AI System for Recording Pallet Slips in an Exchange Ledger

The problem

Drivers send slip photos through WhatsApp while depots email scanned documents. Operations staff copy the company, trip, pallet type and quantity into a table by hand.

A late return slip means recalculating the company balance. When a slip is sent again, staff have to check whether it represents a new movement.

If delivery or return direction is unclear, tracing the balance back to a document becomes difficult. Outstanding returns and unsupported differences require separate follow-up.

What we set out to improve

• Slips are linked to the correct company, trip and pallet type with their sources
• Repeat slips create no extra movements and uncertain direction or quantity goes for review
• Balances calculated from approved opening records and verified movements can be traced to source slips

How the system works

1. 01Receive slip photos through the official WhatsApp Business Platform and scanned documents by email. Check the document identifier and file fingerprint, a record used to recognise another copy of the same file.
2. 02Match the sender to the depot or driver record. Link the document to the relevant company and trip.
3. 03OCR converts text in images into readable text. Extract pallet type, quantity, date and delivery or return direction from the slip, preserving each field’s source.
4. 04Route slips with unclear direction, unreadable quantity or different content under the same number to the reviewer’s queue.
5. 05Post verified movements to the ledger by company and pallet type. Calculate the balance using the approved opening balance and agreed calculation rule.
6. 06Add outstanding returns and differences without documents to the operations queue. The responsible person approves the reconciliation file used to compare the parties’ records.

Methods we used

• Use company, trip and pallet type records as the basis for matching slips.
• A pallet type dictionary maps different abbreviations to a shared type; uncertain readings are shown with their sources.
• Use document identifiers and file fingerprints to check duplicates; route different content under the same number for review.
• Calculate balances only from verified movements and approved opening records, linking each movement to its source slip.

Where people stay involved

Data and security

Driver phone numbers and signatures have separate access controls; the pallet ledger uses internal record codes. Personal fields unrelated to the work are separated before external reading. Source slips, extracted fields, corrections and ledger movements remain linked; instructions inside documents are not executed. Retention and deletion rules are agreed with the business. WhatsApp communication follows permission and messaging-window rules; notifications do not include sensitive documents or account decisions.

Who this suits