All Despatch Settings
Despatch Settings in Helm WMS controls how orders leave your building: the couriers you ship with, the rules that choose each order's service, deadline and paperwork, and the parcels you pack into. This page explains what each part does and links to its full guide.
What Despatch Settings Covers
Despatch Settings is the second group on the Settings page. It holds everything Helm needs to get an order out of the door: the couriers you ship with, the parcels you pack into, and the rules that decide each order's service, deadline and paperwork.
Once these are set up, most orders need no decisions from your team. Helm picks the service, sets the despatch deadline, tags or holds the order and prints the right documents as it goes. Every page in the group has its own guide, linked below.
Example: an order for two jumpers to Germany arrives from Shopify. A shipping rule gives it a tracked EU service, a despatch target rule sets it to leave by 3pm today, an order rule tags it as international, and a document rule prints the customs paperwork with the label. The packer just picks, packs and ships.
Before You Start
Where to find it: go to Settings. Despatch Settings is the second group on the page, below Company Settings, with a tile for each setting.
Two of the tiles have a second way in: Shipping Rules also opens from the Shipping menu, and Order Rules from the Processing menu. Both routes open the same list.
Rules build on other settings: a shipping rule can only choose a courier service you have already set up, and a document rule can only use a print template that already exists.
Note: the Printing Queue is not a Settings tile. Open the account menu behind your name, top right, choose Jobs, then Printing Queue.
Despatch Settings at a Glance
Each page name links to its full guide.
How to Set Up Despatch Settings in Helm
If you are setting up despatch for the first time, work through the pages in this order. Each step sets up something a later step relies on.
Link your shipping partners in Couriers and set up the services you use with each one.
Add the boxes, bags and envelopes you ship in to Package Type Settings, with their dimensions and how their weight is decided.
Create your Shipping Rules, so Helm chooses the right courier service for each order. Set up couriers first, because a rule can only choose a service that already exists.
Set your Despatch Target Rules, so every order arrives with a deadline your team can work to. A new rule starts Inactive, so switch it on once you have checked its schedule.
Add Order Rules for the repetitive decisions your team makes on orders, such as tagging, holding or filing them in a folder.
Create Document Rules for any paperwork that needs its own template or should print automatically, such as a gift note with gift orders.
If you ship abroad, check International Shipping so your export documents list items the way your customs paperwork needs.
Finally, open Notifications and set up the emails your customers receive as their orders move through Helm.
Tip: when a shipping rule or order rule filters on order items, such as a SKU or quantity, choose whether it should match when Any Item meets the condition or only when All Items do. Any Item vs All Items in Rule Filters explains the difference.
Best Practices & Notes
Test Rules on a Few Orders First
A rule acts on every order it matches. Build it, check it against a handful of real orders, and only then rely on it for your full volume.
Keep Rule Names Clear
Name each rule after what it does, such as "EU orders over 2kg to DPD". When an order does something unexpected, a clear name tells you straight away which rule acted on it.
Review When Your Couriers Change
A new courier, a retired service or a new parcel size usually means updating your shipping rules and package types together, so orders keep landing on services you still use.
FAQ
Where is the Printing Queue?
Where is the Printing Queue?
Open the account menu behind your name, top right, choose Jobs, then Printing Queue. Printing Queue explains the statuses and how to retry a failed print.
Why can I open Shipping Rules and Order Rules from two places?
Why can I open Shipping Rules and Order Rules from two places?
They are used day to day as well as at setup, so Helm also lists them under the Shipping and Processing menus. Both routes open the same list, so a change made in one appears in the other.
Where do I edit the templates my document rules use?
Where do I edit the templates my document rules use?
In Settings > System Settings > Print Template Settings. Print Templates in Helm covers how to create and edit them.
Where can I see which notifications a store sends?
Where can I see which notifications a store sends?
Each store's page lists the notifications set up for it, with a shortcut to edit each one in Notifications. Store Settings explains the store page.
Where are Company Settings and System Settings?
Where are Company Settings and System Settings?
They are the groups above and below Despatch Settings on the same Settings page. Understanding Helm Settings explains what each group is for.
If you are still stuck, contact Helm Support.
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