ShipWorks is a Windows shipping management solution designed to streamline the order fulfillment process for businesses of all sizes. It works as a hybrid cloud and desktop shipping management tool and it is compatible with Mac users.
This tool allows sellers and businesses to automate their shipping decisions by automatically routing orders to the correct warehouse based on rules specified by the user, using barcode scanning for most common shipping tasks, and providing unlimited rules and actions.
ShipWorks can be used to:
- Compare rates across multiple carriers and mail classes
- Have integrations with over 40 different mail carriers, marketplaces, ecommerce platforms and inventory management tools
- Build custom integrations, since it has its own API
- Download shipping information from an online sales channel
- Calculate postage
- Generate labels and packaging slips
In this review, we will show you how this solution can be used for any business that deals with shipping on a regular basis.
ShipWorks | Pricing
ShipWorks offers a range of plans that you can choose from, depending on the size of your business and shipping needs. With any of their pricing plans, you will have a 30-day trial to make sure ShipWorks is a good fit.
It’s worth mentioning users receive an automated notification when they’re approaching their shipment limit. If you reach your plan’s limit, you can either upgrade to a larger plan or wait until your next billing period to be able to ship again.
All plans include unlimited phone, email, and chat support, unlimited users and workstations, and a free USPS postage account.
As of 2020, these are their plan options:
Jump Start | $25/month
- 100 shipments
- 5 sales channels
- Customizable invoices, packing slips, and emails
- Custom Data Sources
- CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
Basic | $25/month
- 600 shipments
- 1 sales channel
Advanced | $49/month
- 1,200 shipments
- 3 sales channels
- Customizable invoices, packing slips, and emails
- Custom data sources
Elite | $99/month
- 3,600 shipments
- 5 sales channels
- Customizable invoices, packing slips, and emails
- Custom data sources
- CRM
Enterprise (Contact Them to Get a Quote)
- Contact sales for pricing
- Unlimited shipments
- Unlimited sales channels
- Customizable invoices, packing slips, and emails
- Custom data sources
- CRM
- Advanced user auditing
- API access
- Advanced shipping features
- Instant rate comparisons
- USPS auto refunds
- USPS pay-on-use return labels
- Dedicated account management team
- Complete shipping assessment
- Setup & configuration
- Monthly consultation
Warehouse pricing plans are designed for businesses that have 10,000 or more monthly shipments:
ShipWorks Features
This software is extremely comprehensive and there are a bunch of things to do, since most features can be customized. ShipWorks remembers your shipments’ info; so, it becomes easier to use overtime.
Here are the main features ShipWorks has to offer:
- Integration with shipping carriers, including major ones like FedEx, USPS, UPS
- Discounts in USPS rates
- Return labels for FedEx, UPS, and USPS
- Direct integration with all major online marketplaces
- Import flat files, Excel spreadsheets, and XML automatically
- Order status automated updates
- Send tracking numbers, costs, and payment status back to online stores
- A range of filters to organize customers and orders in the most effective way for your business
- Specify shipping rules to automate tasks
- Document templates for invoices, shipping labels, emails, pick lists and reports that can be customized
- Scheduled tasks
- Support for all printers and scales
Security
ShipWorks, both the application and the database are stored on your computer. Overall, this is safer than a cloud-based solution, given that your network is secure itself.
Consult with your IT department to ensure privacy.
Is ShipWorks Easy to Use?
ShipWorks interface doesn’t look like the stylish UI similar to a Google web app. It may look a little dated and you’ll definitely need some time to learn to use it. The dashboard is filled with lots of windows, buttons, and menus. But still, learning to use it to its full potential will be more beneficial, considering the bigger picture.
The app allows you to create custom views of the interface. You’ll be able to tailor the UI by choosing which windows you want displayed, the level of detail in the center grid, and an option for saving and loading presets.
You can use filters as a way to organize orders based on certain criteria. Automating your tasks allows you to take action in case of a mistake in the process, for example, if you print an invoice once a shipment has already been processed.
ShipWorks allows you to send shipment notifications, interact directly with customers, and/or send automated updates to pertinent members of your team thanks to its built-in email solution. You can link the software to one of your email accounts to work even more smoothly.
ShipWorks Customer Service and Technical Support
ShipWorks offers the following options for customer support:
By phone: 1-800-952-7784 or 314-821-5888
By email: [email protected]
Via their Forum
ShipWorks | Web-Based or Desktop
We’ve mentioned before that this is a hybrid solution, but mostly working as a desktop app. This means ShipWorks is stored on your computer’s hard drive, which has its pros and cons:
Desktop PROs:
- Speed/Scalability: Desktop apps work better when handling high volumes of orders. Cloud-based apps work with each user sharing machine resources with thousands of other customers. Performance levels can be affected by this in case order volumes reach the thousands, or tens of thousands. A desktop shipping application can save you from this headache.
- Security: ShipWorks’s database is stored in your hard-drive, which is ideal for those businesses who manage the security of their information internally.
- Availability: A locally stored app means you can access your data at all times. When working with a cloud-based app, there might be service interruptions and you’ll have to wait for them to get back online.
Desktop CONs:
- Setup: A desktop application installation takes time, configuration with the potential of a troubleshooting issue. If you’re a Mac user, it might take a while to install the additional software for ShipWorks to run on your computer.
- Learning Curve: Desktop applications usually value functionality over user interface and experience. Because it’s a comprehensive solution with useful and specific functionalities it can’t be over simplified.
- Maintenance: The user is responsible for installing updates and making sure their information is backed up in case of a hard drive failure.
Closing Thoughts
If your business handles a high volume of orders or you’re planning on doing so in the near future, ShipWorks can make your life easier. It is an affordable and stable solution that can adapt to your shipping needs. There are other solutions out there that may be more user friendly or have a simpler design, but if you’re going for stability, scalability, and flexibility, then ShipWorks is what your business is looking for.
