup as any other system.

Can we try it without booking real shipments?

Yes. ParcelOffice includes a sample workspace with fictional work orders and a simulated courier, so your team can practise the scans. It cannot book a live shipment or send updates to your systems.

What does it cost?

Pricing and terms are agreed with you before you commit. Courier charges stay on your own carrier account. Getting in touch is free and takes no payment.

A PRACTICAL STARTING POINT

Explore your use case.

Scan-to-ship for manufacturers

Book the courier and print the labels from a packing bench with two barcode scans, starting from the work order you already have.

Print DHL labels from your factory software

Book DHL eCommerce UK and DHL Parcel UK shipments from a scanned work order, on your own account, with labels sent straight to the bench printer.

Send tracking back to the work order

Return the shipment, tracking reference and label outcome to the job that started it, with signed updates, retries and a visible backlog.

EARLY ACCESS

Where does your despatch bench slow down?

Tell us how finished work leaves your site, which courier account you use and where your work orders are held. We review the fit and get your first packing bench set up.

Request early access

Start with your workflow. No payment.

THE SMARTFACT SUITE