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Preparing order data for delivery
What order and stop data Porterchain needs: addresses, contacts, time windows, and references. Tips for clean data and smooth routes.
Good order data makes routing and delivery reliable. We need delivery address, contact details, and any time window or reference you use. This page explains what to prepare so your first run — and every run after — goes smoothly. Whether you submit via CSV or API, the same data principles apply.
Required fields
Every stop needs a delivery address we can geocode (street, city, postal code). We also need a contact name and phone or email so the driver and recipient can coordinate. If you have time windows (e.g. 9am–12pm), include them — we’ll plan routes around them. Reference or order IDs help you match our tracking back to your system. We’ll give you a template or spec that lists required and optional fields so you can align your export or API payload.
Data quality tips
Clean addresses reduce failed geocoding and wrong locations. Use a consistent format for city and postal code; avoid abbreviations unless we’ve agreed on them. Duplicate or near-duplicate stops (same address, same day) can often be merged — we can advise. If you have special instructions (e.g. gate code, leave at door), include them in a notes field. The better the data, the smoother the route and the fewer surprises.
Recurring vs one-off
For recurring routes, the same structure applies every run: you send an updated list of stops (e.g. weekly café drops) and we run the route. For one-off or same-day runs, the process is the same — just different timing. We’ll confirm cut-offs and how to submit so your data lands in the right run.