How To: Understand Courier Bandings and Delivery Rates options in Khaos Control
Table Of Contents
Introduction
Khaos Control integrates with over 20 courier services through more than 40 third-party shipping platforms, allowing you to ship orders throughout the UK and internationally.
For a current list of supported courier services, see What Couriers are Supported on Khaos Control?.
Regardless of which courier solution you use, Khaos Control can automatically determine:
- Which courier service should be used.
- How much the customer should be charged for delivery.
- Which shipping options should be available on a sales order.
When configured correctly, Khaos Control automatically applies the most appropriate courier and delivery charge to each sales order.
Types of Courier Integration
Third-party courier software generally provides one of three levels of integration with Khaos Control.
Simple One-Way Integration
A shipping file is generated by Khaos Control and then imported or uploaded into the courier's software.
This allows shipping labels to be created, but no information is returned to Khaos Control.
Complex Two-Way Integration
Khaos Control communicates directly with the courier platform.
This allows:
- Shipping labels to be produced automatically.
- Consignment references to be returned to Khaos Control.
- Tracking information to be linked to the customer's record.
When customers contact you about a delivery, the consignment number can be viewed from their record and used to open the courier's tracking page where available.
Full Integration
With full integration, Khaos Control manages the shipping process directly.
This may include:
- Label generation.
- Service selection.
- Consignment number allocation provided by the courier.
How Courier Selection Works
Khaos Control uses two key configuration areas to determine which courier service and delivery charge should be applied.
Courier Banding
Courier Banding contains the rules used to decide which delivery service should be selected.
These rules can take into account multiple factors such as:
- Delivery destination.
- Order value.
- Order weight.
- Customer type.
- Delivery requirements.
Delivery Rates
Delivery Rates define the delivery services available to customers and the charges associated with them.
A delivery rate can either:
- Be selected automatically by a Courier Banding rule.
- Be manually chosen by a user or customer.
Once both areas have been configured and tested, Khaos Control automatically applies the correct courier and delivery charge to sales orders.
Tips for Setting Up Courier Banding and Delivery Rates
Understanding how Courier Banding and Delivery Rates work together is essential for creating an accurate and reliable shipping setup.
Tip 1: Understand the Conditions
Each Courier Banding rule contains one or more conditions.
A rule is only applied when all conditions evaluate as true.
Example
Imagine your business offers:
- Royal Mail 2nd Class delivery free of charge.
- Royal Mail 1st Class delivery as a paid upgrade costing £1.00.
In this situation you might have:
- One Courier Banding rule that automatically selects Royal Mail 2nd Class.
- Two Delivery Rates:
- Royal Mail 2nd Class (free).
- Royal Mail 1st Class (£1.00 upgrade).
Remember
When configuring Courier Banding, always consider:
- Whether all conditions are met.
- The priority assigned to the rule.
Common Mistake
A common setup error is creating a high-priority rule such as:
- Customer is located in the UK.
- Use Royal Mail 2nd Class.
- Charge £0.00.
If this rule has the highest priority, it will match almost every UK order and prevent any more specific rules from being evaluated.
As a result, more advanced delivery options may never be selected.
Tip 2: Use Flexible Priorities
Courier Banding and Delivery Rate rules are evaluated in priority order.
To make future maintenance easier, avoid numbering priorities sequentially as:
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Instead, use larger increments such as:
- 100
- 200
- 300
- 400
This approach allows you to insert additional rules later without having to renumber existing ones.
Example
If you need to add a rule between priorities 100 and 200, you can simply assign it:
150rather than renumbering every rule below it.
Using gaps between priorities makes your delivery configuration easier to manage as your business grows.
Tip 3: Check Courier Groups When Using Channels 2.0
If you use Channels 2.0 and your Courier Banding rules rely on Courier Groups, those courier groups must also be configured within your Channels 2.0 Global Order Type Values grid.
If you use Channels 2.0 and your Courier Banding rules rely on Courier Groups, those courier groups must also be configured within your Channels 2.0 Global Order Type Values grid.
Failure to configure the courier groups correctly may result in:
- Courier Banding rules not behaving as expected.
- Orders being assigned the wrong delivery service.
- Shipping exceptions during order processing.
Best Practice Recommendations
When configuring Courier Banding and Delivery Rates:
Start with your most specific rules.
- Carefully review all conditions.
- Leave gaps between priority numbers.
- Test all delivery scenarios before going live.
- Regularly review delivery rules as services and shipping costs change.
- Ensure courier groups are maintained if using Channels 2.0.
Following these recommendations helps ensure Khaos Control consistently selects the correct courier service and delivery charge for every order.