Document Management Integration

Before You Start

This guide focuses on how Freight Forwarder leverages the Documents application. For foundational knowledge, review:

Business Context

Every shipment produces a trail of paperwork—Bills of Lading, invoices, packing lists, certificates, customs filings, insurance certificates, photos, and email confirmations. Without a central repository:

  • Operations scramble to find the latest version when a customer calls.

  • Compliance checks become manual and error-prone.

  • Booking or shipment forms lack the supporting documents you need to resolve disputes.

Integrating Viindoo Documents gives freight teams a shared workspace with predefined tags, access rights, and automation targeted at international logistics.

Enable Document Tools

Activate from Freight Settings

  1. Go to Freight Forwarder > Configuration > Settings.

  2. Enable Documents – Freight under Freight Features.

  3. Click Save and confirm the installation prompt.

Turn on freight-specific document tools Freight settings highlighting the Documents integration toggle

This installs Viindoo Documents (Enterprise) along with freight-specific workspaces and automation.

Install via Apps

Administrators can install viin_document_freight directly from Apps. The setting toggles on automatically once the module is installed.

Workspace and Tag Structure

Freight Workspace

  • Created automatically after installation.

  • Access rights are granted to the Freight Forwarder user group.

  • Provides approval actions and chatter integration tailored to shipments/bookings.

Freight workspace with approval actions and chatter integration Freight document workspace with approval actions and chatter integration

Predefined Tag Groups

  • Document Type – Quotation, Booking Confirmation, House BL, Commercial Invoice, Packing List, Delivery Order, etc.

  • Stakeholder – Customer, Carrier, Agent, Customs.

  • Route Leg – Pickup, Main Leg (Sea/Air), Delivery.

Freight document tag categories

Add more tags via Documents > Configuration > Tags to suit your processes.

Freight document tags

Manage Documents from Shipments and Bookings

Shipment-Level Access

  • Each shipment shows Workspaces (open the Freight workspace) and Documents buttons.

  • Upload files by dragging them into the shipment chatter—the system stores them in the Freight workspace and links them to the shipment automatically.

Shipment view with Workspaces/Documents buttons for quick access

Booking-Level Access

  • Bookings inherit a Documents button and share the same drag-and-drop upload behavior.

  • Documents uploaded from a booking are also visible from the parent shipment, so you have one consolidated timeline.

Booking form showing the Documents button and drag-drop upload On Shipment view, the Documents button is visible and the documents are linked to the shipment Booking Documents will automatically move to the Shipment Folder

Tagging and Organization

Apply the predefined tags (type, stakeholder, leg) so searches remain fast. Users can multi-select tags to specify both the document type and the parties involved.

Tip

Encourage operators to tag documents immediately after uploading—filters and automation rules rely on accurate tagging.

Document record with type, stakeholder, and route-leg tags

Approvals, Sharing, and Automation

Approval Workflow

Use document states such as To Review, Approved, and Deprecated to control quality before sending paperwork to customers or carriers.

Document approval workflow

Sharing Options

  • Public link – share read-only links for partners without Viindoo accounts.

  • Portal access – give customers a portal account so they can self-serve documents.

  • Email – send approved documents as attachments directly from the workspace.

Document sharing options

Automation Ideas

The freight template includes starter rules (e.g., auto-tagging House BL files). Create additional rules under Documents > Configuration > Automation Rules:

  • Tag any file that contains “BL” as House BL.

  • Notify customer service when documents are uploaded to shipments in “In Transit” status.

  • Email customers automatically when a document transitions to Approved.

Automation rule example for tagging freight documents

Search and Filter

Use the Documents list to search by file name, shipment code, customer, tags, workspace, owner, or date range. Combined with the Freight workspace filters, you can instantly retrieve all paperwork tied to a specific shipment or booking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to upload from the shipment form? No. You can upload directly in Documents > Workspaces > Freight, then link the document to the shipment via the Related Documents field.

What happens if a file is uploaded without tags? It still links to the shipment, but search/automation becomes harder. Train users to add tags or set up rules that detect keywords in file names and auto-tag them.

Can customers upload documents back to us? Yes. Give them portal access and the appropriate workspace permissions so they can submit documents (e.g., commercial invoices or packing lists) directly into the Freight workspace.

See also