ACS Courier Eshop integration: vouchers, tracking and dispatch controls

An ACS connector sends a dispatch-ready order into the shipping workflow and records its voucher number in the store.

ACS publishes REST services that use an API key and merchant account details. The documented voucher creation method covers Greece and Cyprus, so an international order should not automatically follow the same route. The merchant must confirm which services are active under its agreement. Implementation should match how goods are picked, packed and handed over rather than stopping at one successful test label. Country validation and service selection belong before a dispatch request is submitted, with a clear operational fallback for orders outside the agreed shipping scope.

The connector reads recipient details, address, postcode, telephone, weight, parcel count and cash-on-delivery amount where needed. A dispatch-ready state tells warehouse staff when printing is permitted. Store the shipping number with its timestamp and parcel association, rather than placing a tracking value in an unrelated order note. Split shipments need a separate shipment model: otherwise a customer may see one delivered package while another remains outstanding. Order cancellation and package creation should also remain separate actions because commercial order state is not the same as courier shipment state.

A repeated request after a network timeout is a common source of duplicate labels. A missing immediate response does not prove that the first request failed. The connector should inspect its stored shipment relationship and job state before trying again. Cash-on-delivery, cancellation and address changes need different rules before printing and after handover. Staff need an exception queue showing the affected order, latest attempt and next action. This is more useful than a generic error banner and helps avoid a fresh label conflicting with a parcel already leaving the warehouse.

Warehouse staff must distinguish an order change from a change to a parcel already prepared. For ACS, provide a shipment view showing recipient, weight, payment method and voucher relationship. Operators confirm data before printing, while reprinting uses the existing association. Where two warehouses exist, define the origin of each parcel and which billing configuration applies. Creating a label alone does not complete the commercial order. Staff retain visibility into actual packing and carrier handover, and support can inspect the shipment record without issuing a new voucher merely to obtain a printable document.

In a cosmetics store, two operators open the same order. The first confirms weight, recipient and cash-on-delivery amount, then requests a voucher. The second sees work in progress and must not create another shipment. If the response is delayed, keep the job under review until its outcome is established. Once the number is stored, reprinting retrieves that label. An amount change after preparation is flagged rather than silently passing into customer messaging. The warehouse can continue packing other orders without guessing whether this parcel already has a valid shipping reference.

Test simultaneous creation for one order, reprinting and a connection interruption after submission. Expect one active association per parcel and a clear state when the outcome is uncertain. Compare postcode, country, parcel count and COD amount on the label. Also test cancellation before handover and a recipient correction after printing. Staff approve physical print samples and exception instructions. Provide reconciliation steps so order, package and ACS number can be checked without issuing a new voucher. Monitoring should identify unfinished shipment work separately from ordinary carrier delivery progress.