Pull real-time FedEx shipping rates, generate labels from confirmed orders and keep FedEx order tracking visible to your customers, all from the system that already holds the order.
The FedEx Shipping API is exposed through your own order and inventory systems, so a confirmed order becomes a FedEx consignment without anyone copying details across. That covers FedEx label generation for domestic and cross-border shipments, pickup scheduling and the tracking events customers ask about most often. Orders can trigger bookings immediately or run on a schedule, and each FedEx account keeps its own rates and negotiated terms.
Rate lookup, label generation, tracking, pickups and the carrier invoice, all handled inside Softpal rather than in a second system.
The order data already in your system is what the FedEx booking is built from, so the shipper, recipient, weight and service are not entered a second time. FedEx returns the tracking number against the order, which is what automated FedEx shipping labels are generated from.
A consignment can be cancelled or voided while it is still open, and the outcome is recorded against the order rather than left in someone's inbox. It also covers the awkward cases: a pickup that was never made, an address correction, or an order that should have gone out on a different service.
FedEx tracking events are pulled into Softpal as they happen, so customers get the current status instead of a generic dispatch message. Support staff work from the same record, which removes the round trip to the FedEx portal for the most common tracking enquiries.
Polling is the fallback used where FedEx does not push an update: your system asks the API again after a set interval. It is easy to configure but easy to overspend on, since frequent polling across a large number of open consignments generates a lot of calls for very little new information. The interval is set to the volume and the service level you have chosen.
Rate cards, service levels, account credentials and pickup addresses are configured for the FedEx accounts you hold, so negotiated pricing applies to your own shipments only. FedEx online store integration and e-commerce shipping setups are wired in to match how you already take orders.
Pickups, manifests and multi-piece shipments are handled in the same view as the order they belong to. When a shipment needs a manual booking, an unusual weight or a special handling instruction for instance, that option stays open, and service availability can be checked before you decide on FedEx.
The fetch rate sets how often your system calls FedEx. A five-minute interval keeps a busy dispatch queue accurate; hourly is enough for orders that ship in batches. Fetching can also be event driven, on a new order or a shipment status change, rather than tied to a clock.
Pickups can be requested through the FedEx API once a batch of parcels is ready, which saves the phone call and leaves a record of when collection was asked for. FedEx then confirms the pickup window, and the consignment moves from there.
The estimated delivery date is returned by FedEx after the pickup is confirmed, not when the label is printed. Distance, the service selected, FedEx routing and the time the order took to process all feed the calculation, so early estimates are deliberately conservative.
For international orders, FedEx handles export documentation and customs brokerage as part of the shipment, which means clearance requirements are addressed before the parcel reaches the destination. Tracking follows the shipment through that clearance instead of stopping at the departure country, and freight options sit alongside parcel on the same account.
FedEx bills sitting in accounts payable are compared with FedEx's own statements, transaction by transaction. Collecting the charges through the API rather than retyping an invoice is what makes accessorial and weight discrepancies show up while they can still be queried.
More than one FedEx account can be active, and the account is chosen by rule rather than by hand. Consignments can be split by weight slab, one account for parcels under 5 kg and another above, or assigned by region with a default account covering everything else, which keeps each contract used only for the volume it was negotiated for.
