How To: Prevent a Sales Order from moving past the Shipping Stage without a Consignment Reference
Table Of Contents
Khaos Control can be configured to prevent Sales Invoices from progressing beyond the Shipping stage unless a valid consignment reference has been recorded.
This is useful when using courier integrations that require tracking information before an invoice can be completed, helping to ensure shipments are fully traceable and preventing orders from being despatched without the necessary courier details.
When an Invoice Will Be Prevented from Moving Forward
If Requires Consignment Ref is enabled on a courier service, a Sales Invoice will not move beyond the Shipping stage when either of the following applies:
- The invoice does not have a consignment reference and does not contain any boxes.
- The invoice contains boxes, but neither the boxes nor the invoice have a consignment reference.
Important: Even if an order has been marked as shipped, it cannot be moved to the next stage if the assigned courier requires a consignment reference and one has not been entered.
Enable the Consignment Reference Requirement
- Open a System Data screen (show me how).
- Configure the required courier service. For guidance, see How To: Configure Courier Services and Delivery Rates.
- Right-click the courier service and select Configure.
- In the Courier Options dialog, tick Requires Consignment Ref.
- Click OK.
- Press Ctrl+S or click Save to save the courier configuration.
The selected courier service will now require a consignment reference before invoices can progress beyond the Shipping stage.
Why Use This Setting?
Enabling this option can help:
- Ensure all shipments have traceable courier information.
- Reduce the risk of orders being completed without tracking details.
- Improve shipping accuracy and auditability.
- Support courier integrations that depend on consignment references.
Troubleshooting
Invoice will not move beyond Shipping
If an invoice remains in the Shipping stage:
- Check whether the assigned courier has Requires Consignment Ref enabled.
- Confirm that a consignment reference has been entered against the invoice.
- If the invoice contains boxes, verify that the boxes or invoice have a valid consignment reference recorded.
- Ensure the courier integration has successfully returned the tracking information.