This section shows you how data is configured and loaded into the 7bridges software
Charges
The Charges tab in the 'Data manager' section gives a lower level view on all the charges from Logistics Services Providers that are configured in the 7bridges software. You can see any charge that was invoiced in relation to a shipment (i.e. had an associated shipment tracking reference in the invoice where it was seen).
Only users with the permission role Admin or Optimise can see the Charges tab.
What are the definitions of the columns in the charges table?
The definitions are as follows:
Charge as invoiced - the unique name of a charge found across all invoices for a given account
Clean charge name - the AI translated and cleaned version for the charge as invoiced
Category - the AI generated category for the charge. This category is used in Network Analysis to simplify charge reporting
Provider - the Logistics Service Provider on whose invoices this charge is found
Account - the account number on which this charge is found
Currency - the currency of the charge
Value - the sum of all occurrences of the charge across all invoices and shipments on the given account
Count - the count of all occurrences of the charge across all invoices and shipments on the given account
Status - the current state of this charge in relation to Audit, see further down the page for details
To illustrate the above definitions here is an example:
There is a status set for each unique charge name across a given account e.g. if you have "freight charge" found on 100 shipments across 50 invoices on account ABC and "freight charge" found on 50 shipments across 50 invoices on account DEF then you would have:
- Charge Name = Freight charge, Account = ABC, Count = 100
- Charge Name = Freight charge, Account = DEF, Count = 50
What Audit checks are affected by the charge status?
The following Audit checks are affected by the charge status (see more information on these Audit checks here).
- Incorrect Rate
- Charge not on Rate Card
- Evidence Required
All other spend alerts are run automatically for all charges and do not require configuration.
What do the charge statuses mean?
The charge status mean the following:
- New - this charge has not been seen on this account before. This might happen in the event the provider creates a new charge code that did not previously exist in the rate card or was not previously configured for audit.
- Needs Clarification - if either the rate card is not clear on how to audit this charge or there is missing shipment information in the 7bridges system so that the charge can not be audited this status is chosen. The provider should clarify the rate card logic or provide additional data before charges can move from this status.
- Not On Rate Card - if the charge does not appear in the rate card this status is set. Any charges with this status will generate 'charge not on rate card' spend alerts.
- Config in Progress - we have the information on how to audit the charge and the rate card is clear. Our team is in the process of converting the rate card into format that our software can understand so it can begin to check if the rate charged is correct.
- Fully Configured - the rate card has been transformed and loaded and "incorrect rate" spend alerts will be checked for this charge
- Disabled - the customer has chosen not to audit this charge for some reason so it is disabled and not considered when checking for spend alerts
How are spend alerts affected by these status'?
Depending on the charge status, different spend alerts will be checked or generated:
Incorrect Rate - the software will only check if the correct rate has been charged for charges that are in 'Fully configured' state. This is because this status means the software has all the information needed to Audit. E.g. the rate cards are clear and configured in the 7bridges software.
Charge Not on Rate Card - any charge with the status 'Not in rate card' will generate 'charge not on rate card' spend alerts. Any 'New' charges seen by the 7bridges software will be reviewed against the rate card and either configured fully, set to 'Not in rate card' or disabled for some reason.
Evidence Required - any charges marked as 'Needs clarification' will generate 'evidence required' spend alerts. This is because the provider has either not provided sufficient data to Audit the charge or the rate card is unclear.
Downloading the charge status data
You can download the charge status data by clicking on the 3 dots in the top right hand corner should you wish to do some analysis offline
Filtering charts and the table
You can filter the charts and the table in the normal way by using the panel on the right hand side. This functionality is described in more detail here.
NOTE: Please make sure you always have a currency selected in the filters. Deselecting the currency will display wrong data in the charts and table.
Shipping methods
The Shipping methods tab in the Data manager section gives a lower level view on all the shipping methods (services) that are configured in the 7bridges software. Only users with the permission role Admin or Optimise can see the Shipping methods tab.
What are the definitions of the columns in the shipping methods table?
The definitions are as follows:
Shipping method from invoice - the unique name of a shipping method found across all invoices for a given account
Clean shipping method name - the AI translated and cleaned version for the shipping method
Provider - the Logistics Service Provider on whose invoices this shipping method is found
Account - the account number on which this shipping method is found
Count - the count of all occurrences of the shipping method across all invoices and shipments on the given account