A courier platform, rebuilt to run for years

1. 01

   A first build that didn't work out

   The platform had to be rebuilt on a foundation that would hold up, without losing the customers 1Fetch already had.

2. 02

   Payment before dispatch

   Cards, instant EFT, and business credit each needed to be confirmed before a driver was sent, with problems flagged quickly.

3. 03

   Orders from other systems

   Partners hold the orders in their own systems, so 1Fetch needs to pull them in, deliver them, and report every step back.

A delivery, end to end

1. 1

   Quote

   The customer enters the stops. Each leg is priced by zone and the shortest driving distance, using the business's rates, the customer's own rates, or public rates, less any coupon.

2. 2

   Pay

   They pay by saved card, instant EFT, or on account within a monthly limit. Instant EFT is checked against a signed callback and confirmed with the provider before it counts.

3. 3

   Dispatch

   Once paid, the order goes to the dispatch platform, and the invoice and payment are queued for the accounting system.

4. 4

   Track

   Driver updates are processed every 30 seconds and move the order from dispatched to en route. Customers and business contacts are emailed, and partners' systems are updated.

5. 5

   Deliver

   When the driver finishes, the order is completed or marked return to sender, and a proof-of-delivery PDF is emailed to the customer and the business.

6. 6

   Report

   Business accounts get delivery reports at the hours they choose, proof-of-delivery files by FTP overnight if they want them, and webhooks for their own systems.

• Zone & distance pricing

  Zones with exclusion areas, distance bands per rate, and the shortest driving route for each leg. Business, private, and public rates are tried in order, and a rate tester lets staff check a price.

• Payments

  PayGate card payments with a saved card held as a token by the provider, Ozow instant EFT verified with the provider, and monthly account credit with limits per customer or business.

• Rebuilt ordering

  One order process from quote to payment, dispatch, and completion, for app and web customers, business systems, and spreadsheet imports. Staff can step in to dispatch or complete an order.

• Accounts for every customer

  Cash and account customers, business accounts with their own users, supervisors who see all of the business's orders, credit limits, branded proof of delivery, and coupons with usage rules.

• Automatic dispatch

  Every paid order becomes a task on the driver dispatch platform. Its driver events are logged and processed in order, and orders it shows as done but 1Fetch doesn't are flagged every weekday.

• Partner order integrations

  Orders are pulled from a partner's system every hour or pushed in by a courier partner, then priced and dispatched. Each step goes back to them, with a re-attempt and return to sender if delivery fails.

• Accounting sync

  Invoices, discounts, and payments are queued on payment, sent to Pastel Evolution every 10 minutes, and posted automatically, with checks so nothing is sent twice.

• Dashboard & reports

  A dashboard of 14 charts and a heatmap covering orders, revenue, customers, and platforms, and 8 reports, from sales and turnaround to delivery exceptions and outsourced drivers.

• Customers

  • An instant price for every delivery
  • A saved card or instant EFT to pay
  • Emails as the driver moves, and proof of delivery

• Business clients

  • Their own users, rates, and credit on account
  • An API to quote and book, with webhooks back
  • Delivery reports at the hours they choose

• Partners

  • Their orders collected without re-keying
  • Every delivery step sent back to their system
  • Proof of delivery images returned each night

• 1Fetch team

  • Pricing, zones, specials, and drivers managed in one portal
  • Alerts for unpaid and stuck orders
  • Invoices and payments in the accounts automatically

1. 2017

   Rebuild

   Card payments, ordering, business accounts and an API, dispatch, and accounting, set up in production by July, with existing customers imported.

2. 2017–2018

   First partner

   A partner's orders brought in from late 2017 and pulled automatically every hour from 2018, with delivery updates sent back.

3. 2019–2022

   More ways to pay & book

   A move to .NET Core, coupons, Ozow instant EFT, and a courier partner sending orders over the API.

4. 2024–2026

   Modernised

   Accounting posting automated, and authentication added to client webhooks.

• Every dispatch event is logged before it's processed, and a completion waits until the events before it are handled, so an order isn't completed before the updates that came before it.
• Duplicate guards where it matters: partner orders already imported are skipped, an order that already has a dispatch task isn't sent again, and accounting entries are checked before posting.
• Instant EFT is approved only after the callback's signature is checked and the transaction is confirmed with the provider.
• Safety nets for the money and the drivers: unpaid orders flagged every 15 minutes, and a weekday check for orders the dispatch platform shows as done.
• Kept current with regular technology, library, and framework updates, along with ongoing performance and security improvements.

• .NET
• ASP.NET Core
• SQL Server
• PayGate
• Ozow
• Sage Pastel Evolution
• Google Maps