Welcome to Logistica

Welcome to Logistica

Logistica runs a cargo business end to end: book shipments, load them into containers, charge by CBM when the container arrives, and let customers track and pay from their phone.

How a shipment flows

1. Book it. Record the customer and their cargo the moment it lands in your China warehouse. No rates needed yet.
2. Assign a container. Each container carries its own CBM rate per goods type and an ETA.
3. Mark the container Arrived Warehouse. Every shipment inside becomes Arrived and its charge is calculated automatically from its goods type's rate on that container.
4. Get paid. Record cash, transfer, or POS — or let the customer pay online with Paystack, even in part payments.
5. Release the goods. Mark shipments Partial Delivery or Delivered as customers collect.

What each section is for

• Home — today's numbers and quick actions.
• Shipments — every booking, its stage (Booked → In Transit → Arrived → Partial Delivery → Delivered), cargo, and payments.
• Customers — profiles, balances, goods released vs. still in your warehouse, and portal PINs.
• Containers — each container's rates, ETA, expenses, and profit & loss.
• Accounts — company expenses, a full ledger, and net profit/loss.
• Support — issues customers raise from the portal, with photos.
• Settings — business info, goods types, tax, Paystack, staff, and the links you share.

Your customers get an app too

Share the Customer Portal link from Settings → Shareable Links. Customers sign in with phone + PIN, see every shipment live, pay their balance, raise issues, and can install the portal on their home screen.

Where to go next

Read Getting started with Logistica to set up your business, first container, and first shipment.

Getting started with Logistica

Set up your business details, create your first container, and book your first shipment. Ten minutes, start to finish.

1. Set your business details

1. Open Settings → Business Info.
2. Enter your Business Name — it shows on receipts and the tracking page.
3. Enter your Phone for calls and your WhatsApp number. Both are shown to customers so they know which line to use for what.
4. Tap Save Business Info.

2. Check your goods types

1. Open Settings → Goods Types.
2. Logistica starts with Compressed Goods, Bale, and Carton. Add your own (e.g. Furniture) or remove ones you don't use.
3. Tap Save Goods Types.

Every shipment gets a goods type, and every container sets a CBM rate per goods type — this list drives your pricing.

3. Turn on online payments (optional)

1. Open Settings → Online Payments.
2. Switch on Enable Paystack and paste your Public Key and Secret Key (from dashboard.paystack.com → Settings → API Keys).
3. Optionally switch on Pass Processing Fees to Customers — default is 1.5% + ₦100, capped at ₦2,000 per transaction.
4. Tap Save Paystack.

Without Paystack, Logistica still works — you record cash and transfers yourself.

4. Create your first container

1. Open Containers and add a container.
2. Enter the container number, status (Booked, In Transit, or Arrived Warehouse), and the ETA.
3. Set the CBM rates — one rate per goods type, e.g. Compressed Goods ₦50,000/CBM, Carton ₦100,000/CBM. These apply to each shipment when the container arrives.

5. Book your first shipment

1. Tap the + button (New Shipment). The wizard has 4 steps:
2. Customer — pick an existing customer or add a new one.
3. Cargo — tap Add Cargo Item for each piece, with its weight and volume.
4. Details — pick the container, choose the Goods Type, and optionally add a Float Estimate (a rough quote you can share at booking).
5. Confirm — tap Confirm Shipment.

No charge is set at booking. The charge is calculated automatically from the container's CBM rate for that goods type the moment you mark the container Arrived Warehouse.

6. Share your customer portal

1. Open Settings → Shareable Links.
2. Tap Copy next to Customer Portal and send it to customers on WhatsApp.

Customers sign in with their phone number and a PIN. Set a customer's PIN from their profile (Customers → open the customer → Set PIN), or let them sign up themselves — see the sharing tutorial.

What Logistica costs

Logistica is included in the Pancho Plus plan (₦28,000/month) and every plan above it. Try the free demo with sample data before you commit.

Working in Logistica day-to-day

The daily loop: book cargo in China, arrive the container, collect payment, release goods.

1. Book shipments as cargo comes in

1. Tap + (New Shipment).
2. Pick the customer, tap Add Cargo Item for each piece, pick the container and Goods Type, then Confirm Shipment.

Booked shipments show no charge yet — their stage and ETA follow their container.

2. Move the container along

1. Open Containers and tap the container.
2. Update its status: Booked → In Transit → Arrived Warehouse.

Marking it Arrived Warehouse does the work for you: every shipment inside becomes Arrived and its charge is calculated from the container's CBM rate for its goods type. You can also add, rename, or delete the container's rate categories right on the container page.

3. Adjust a charge if needed

On an arrived shipment you can fine-tune the money:

1. Open the shipment and edit it.
2. Set a KG Rate (per kg, 0 = no weight charge) to charge by weight on top.
3. Add a Discount % with a reason.

These fields unlock only once the shipment has arrived.

4. Record payments

1. Open the shipment and tap Record Payment.
2. Pick Cash, Transfer, or POS/Card and enter the amount. The balance updates instantly.

Online Paystack payments from customers land by themselves — including part payments.

5. Release the goods

1. When a customer collects, change the shipment status to Partial Delivery (some pieces released) or Delivered. Tap Change Status — it sits right under the status timeline.
2. A customer's profile shows Goods Released — how many pieces are out and how many are still in your warehouse.

6. WhatsApp a customer

Open any shipment and tap WhatsApp Customer. It opens a chat straight to their saved number with the shipment summary ready to send.

7. Answer support issues

Customers raise issues (with a photo) from their portal. They land in Support — open the ticket, reply in the thread, and close it when resolved.

8. Keep the books

1. Record container costs (shipping line, clearing, transport) on each container — its page shows profit & loss on collected and billed basis.
2. Record company costs in Accounts → Record Expense (Rent, Salary, Asset, Vendor, Utilities, Transport, Tax, Other). The ledger shows every naira in and out, plus Income, Expenses, Net Profit/Loss, and Outstanding.
3. Reports shows collections, outstanding, daily trends, top cargo types, and top customers — with exports for payments, unpaid, and who's owing.

Sharing Logistica with your customers

Give every customer a live window into their cargo — and give staff their own logins.

1. Share the customer portal link

1. Open Settings → Shareable Links.
2. Tap Copy next to Customer Portal.
3. Send it on WhatsApp, SMS, or put it on your website.

Customers sign in with phone + PIN. They see every shipment (even in-transit ones), its cargo, container, ETA and stage, their charges once goods arrive, and can pay online.

2. Give a customer their PIN

1. Open Customers and tap the customer.
2. Tap Set PIN (4–8 digits), then Copy it and send it to them with the portal link.

You can Clear a PIN anytime to cut off access.

3. Or let customers sign up themselves

1. Open Settings → Customer Sign-ups.
2. Switch on Let customers sign themselves up (on by default) and copy the Sign-up link.
3. New sign-ups appear in Customers under Awaiting approval — tap Approve to unlock their portal access.

4. What customers can do in the portal

• Track every shipment live — charges and the pay button appear once goods arrive.
• Pay online with Paystack — the full balance or any part of it. Your bank details show too if you enabled them in Settings.
• Raise an issue about a shipment, with a photo, and chat with your team until it's resolved.
• Install the portal on their phone's home screen — there's an install button on their dashboard.

5. Send a receipt link

Every shipment has its own receipt page with a unique link — open the shipment and share it. To also show receipts inside the portal, switch on Show Receipt Link under Settings → Customer Portal.

6. Staff sign-in

1. Open Settings → Staff and tap Add staff — name, phone, role (Staff or Admin), and an initial PIN.
2. Copy the Staff sign-in link and share it. Staff sign in with phone + PIN and land on the dashboard.

Staff can book and delete shipments, record payments, manage containers and accounts, and view Reports. Settings, Paystack, and staff management stay admin-only. The Activity Log records each person's actions under their own name.

7. Use your own domain

1. Open Account → Domains on the platform sidebar.
2. Add a domain you own and point its DNS at the records shown.
3. Map it to Logistica.

Your portal, receipt, and sign-up links then use your domain automatically — visitors to the domain root land straight on the customer portal.

Customizing Logistica for your business

Everything below lives under Settings. Set it once; the whole app — receipts, portal, booking forms — follows.

Goods types

1. Open Settings → Goods Types.
2. Add or remove types (defaults: Compressed Goods, Bale, Carton) and tap Save Goods Types.

These are the types staff pick on a shipment and that each container prices per CBM. You can also add, rename, or delete rate categories directly on any container.

Tax / VAT

1. Open Settings → Tax / VAT and switch on Add tax to invoices.
2. Set the Tax Label (default VAT) and Rate (default 7.5%).
3. Tap Save Tax Settings.

Every new shipment adds the tax as its own invoice line. The rate is locked onto each invoice when it's created — changing it later never alters old invoices.

Bank account on receipts

1. Open Settings → Bank Account.
2. Switch on Show Bank Details on Receipt and enter bank name, account number, and account name.

Customers see where to transfer, on every receipt and in the portal's payment sheet.

Discount reasons and document types

• Settings → Discount Reasons — the reasons offered when you discount a shipment (e.g. "Long-term customer").
• Settings → Document Types — upload categories for customer documents. Defaults: Manifest, Packing List, Invoice, Receipt, Bill of Lading, Waybill, Customs Declaration, Other.

Charge features

Under Settings → Charge Features:

• Pictures (on by default) — staff can attach photos of cargo or documents.
• Messages to Customers (on by default) — send a customer a note they see in their portal.

Customer portal options

Under Settings → Customer Portal:

• Show Receipt Link (off by default) — let customers open receipts from the portal.
• Allow Public Tickets (on by default) — customers can post issues visible to other customers.
• PDF Download (off by default) — invoices downloadable as PDF.

Notifications

Under Settings → Notifications:

1. Phone Alerts (ntfy) — free push alerts via the ntfy app for you, your customers, and each office.
2. SMS Alerts (Twilio) — text messages on shipment updates and payments (needs your Twilio account; Twilio charges per SMS).
3. Choose what triggers notifications per event, including automatic past-due payment reminders — checked once a day, no setup needed. Send Reminders Now fires them on demand.

Printing

Settings → Printing → Small Receipt Printer turns on a Print button for small receipt printers (Chrome and Edge only).

Your name in the Activity Log

Settings → Business Info → "Your name (activity log)" — how your own actions appear in the log. Staff always show their own login name. Leave empty to use your profile name.

Offices

Run more than one office — add and manage them from the office switcher. All offices share one set of company data: a shipment booked in Lagos is visible and editable in Onitsha. Deleting an office never deletes data; its records move to another office.

Note: your account currency is set at signup from your phone's country code and can't be changed. The Currency Symbol field in Business Info only controls the symbol shown on amounts.