Dashboard
The first screen after login answers the only question that matters on a Monday morning: what has been invoiced, what is moving, and what still needs paperwork.
Invoice Analytics at a Glance
Proforma and Commercial Invoice totals for the year, charted month by month, with the busiest month called out for you.
- Proforma Invoice and Commercial Invoice cards showing the year value, the invoice count and the highest month
- Switch the whole view between invoice amounts and invoice counts with one toggle
- Line, bar, area, pie and side-by-side Compare views of the same data
- Month-by-month table per document type, with each month percentage share of the year
- Pick any year to compare this season against the last one
GS (General Setup) Features
Everything static about your business - banks, contacts, ports, vessels, terms, units, stamps and signatures - is stored once in General Setup and pulled into every document afterwards. Only the genuinely variable data (voyage number, container numbers, quantities, prices) is ever typed again.
One Database Behind Every Document
Twenty-plus setup tables cover every reusable detail of an export shipment, so retyping - and the errors that come with it - simply stop.
- Banks, Contacts, Contact Types, Countries of Origin and Destination, Currencies
- Modes of Transport, Incoterms, Loads, Payment Terms, Shipping Terms
- Ports of Loading and Discharge, Vessels / Aircrafts, Products, UOM
- Company Name and Authorized Signatory, carrying your stamp and signature images
- Anything missing can be added from inside a document form via the "+" icon - no trip back to setup
PL Templates - Three Base Types, Unlimited Variations
Three base Packing List types cover virtually any packing requirement, from a needle to an aircraft. Build as many named templates as you have product lines.
- Base Template 1 - the common Packing List: volume, weights, count, tally number and a free column
- Base Template 2 - swaps tally for a second three-decimal quantity, for volumetric goods
- Base Template 3 - the complex one: bundle count and piece count together with volume and weight
- Create unlimited templates from those bases and give each one your own name
- Pick the template on the shipment, and every Packing List in it follows that shape
Name Every Packing List Column Yourself
This is the customisation no off-the-shelf product offers: you decide what each column is called and how precise it is.
- Volume column - call it CBM, CFT, CCF, MCF, Cubic Inch or Cubic Yard
- Weight unit - KGS, MT, ST, LBS, OZ - with your own decimal precision up to three places
- Count column - Bundle, Bale, Pallet, Crate, Carton, Package, Box or Log Count
- Tally column - Tally No, Batch No or Lot No, whichever your trade uses
- Last column - Grade, Class, Quality, Length, Dia, Width or product detail, free text
Text Contents - Your Reusable Clause Library
Delivery notes, terms and conditions and Certificate of Origin declarations live in the database and drop into documents on selection - still fully editable afterwards.
- Store standard Delivery Notes, Terms and Conditions and COO declarations once
- Select a stored block on a PI, PL or CI and it fills the rich-text field instantly
- Every pulled block stays editable in place for that one shipment
- Chamber of Commerce attestation wording flows straight onto the printed COO
- Rich-text formatting - bold, italic, underline, lists - carries through to the PDF
User Management and Permissions
Permission profiles are built module by module and action by action, then assigned to users. A documentation clerk can create but never delete; a manager can post and unpost a shipment.
Permission Profiles, Module by Module
Build a named profile by ticking exactly what it may do - module by module, action by action - then assign it to as many users as you like.
- Rights grouped as Administrator, General Setup, Shipment, Subscription Management and Help & Resources
- Separate List, Add, Edit and Archive switches on each module, with a master tick for a whole group
- Shipment adds Post and Unpost, so only seniors can lock or reopen a completed shipment
- Archive Records carries its own Permanently Delete right, kept apart from everyday archiving
- Rights are re-checked continuously while a user is signed in, so a change takes effect immediately
- A user without a right does not merely get blocked - the page and its menu entry disappear entirely
Audit Logs
Every create, update, delete, restore, login and logout is recorded with the user who did it and the exact time. When a buyer queries a figure, the history is already there.
A Complete, Searchable History
Every entry names the person, the record and what actually changed - then opens to show the old value beside the new one, field by field.
- Created, updated, deleted, restored, login and logout events all captured
- Each line reads in plain English - who changed which record, and how many fields moved
- Filter by user name, by document type, by action and by date range
- Jump straight from the log entry to the record it refers to
- Timestamps rendered in the viewer own timezone
- Read-only by design - the trail cannot be edited away
Archives
Records removed from a listing are archived rather than destroyed. They keep their identity, who archived them and when - and can be permanently removed only by someone holding that specific right.
Archive Instead of Delete
The Archive button sits on every listing. Archived records stay recoverable and fully accounted for.
- Archive from any listing - contacts, products, invoices, shipments and setup tables
- Archive Records screen shows the module, the record identity, who archived it and when
- Permanent deletion is a separate permission, so ordinary users cannot destroy data
- Archived records are automatically and permanently removed after three months
- Every archive and restore lands in the audit trail
Shipment
A shipment gathers the Proforma Invoice, the Packing List, the Commercial Invoice, the Packaging Declaration and every uploaded file under a single PI number - the one reference printed on all of them.
One PI Number Across Every Document
Select the Proforma Invoice and Flex carries the shipment forward, mirroring the PI number into the shipment number so searching stays simple.
- Pick the PI and buyer, exporter, consignee and terms carry across automatically
- PI number is mirrored into the Shipment Number so one reference finds everything
- Logistic, forwarder, supplier, shipping line and booking number all on one form
- Post the shipment to lock it - a posted shipment cannot be edited or deleted
- An admin can unpost, correct and post again, and the audit trail records all three steps
- Remarks are internal only and never appear on a printed document
Share Documents by Secure OTP Link
Generate a link for the whole shipment. Only the email addresses you authorise can open it, and only after a one-time password.
- One secure link covers every document in the shipment
- Authorise recipients by email address - several at a time, separated by commas
- The recipient must enter their email and verify a one-time password before anything opens
- Remove an address and its access expires immediately
- No portal account needed at the other end - it works for buyers, banks and forwarders alike
Centralized Documents and Emailing
Upload the third-party paperwork that never lived in a system - the bill of lading, the phytosanitary certificate, the insurance cover - store it against the shipment, and email everything together without leaving Flex.
Email the Entire Document Set in One Click
Tick the recipients, tick the documents, and send. The Proforma Invoice, Packing List, Commercial Invoice and Packaging Declaration attach themselves.
- Send to Shipper, Consignee, Buyer or any other address in one action
- Documents not yet created are shown greyed out, so nothing is sent half-finished
- The subject line carries the shipment number automatically
- Replies route to your own Reply-to address, set once in Email Setup
- Add a short covering note without opening a mail client
- Upload and store supporting documents against the shipment alongside the generated ones
Bulk Email Your Contacts, Properly Filtered
Announce a price list, a holiday closure or a new office to exactly the right slice of your contact book.
- Send to all contacts or narrow to a single contact type - buyers, forwarders, suppliers
- Sub-filter by country, state or province, city or town and postal code
- Compose subject and message in the same dialog
- A contact can hold several email addresses, and all of them receive the mail
- Runs on your configured Reply-to address and display name
Split Shipment
A single order often sails in parts - split by the shipping line across vessels, or shipped as planned part shipments by the exporter. Select the same Proforma Invoice again and Flex creates a second shipment against it, with its own containers, vessel, dates and documents.
Split One PI Across as Many Shipments as You Need
No duplicate PI and no re-keying: the same contract simply carries more than one shipment underneath it.
- Create a new shipment against a Proforma Invoice already used by another shipment
- Each split carries its own containers, seals, vessel, voyage and dates
- Each split produces its own Packing List, Commercial Invoice and Packaging Declaration
- Give each split its own shipment number while the PI number ties them together
- Post each part independently as it actually sails
Export & Import Excel Data
Moving to Flex does not mean retyping years of contacts, and living in Flex does not mean your data is locked in.
Import Your Existing Data From Excel or CSV
Download the template, paste your existing list into it, upload - your contact book is in.
- Download a ready-made template so the columns are never guesswork
- Upload Excel or CSV directly into the application database
- Imported contacts can hold several contact types and several email addresses each
- Rows are validated on the way in, so bad data is reported rather than silently stored
- Go live with a full contact book on day one instead of typing it over weeks
Export Any Listing to Excel
Every major listing carries an Export Excel button, so reporting, reconciliation and sharing stay one click away.
- Export Proforma Invoices, Commercial Invoices, Shipments, Contacts and Products
- Column filters and searches apply to the export, so you take exactly the slice you filtered
- Ready for your own pivot tables, bank submissions or management reporting
- The same listing also clones a Proforma Invoice in one click for repeat buyers
Document Customization - PL Headers & Additional PL / CI
Two customisations set Flex apart from every other export documentation product: column headers you rename on the document itself, and a second, alternate version of a Packing List or Commercial Invoice generated for destination customs.
Edit Packing List Headers Right on the Document
The pencil beside each column header renames it there and then - CBM, Log Count, Tally No, Grade - without touching the template or leaving the form.
- Rename volume, count, tally and free-text column headers inline on the Packing List
- The template supplies the default, the document lets you override it for this shipment only
- Add as many container and seal lines as the shipment needs with the "+" button
- Net and gross weights carry the decimal precision your template defines
- Whatever you name a column is exactly what prints on the PDF
Additional Packing List and Additional Invoice
Tick a line and Flex produces a second document with alternate quantities and values for destination customs, while your own records keep the true figures.
- On the Packing List, tick a container/seal line to route it to an Additional PL
- On the Commercial Invoice, tick a Description of Goods line to route it to an Additional CI
- Unticked lines print on the regular document, ticked lines print on the additional one
- Both versions are generated and downloadable side by side from the listing menu
- Your records keep the correct quantities and prices while customs receives the format it requires
PDF and Beautifully Designed Documents
Every document renders to a clean, typeset PDF carrying your company stamp and your authorised signature - laid out the way buyers, banks, chambers of commerce and customs expect to receive it.
Preview or Download Everything From One Menu
Each listing carries a menu with preview and download for the document, its additional version and its certificate.
- Preview in the browser before committing anything to paper
- Packing List, Additional Packing List, Certificate of Origin and Additional Certificate of Origin from one menu
- Commercial Invoice and Additional Invoice from the same place
- Proforma Invoice and Packaging Declaration render the same way
- Print-ready output that also attaches straight to an email or a bank submission
Chamber-Ready Certificates and Declarations
Your Certificate of Origin prints the declaration wording the Chamber of Commerce requires, with room for their signature and stamp exactly where they expect it.
- COO declaration text is stored in Text Contents and prints verbatim on the PDF
- Space reserved for the Chamber of Commerce signature and seal
- Packaging Declaration follows the legally recognised international format
- ISPM 15, timber and bamboo, and container cleanliness statements generated from your answers
- Your company stamp and authorised signature image applied to every document that needs one
HS Code Lookup Tool
Finding the right Harmonised System code normally means wrestling with a government website. Flex puts the lookup inside the product form.
Find Any HS Code Without Leaving Flex
Search by code to learn what it covers, or search by product to find its code - then drop the result straight into the product record.
- Search either direction - "4403.11" or "pine wood" both work
- Opens straight from the HS Code field while you are creating a product
- The selected code is written into the product and prints on the Commercial Invoice
- No external classification website, no copy-paste, no transcription errors
- Built in as standard rather than sold as an add-on