NetDespatch has launched an innovative web-based, bar code label printing service that is set to transform parcel shipping systems.

By connecting to shipping data held on central servers, the NDLabels system allows bar code tracking labels to be printed from any web page, at any location and on any printer. The new service can be utilised at head offices, hubs or depots, as well as at customer sites as part of a NetDesptach web-based shipping system.

Quick and simple to use, NDLabels provides instant printing of bar code labels, in pre-specified formats, to a wide range of bar code, laser or ink-jet printers. With shipping details held on the central NetDesptach web-servers, the labelling software can be accessed from any PC, anywhere, so long as it is connected to the Internet. The service is ideally suited for collection and delivery operations that need bar coded parcel labels, returns labels or re-labelling for forwarding to be produced at different stages of the supply-chain.

Crucially, NDLabels works with any printer, any label output, and at any location. Labels, from a pre-configured selection, are printed as soon as users click "submit" on their web form - there is no need for the cumbersome "right click, and print," which has previously restricted web-based shipping systems to low volume operations. NDLabels is a fully hosted, off-the-shelf, web service and is paid for on a per order basis, so apart from a small set-up charge, there are no special software or hardware requirements.

Underpinning business agility, custom-built solutions can be configured in a matter of days as NDLabels integrates in real time with existing systems and works seamlessly with other NetDespatch web services. With the launch of this service, we can provide flexible shipping solutions for customers with high-volume data entry requirements; we can send collection alert e-mails that include labels, and even provide labels as a result of XML requests from other websites.

"For delivery service providers, the development will allow significant improvements in efficiency, flexibility and customer service" comments Matthew Clark, Chief Technology Officer at NetDespatch.

www.netdespatch.com