Quick Start Guide

Get up and running with Shipflo in 30 minutes

What is Shipflo?

Shipflo is a shipping management platform for freight forwarders operating between the US and Africa (Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa).

📦
Track Shipments
Real-time updates
📱
Android Scanner
GS1 DataMatrix
💰
QuickBooks
Invoice & payment sync

5-Step Setup (30 minutes)

1

Sign Up for Free Trial

Visit shipflo.app and create your account

  • ✓ 14-day free trial
  • ✓ No credit card required
  • ✓ Full feature access
  • ✓ Invoice billing after trial
⏱️ Time: 5 minutes
2

Complete Company Profile

Go to Settings → Company

  • • Business name and logo
  • • Contact information
  • • Primary shipping routes
  • • Default currency and units
⏱️ Time: 10 minutes
3

Add Team Members

Go to Settings → Users

  • • Admin (full access)
  • • Manager (shipments & reports)
  • • Operator (scanner & updates)
  • • Viewer (read-only)
⏱️ Time: 5 minutes
4

Create Your First Shipment

Click New Shipment from dashboard

  • • Select customer (or create new)
  • • Enter origin/destination
  • • Add cargo details (weight, packages)
  • • Upload documents (BOL, invoice)
⏱️ Time: 5 minutes
5

Install Scanner App

Download from Google Play Store

  • • Search "Shipflo Scanner"
  • • Sign in with your credentials
  • • Grant camera permissions
  • • Select warehouse location
⏱️ Time: 5 minutes

Essential Features

📦

Shipment Tracking

Real-time status updates every 2 seconds. Track from booking to delivery.

Statuses: Booked → In Transit → Shipped → Customs → Delivered
🚢

Container Management

Track containers, calculate profitability, monitor utilization.

20ft, 40ft, 40ft HC, 45ft, Reefer supported
📱

GS1 Scanner

Android app with Google Code Scanner API. 0.95s scan time, 100% accuracy.

Optimal distance: 16 inches. Offline mode available.
💰

QuickBooks Sync

Automatic customer, invoice, and payment sync. OAuth 2.0 integration.

Contact support to set up (requires admin assistance)
🔔

Notifications

Firebase FCM push notifications + WhatsApp Business API messaging.

Email fallback included. Multi-language support.
🖨️

Label Printing

ZEBRA ZD621 thermal printer support. Print GS1 DataMatrix labels.

4" x 6" labels. WiFi and Bluetooth supported.
👥

Customer Portal

Customers track shipments, view documents, confirm delivery.

Mobile-responsive. Customizable access controls.
📊

Analytics & Reports

Container profitability, customer revenue, delivery performance.

Export to Excel. Custom date ranges.
🔒

Multi-Tenant Security

Isolated tenant schemas. Role-based access control.

JWT authentication. Encrypted data storage.

Simple Pricing

Starter
$499
per month
✓ Up to 50 containers/month
✓ Unlimited users
✓ Scanner app
✓ Customer portal
✓ QuickBooks sync
✓ All notifications
POPULAR
Professional
$999
per month
✓ Up to 200 containers/month
✓ Everything in Starter
✓ Priority support
✓ Advanced analytics
✓ Custom reports
✓ Dedicated account manager
Enterprise
Custom
contact sales
✓ Unlimited containers
✓ Everything in Professional
✓ Custom features
✓ API access
✓ White-label portal
✓ SLA guarantee

14-day free trial • No credit card required • Invoice billing

Start Free Trial

Common Tasks

📦 Create a Shipment

  1. 1. Dashboard → "New Shipment"
  2. 2. Select customer
  3. 3. Enter origin/destination
  4. 4. Add cargo details
  5. 5. Upload documents
  6. 6. Click "Create"

🚢 Assign to Container

  1. 1. Open shipment
  2. 2. Click "Assign to Container"
  3. 3. Select available container
  4. 4. Check capacity utilization
  5. 5. Confirm assignment

📱 Scan with Android App

  1. 1. Open scanner app
  2. 2. Select operation (Receive/Load/Deliver)
  3. 3. Enter container number (if needed)
  4. 4. Hold phone 16 inches from barcode
  5. 5. Wait for auto-capture
  6. 6. Confirm operation

👥 Invite Customer to Portal

  1. 1. Customers → Select customer
  2. 2. Click "Invite to Portal"
  3. 3. Enter customer email
  4. 4. Set access permissions
  5. 5. Send invitation

🖨️ Print Shipping Label

  1. 1. Open shipment
  2. 2. Click "Print Label"
  3. 3. Select ZEBRA printer
  4. 4. Label prints automatically
  5. 5. Attach to package

📊 View Container Profitability

  1. 1. Analytics → Container Profitability
  2. 2. Select date range
  3. 3. Filter by container type/route
  4. 4. View revenue vs costs
  5. 5. Export to Excel

✅ You're Ready!

You now have everything you need to start managing shipments with Shipflo.

Pro Tips

💡
Set up QuickBooks early
Contact support to schedule QuickBooks integration during your first week. This ensures all invoices sync from day one.
💡
Test scanner in good lighting
Scanner works best with 300+ lux lighting. Hold device 16 inches from barcode for optimal results.
💡
Enable WhatsApp for African customers
WhatsApp is the preferred communication channel in Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya. Enable it for better customer engagement.
💡
Track container utilization
Aim for 85-95% container utilization for optimal profitability. Use Analytics → Container Profitability to monitor.