MachShip's pricing engine utilizes information provided against a consignment in order to return a price. This standard information includes:

- Pickup Location Details
- Delivery Location Details
- Time and Day of collection
- Shipping Item dimensions and weights

Under certain circumstances, there is the need to obtain further information from a prospect in order to account for unknown quantities that affect surcharges.

These can include but are not limited to:
- Is a tailgate required to complete the delivery?

- Is the pickup address or delivery address residential?

- Will a crane truck be required to complete the delivery?

- Would the driver be required to hand unload the freight at the delivery point?

To account for circumstances like the above, MachShip has the ability for users to check questions before pricing is undertaken. This will then allow MachShip to return to the user quotes that will only include the transport providers and services that can complete the job, as well as include any surcharges for the movement. 

In circumstances where the answers to any of these questions are well known, MachShip allows both Companies and Saved Locations, to have default answers to questions. 

Before you are able to look to default a question when consigning with a company or saved location first, you will need to ensure that all surcharges and restrictions have been set up and linked to that company.

To check this, simply navigate through to either the Create Quote, Create Consignment or Create Quick Consignment.  If a question has been linked, it will show like the highlighted field below:

If you are not seeing any questions shown, please contact support@machship.com and advise of which surcharges, or restrictions you wish to require questions to be answered by the user. 

How to Setup Default Answers to Questions on Saved Company Locations

Select Create/Manage and then select View Locations

Find the saved location you wish to set the default question against and select Edit Location

Scrolling down on the edit screen and depending on the type of location that you are editing, be that a Pickup Location, Delivery Location, or Both you will find either one or both of the options below:

The two options, allow a user to define if a question should apply when using the location as a Pickup or Delivery location. 

Select the option to Set Default Questions

Click the option and the following modal will appear

Select the question that you wish to default, and then select Save Default Questions

The selected question will then show as below:

Select Save Location:

The question will now default whenever this company is used for the selected option, pickup or delivery, within the MachShip platform. 

How to Import Saved Locations with Default Answers to Questions

In order to import and add a default answer to a question with a saved location users have the ability to add the optional fields below to the import location template

Pickup Default Questions will be added in column N

Delivery Default Questions will be added in column O

To add in the question, simply place the full question text in the row that corresponds to the saved location. Multiple questions can be linked by semi-colon separating (no space) them in the cell as can be seen below:

You would then save the import spreadsheet as a comma-separated variable (CSV) file, and import via the standard import process as can be seen in the article here

If there is an invalid or incorrectly assigned question in the import template, note that both its row and the invalid text will be indicated during the import process as can be seen below:

Once successfully imported the question will now default whenever this company is used for the selected option, pickup or delivery, within the MachShip platform. 

How to Set Default Answers for Companies

Select Admin  and View Companies

Find the Company which you wish to default this question for and select Edit Company. 

Scroll down to the bottom section of the Edit Company page and you will see the option to Set Default Questions

Click the option and the Company Default Questions modal will appear

Select the question that you wish to default, and then select Save Default Questions

The selected question will then show as below:

Then select Save Company:

The question will now default whenever a client looks to create a quote within the MachShip platform.