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PartnersParcel Management APIs
+Custom API

Parcel and delivery software capability

Connect your parcel system to the physical handover.

Design a custom workflow that turns an inbound parcel record into a secure locker deposit, recipient notification, verified collection and useful final status—without assuming an endpoint or data flow before discovery.

  • System-neutral patterns
  • Explicit status ownership
  • Exception-first design
Recipient taking a package from a Vpod smart locker
Receive quickly

Create or accept the parcel record once, then identify the intended recipient.

Deposit securely

Request a suitable compartment and confirm that the parcel is safely stored.

Close the loop

Return collection, timeout or exception status to the system that owns the journey.

Capability page—not a partner profile

This page describes integration patterns and solution-design decisions. It does not publish an API specification, promise a connector or imply that named endpoints, payloads, notifications or bidirectional data flows already exist.

Start with the operating model

Agree who owns each decision before defining the interface.

A parcel platform may own booking, inbound scan and recipient matching; the locker service may own compartment availability, door control and collection evidence. The actual division depends on the chosen systems and project scope.

The design should connect secure parcel lockers for workplace and building collections with delivery lockers used for unattended courier handovers, while keeping one authoritative parcel reference and an agreed owner for every exception.

Use Vpod’s partner hub to place the capability alongside workplace, identity, access and service-management workflows. If no supported standard connector fits, discovery can establish whether a custom integration is technically and commercially appropriate.

Design around real decisions

A useful API connects actions—not just fields.

The courier needs a quick deposit. The recipient needs an unambiguous instruction. Facilities needs overflow handled. IT needs authentication, retry and monitoring rules that can be operated safely.

Request and response

Define identifiers, allowed actions, rejection reasons and the system of record.

Failure is part of the design

Timeouts, duplicates, retries and partial completion need named outcomes.

The visual integration journey

From inbound parcel PX-78421 to “collection confirmed”.

This is an illustrative workflow, not a published endpoint contract or evidence of deployed functionality.

PARCEL PLATFORM · ILLUSTRATIVE INBOUND EVENT
PARCEL RECEIVEDPX-78421 · Aisha KhanNorthStar courier · London HQ · 12 Sep · 09:18
VPOD PARCEL LOCKER
SECURE DEPOSIT READYCompartment P-18 allocatedReception lobby · medium door · hold for 24 hours
  1. 01 · CREATE

    Record the inbound parcel

    Tracking reference PX-78421, courier, arrival time and parcel size enter the agreed workflow.

  2. 02 · MATCH

    Confirm the recipient and rules

    Name, site, department and collection eligibility are resolved before allocation.

  3. 03 · ALLOCATE

    Reserve and confirm a compartment

    Size, available capacity, location and access policy lead to Compartment P-18.

  4. 04 · NOTIFY

    Send the collection instruction

    The agreed channel supplies the locker location, collection window and secure access method.

  5. 05 · COLLECT

    Verify and release the parcel

    The recipient presents the supported code, barcode, credential or other confirmed method.

  6. 06 · RETURN

    Send proof and final status

    Collection time, compartment and outcome return to the agreed system of record.

Exceptions and changed circumstances

If the recipient is unknown, the parcel is oversized, no door is free, a deposit fails, notification cannot be delivered or collection expires, keep the parcel secure and route the case to a named owner.

Governance and multi-site operation

Keep identifiers, statuses, retry rules and evidence consistent while documenting each building’s locker bank, directory, opening hours, courier point, overflow route, retention and support team.

Names, tracking references, dates and compartments are illustrative. Availability, authentication, supported triggers, payloads, endpoints, notifications, data direction, event delivery and exception handling must be confirmed during solution design.

What the interface must agree

Define the information exchange without inventing the implementation.

Parcel creation

Reference, courier, arrival time, size, source and duplicate-handling rule.

Recipient matching

Authoritative directory, location, ambiguous matches, visitors and leavers.

Allocation

Door size, zone, capacity, reservation expiry and rejected-request outcome.

Deposit

Courier identity, door opening, closure confirmation and abandoned transactions.

Notification and access

Channel owner, delivery result, reminder, credential and delegated collection.

Proof and exceptions

Collection evidence, timeout, retry, fault, overflow and operational escalation.

Decisions by team

One parcel journey with clear ownership.

Remove parcel bottlenecks

Make the failed handovers visible before they become reception problems.

Compare parcel operations

Manual reception handling versus an API-connected locker journey.

Operational point
Reception or parcel room
Custom API and smart lockers
Arrival
Staff retype courier and recipient details
An agreed inbound record starts the next action
Storage
Parcel location depends on shelves and memory
Allocation returns a specific compartment or rejection reason
Collection
Recipient queues during staffed hours
Verified self-service collection follows agreed access rules
Proof
Signatures and system records remain separate
Agreed locker evidence closes the parcel status
Failure
Problems surface when someone complains
Timeouts, duplicates and faults route to named owners

See the joined-up parcel journey

Connect courier, locker, recipient and operational evidence.

Parcel Intelligence shows how the separate parts of parcel receipt and collection can operate as one unified ecosystem.

Watch Parcel Intelligence: Unified Parcel Ecosystem
Vpod Parcel Intelligence Unified Parcel Ecosystem video thumbnail
Vpod parcel workflow videoParcel Intelligence: Unified Parcel Ecosystem

Scope before development

Confirm the contract before anyone writes integration code.

Systems of record

Name the owner for parcel, recipient, notification, locker and evidence data.

Supported actions

Confirm creation, match, reserve, deposit, notify, collect, cancel and expire needs.

Security

Agree authentication, authorisation, secrets, personal data and audit access.

Reliability

Define availability, retries, idempotency, duplicate control and reconciliation.

Operational response

Name owners for full lockers, faults, unknown recipients and expired collections.

Multi-site rollout

Document local directories, zones, capacity, hours, couriers and support.

Integration availability, supported triggers, data direction and delivery scope must be confirmed during solution design. No endpoint, payload, event, authentication method, notification channel, service level, certification, native functionality or existing customer deployment should be inferred from this capability page.

Start with one real delivery

Show us what happens from courier arrival to collection today.

Bring the parcel system, recipient source, parcel volumes and sizes, notification route, required evidence, site differences and common exceptions.

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