Frequently Asked Questions

Business customers

• What is the minimum amount of parcels in order to get a business contract?

  The minimum amount of parcels a year is 500.

• Does TNT Post offer collection services?

  Yes, we can pick up your parcels. Your collection tariff depends on the number of parcels to be collected, collection frequency and address. Please contact one of our account managers for more information.

• What are the estimated transit times for international deliveries?

  Here you find the transit times to European destinations and Rest of World destinations.

   

EU – Parcel Service

• What is the maximum format per parcel?

  The maximum circumference (length) per parcel is 300cm.

• What is the maximum weight per parcel?

  The maximum weight per parcel is 31.5 kg for all EPS (EU Pack Special) destinations.

• Is there proof of delivery signature for deliveries within the European Union?

  Yes, we offer proof of delivery signatures for all EU destinations.

• Are my deliveries covered by insurance?

  Yes, parcel deliveries within the European Union (EPS) are insured up to €500,- based on the purchase amount of the goods.

Global Pack

• What is the maximum length per parcel?

  The maximum length per parcel is 70 x 50 x 100 cm.

• What is the maximum weight per parcel?

  The maximum weight per parcel is 20 kg.

• Is there proof of delivery signature for Global Pack destinations?

  Yes, for all destinations we provide proof of delivery signature.

• Are my deliveries covered by insurance?

  Yes, based on the purchase amount of the items deliveries outside the European Union are insured up to € 200,- per parcel.

Returns

• Are my customers able to return parcels free of charge?

  As business customer, TNT offers you the opportunity of a sender-pays or receiver-pays returns flow. For more information see our return services.
  

• Can you consolidate my returns on a daily or weekly basis?

  Yes, dependent on your requirements we offer dedicated solutions to consolidate your returns and deliver them at any return address of your choice. Please contact one of our account managers for more information.

Parcelware – Deliveries

• How do I create the first shipment in Parcelware?

  1. Check whether your sender data is correct.
  2. You must at least fill the following for receiver: name1, postcode, street number, street and city.
  3. You can enter optional services for products and services, such as proof of delivery signature and COD.
  4. Click Send.

• How do I enter a shipment manually?

  •   A postcode and street number is enough to find any address in the Netherlands.
  •   Simply check the product you want to select it.
  •   Do you often select the same product? Then make it the default.
  •   Sending more than one shipment to the same address? Simply enter the number required and Parcelware will print your labels.
  •   This also applies to shipments destined for Europe (EPS) or beyond (GlobalPack). They are all created in the same way.

• I often send shipments to the same addresses. What is the best way of doing this?

  •   Your address book in Parcelware can help.
  •   All you have to do is enter your own reference and Parcelware will add your customer data.
  •   Entering a new address or changing an existing one? You can save it automatically.
  •   Let the cursor jump to the address reference for each new shipment: this minimises typing!
  •   Do you always send the same product to a specific receiver? Then make it the default.
  •   Do you have an address book you want to import? Excel and .CSV files are easy to import into Parcelware.

• I want Parcelware to create shipments automatically using data from my company system. How can I do this?

  •   All shipments set to ready in your business system can be printed in batch or continuously.
  •   You only need to configure Parcelware once - the rest is automatic.
  •   You can even automate the data transfer to TNT Post Parcel Service.
  •   Formats supported: Excel, .TXT, .CSV, dBase and Paradox, and again most databases via ODBC.

• Parcelware Desktop: How to set default settings for Shipment

  •   Go to the Shipments menu and then again to Shipment.
  •   Select the products and services you want to set as default.
  •   Click Sender and select Save current settings for sender.
  •   Parcelware will now check the appropriate products and services by default when you create a new shipment.

• I do not want to close all my shipments today

  Go to System and then Options.
  This is where you select the Close only selected shipments radio button. Activating this option will add a column of checkboxes with the heading Selected to Open shipments. Below the radio button you can select whether these checkboxes should be checked or unchecked by default. All shipments that are checked in Open shipments will be closed when you shut down. All shipments that are unchecked in Open shipments will not be closed when you shut down. In this way you can decide which shipments should be closed and which should not.

• How can I close the shipment list and create the pre-advice files?

  In the Shipments menu, select the Close shipments option. The pre-advice files are created and sent automatically, provided that this has been configured in XScheduler. If not, the pre-advice files still need to be sent manually in XScheduler.

• I currently have to confirm every print job for a shipment. How can I disable this?

  In the Shipment screen used to create shipments, select menu option Print and then the Disable printer dialog box option.
  

• Why can’t my customers see any data when I send them a Track&Trace link?

  The Track&Trace information is updated as soon as a parcel is scanned in the TNT sorting centre. In most cases the data should be visible within a day.

• What happens to cancelled shipments?

  Nothing. As long as parcels with cancelled barcodes are not delivered, they will be deleted from the system after six days.

• How can I view and print overviews of dispatched shipments?

  In the Tools menu, select the Reports option and then the required report. You will be asked whether you wish to filter the shipments before the report is displayed.

• Parcelware Desktop: How do I create a report?

  1.   Go to the Tools menu and select Reports.
  2.   Select Daily report and click Preview.
  3.   Uncheck the closing date and enter the required reporting period for the creation date.
  4.   This report can be printed or saved.

• How can I find a shipment if I don’t know the exact barcode?

  In the Edit menu, select the Search option and in the search screen enter all the data available for the shipment, e.g. receiver name, dispatch date, etc. A list will be displayed of all shipments matching your criteria.

• Parcelware Desktop: How do I create a group shipment?

  1.   Go to the Dictionaries menu and then to Receiver groups. Right-click the screen and select New.
  2.   Next, go to the Dictionaries menu and then Address book. Select the addresses you wish to add to the group, right-click the selection and click option Add to group. Select the required group and click OK.
  3.   Then go to the Shipments menu and then again to Shipment. At the top of this screen, click the Receivers menu. Select Group shipment.
  4.   Then click the Add button. Select the group and click Add all. Use the same settings as for a single shipment and click Send.

• How do I create a shipment destined for outside Europe?

  1. Create a new shipment via the Shipment screen.
  2. As soon as you select the country of destination, a Customs declaration button appears. Click this button.
  3. Check the required shipment type (gift, documents, etc.).
  4. Check one of the additional checkboxes that appear for invoice, certificate and licence, and enter the corresponding number.
  5. Then enter the data requested under Contents.
  6. The HS Tariff number denotes the type of material you wish to ship.
  7. Please note that the weight in the customs declaration must be the same as that on the Shipment screen.
  8. Next, click Send. Two documents will be printed: TNT Post CN 23 Customs Declaration and TNT Post CP 71 Dispatch Note. Affix both onto the parcel and it is ready for shipment.

Parcelware – General

• Where can I change the language in Parcelware?

  You can only do this on the login screen. If no language option is visible, click “>>>”.

• Parcelware Desktop: What is a context menu?

  A context menu is a menu that can be opened with a right mouse click, offering the options that are available in the context concerned.
  

• The system does not automatically send e-mail notifiers

  The SMTP server is not filled/configured in the Dictionaries menu under Senders.

• Why can’t my customers see any data when I send them a Track&Trace link?

  The Track&Trace information is updated as soon as a parcel is scanned in the TNT sorting centre. In most cases the data should be visible within a day.

• How do I restore data using a back-up?

  In the Parcelware_installation_dir/bin directory, there is a file called Parcelwarebackup.exe. You need to execute this file to import the back-up file, but make sure that Parcelware and XScheduler are closed first.
  

• Parcelware Desktop: I have connected a scale, but it is not recognised by Parcelware.

  If your scale is not supported by Parcelware, select the Scale option in the System menu. Configure the scales and check the Enable scale box.
  

• How do I configure the XScheduler?

  1.   You can find the XScheduler near the Windows clock in your task bar. Right-click the icon and select Settings.
  2.   On the Xscheduler tab (first tab), you can check whether XScheduler is active on your PC. The box next to your PC should be checked and the status should be Online.
  3.   If the box is not checked, you can uncheck the currently configured PC and then check your PC. Please note that afterwards you must re-check the PC that sends the pre-advices.

• XMail Notifier performance

  The Add-ons Manager dialog provides an overview of all add-on components installed. Add-on components enhance the functionality of the system and improve overall system performance.
  
  Manage add-on components
  The Add-ons manager dialog box is a table of existing add-on components. To activate or deactivate an add-on component click the corresponding icon in the Enable column.
  

  1. Select the component you wish to activate and click the Enable button.
  2. Click Settings to further configure the Notifier.

  
  XMail Notifier
  This additional tool allows you to automatically send a shipment status report, including the shipment number, to a receiver’s e-mail address. You also have the option to compose your own text with information for your receivers.
  

  1. Select for which status you want your customer to receive an e-mail message.
  2. Click Edit to edit a selected shipment status.
  3. Check the Edit template and then check Send to receiver.
  4. You can write your own e-mail contents.
  5. At the bottom, next to E-mail/SMTP, click on Edit.
  6. Click the E-mail tab and enter the sender e-mail address.
  7. Enter your SMTP data and, if required, your login/password.

  The customer will now receive an e-mail for the appropriate status for each shipment for which you enter an e-mail.

• My Xscheduler freezes regularly. What can I do about it?

  •   Go to Start.
  •   Click Run (or place the cursor in the search bar for Windows Vista or Windows 7).
  •   Enter ‘services.msc’ and click OK or press Enter.
  •   The Services screen appears.
  •   In this screen, double-click Xscheduler service for Parcelware.
  •   Go to the System restore tab.
  •   For the first, second and third error, select: Restart service.
  •   Click OK and close all screens.

• Which addresses (URLs) can be accessed by Parcelware?

  The following addresses can be accessed by Parcelware:
  
  https://ebn.enovation.nl/parcelware/
  ftp.ebn.enovation.nl
  https://www.netlink-rs.net
  

Parcelware – Import & polling data files

• Parcelware Desktop: I have stored my address book in an Excel file. How can I import it into Parcelware?

  In the Dictionaries menu, select the Receivers option. In the window that appears, right-click to open the context menu and select the Import option. This opens a window where you can configure the import of your address book by linking the columns of your Excel document to the data fields in the Parcelware address book.
  

• Parcelware Desktop: Our company uses a company-wide address book that is constantly changing. I do not want to have to import it over and over again. Is there another way of doing this?

  •   Parcelware Desktop can also search your active company address book when creating a shipment!
  •   All you have to do is link Parcelware to the structure of your address book. It is quick and easy and you only have to do it once.
  •   In this way you always have the latest address data when creating shipment in Parcelware Desktop.
  •   Formats supported: Excel, .TXT, .CSV, dBase and Paradox, and most databases via ODBC.

• Parcelware Desktop: All my shipment data is already available in my business system. Can I import this data?

  Polling eliminates the need for typing.
  •   With Parcelware Desktop, all you need to do to print a label is enter your own order reference.
  •   Choose the best moment in your order process for printing, for example, when you scan the order reference on your dispatch note.
  •   Let the cursor jump to the new shipment reference for each new shipment: scan, print, ready!
  •   All required address, product and shipment data can be imported – even customs data.
  •   Parcelware is very flexible, meaning few or no configuration changes to your own business system.

Parcelware - Installation

• What are the system requirements for Parcelware?

  Here you find the system requirements for Parcelware.  

• Parcelware Desktop: The installation process is aborted without warning.

  This problem may occur if .Net Framework 2.0 is installed on the user's computer. Version 1.1 SP1 is required for Parcelware Desktop. The installation files for both versions are on the installation CD. You must first uninstall version 2.0 on your PC before you can install version 1.1 SP 1 and re-install version 2.0.

• Parcelware Desktop error message: Creation process unsuccessful for the following command line: Parcelware 1.6

  Start the following programs from the CD:
  

  \files\mdac28\1043\MDAC_TYP.EXE

   

  This installs the Microsoft Data Access Components required for the installation. 
  
\files\dotNetFramework\1043\dotnetfx.exe 
\files\dotNetFramework\1043\dotnetfx1.1_sp1.exe

   

  This installs Framework 1.1 and Service Pack 1.1 Sometimes this is not properly installed during setup.

• Parcelware Desktop error message: Error during Dot net installation: Error 1935 > HResult 0x80070005

  The HRESULT code is important for this type of error messages; it tells you what the problem is! In this case the problem is an ‘Access denied’ message, probably caused by a virus scanner or anti-spyware application. Antivir is already known to cause this problem. Close your antivirus and spyware programs and restart the installation.

• I do not get a login screen when I start up Parcelware. Instead, I get a message stating that there is no connection to the Parcelware database. What should I do?

  Close your screen and after a minute try again. If you get the same message, contact your workstation administrator. If Parcelware Client-Server is installed, you should first check if there is a network connection and, if so, whether the server is running.

• How do I create a sender in Parcelware Desktop?

  1.   Go to the Dictionaries menu and select Senders.
  2.   Right-click the screen and select New.
  3.   Enter all required data for the new sender. Then go to the Clients tab.
  4.   Click the three left-pointing arrows to assign your contract to the new sender.
  5.   Then click OK.

• How do I import a contract using data provided in a letter?

  1. Go to the Dictionaries menu and select Archiving and Import.
  2. Select the type of communication that has been configured for you and click Next.
  3. On this screen, enter the login data from the letter you received with your Parcelware CD.
  4. Then click Next and wait for Parcelware to finish.
  5. NB: This may take a while.

• Error during SQL Server installation. What should I do?

  The MSXML 6.0 component often causes problems during the installation of SQL Server 2008 on Windows XP Service Pack 3. Microsoft recommends the following steps to complete SQL Server installation.

  1.   First close the Parcelware Desktop installation.

  2.   Download and install the Windows Installer CleanUp Utility. 


  Download page: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301 
Direct download: http://download.microsoft.com/download/e/9/d/e9d80355-7ab4-45b8-80e8983a48d5e1bd/msicuu2.exe 
Do not be alarmed by the purple Microsoft Office Update graphic during installation.

   

  3.   Step 2: Start the Windows Installer CleanUp Utility. Click Start and then All programs > Windows Installer CleanUp.

  4.   Step 3: From the list, select MSXML 6 Service Pack 2 (see above). Then click Remove.

  5.   Step 4: Restart the Parcelware Desktop installation.

Parcelware – Pre-advice

• Parcelware Desktop: My pre-advice files are not being sent

  Check the XScheduler. List closing and Transmission: Set List closing five minutes earlier than Transmission. TIP: Check the network connection and the Windows date and time settings.

• How can I close the shipment list and create the pre-advice files?

  In the Shipments menu, select the Close shipments option. The pre-advice files are created and sent automatically, provided that this has been configured in XScheduler. If not, the pre-advice files still need to be sent manually in XScheduler.

• How do I know if the pre-advice was sent?

  Go to Closed lists and to the day the pre-advice should have been sent. Click on Display and a screen will appear listing three dates: End date, dispatch date and EDI dispatch date.
  

  • The End date is the date you closed the list.
  • The Dispatch date is when you created the label.
  • The EDI dispatch date is when TNT imported the pre-advice.

  In other words, if the End date and Dispatch date are filled, the pre-advice was sent.

• The daily report I have printed contains no data. What can I do?

  Create the report via Export, save it as a PDF and print again from the PDF.

Parcelware – printer installation

• Parcelware Web: I have a laser printer with two paper trays. How can I print A5 documents (for GlobalPack) automatically from source 2?

  Please note that paper source 1 should be set to paper size A4 and source 2 to size A5. In addition, the print setting Choose paper source by PDF page size should be checked in Acrobat Reader. This will ensure that A4 documents (labels) are printed from tray 1 and A5 documents (GlobalPack documents) from tray 2.

• My Intermec PC 4 keeps on printing an extra blank label with every print job

  You can prevent this by changing the settings in the printer’s properties window to:
  

  • Speed: 50 mm/s
  • Temperature: 10
  • Reverse Gap Sensing Unchecked

• How do I configure the printer as a label printer?

  In the System menu, select the Print Forms Manager option.

• How can I ensure that my printer is not used as a LABEL printer?

  You can lock the printer via Print Forms Manager. Click TNT Post and then Lock. This ensures that the printer can no longer be used as a label printer and so prevent any errors.

• My label is not neatly centred

  You can use Print Forms Manager to determine the position of the middle column. It can be used with both negative and positive numbers, e.g. -100 or 30

• Can I print my telephone number on the label?

  Yes, via Dictionaries > Customers > Contracts > Edit > Print. This is where you select what you want to print, such as logo, telephone number, SC code, etc. You can also select the receiver’s telephone number.

Print parcel labels

• How do I print a logo?

  1.   Go to the Dictionaries menu and then to Senders.
  2.   Double-click the required sender and go to the Contact tab.
  3.   Click the button with the three dots next to Logo and select the required logo. Please note that the maximum format is 40 x 40 pixels.
  4.   Next, go to the Dictionaries menu en then to My Contracts.
  5.   Double-click the company name and go to the Contract tab.
  6.   Double-click TNT post PakketserviceXX.
  7.   Click Print and check the Print sender logo option. Then click Apply and OK.

• Parcelware Web: Why is no label displayed or printed after all shipment data is entered?

  Perhaps Acrobat Reader is not installed on your computer. Acrobat Reader is required to generate labels and can be downloaded for free for most operating systems. Go to www.adobe.com to get the latest version.

• Parcelware Desktop: I cannot use the label that has already been printed. Can I print a copy?

  No, but you can print a new label with a new barcode. In the Shipments menu, select the Open shipments option. In the list that appears, select the relevant shipment and select Print copy to print a new label.

• I currently have to confirm every print job for a shipment. How can I disable this?

  In the Shipment screen used to create shipments, select menu option Print and then the Disable printer dialog box option.

• I have a thermal label printer that is supported by Parcelware, which won’t print or won’t print to fit the labels.

  Your label printer probably uses Windows drivers. Parcelware has special drivers, which you can activate via the System menu under the Forms option. In the screen that appears, select the required label and printer you want to install for Parcelware.

• My laser printer does not print when I give a print command.

  There are four labels on an A4 label sheet. Parcelware does not print until it has four labels to print. This is to prevent you having to feed the sheets into the printer for every print job. However, if you only want one label, you can print it via the Shipment window under Print and Flush A4 paper sheet.

• Parcelware Desktop: Printing labels with a laser printer

  1.   Go to the Shipments menu and then again to Shipment.
  2.   Create a shipment and click Send.
  3.   In the Select label screen, select the printer you want to use, and for label type select TNT Post DIN A4 Laser.
  4.   Click Create to send the print job to the printer.
  5.   Parcelware will wait until four labels need printing before sending the print job to the printer. In this way you do not have to feed the same label sheet into the printer four times.
  6.   If your printer still has labels in its memory at the end of the day and there are no more labels to create, you can force the printing of the remaining labels.
  7.   To do so, go to the Shipments menu and then again to Shipment. Click Print and select the option Flush A4 paper sheet. The remaining labels will now be printed.

• Can I print labels, but wait with sending a pre-advice?

  Yes you can, via System > Options (Close only selected shipments). You can set this to Default selected or Not selected. This will allow you to select the shipments for which you want to send a pre-advice. Default selected means that they will be checked automatically; Not selected means that they will not be checked and therefore not pre-adviced. With the latter you must select your shipment first before it is pre-adviced.

• Parcelware Web: No PDF example is displayed on screen when printing from Open Shipments or New Shipments

  This often happens if a Popup Blocker is activated. This is normally a Windows Blocker, but sometimes a separate Popup Blocker has been installed. Make sure that the Popup Blocker always allows the Parcelware Web popups.

• How do I restore data using a backup in Parcelware?

  Select Start > All Programs > Parcelware > Parcelwarebackup.exe. This will allow you to import the back-up file. NB: Make sure that Parcelware and Xscheduler are closed. You can also launch the program manually via Parcelware_installation_dir/bin. This is where you will find the Parcelwarebackup.exe file.

• Parcelware Desktop: How do I print multiple shipments?

  1. Create a new shipment and click Send.
  2. In the Select label screen, uncheck the Print checkbox. Then check the
      Save as default checkbox. Click Create.
  3. Continue creating shipments.
  4. Once you have finished entering all shipments, go to the Shipments menu.  
      Select the shipments you wish to print.
  5. Right-click the selection and select Print. The Select label screen will be opened again.
  6. Check the Print checkbox again and make sure that the Save as default option is also checked.
  7. All shipments will now be printed. This process must be repeated each day.