An ASN can be described as an electronic notification sent by a vendor to a customer, a message that sets out the details of a pending delivery. Usually sent via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) – or via web, ASNs inform a customer that goods created against a previously sent purchase order (P.O.) are on their way and basic information linked to the order provided. For example, a large department store can accurately tell, with the help of an ASN, the contents of a given delivery, including the specifics of the particular delivery such as weight, the number of items received, the packaging criteria, among other details.

This kind of visibility goes a long way in providing improved efficiencies and better productivity, particularly when it comes to moving goods along the supply chain. It is nevertheless important to mention that the viability or effectiveness of ASNs largely depends on proven criteria or principles that are otherwise identified as the 4Cs. Completeness surfaces as the first critical construct, a guide that highlights the need for complete details regarding information linked to a specific delivery. ASNs are therefore incorporative of basic information – as it pertains to a given shipment – and other essential details such as product description, order information, and carrier information, to list a few.

Correctness, the second principle, highlights the importance of accuracy while relaying on ASNs. This particular principle becomes a vital ingredient to both the vendor and the customer, understanding that ASNs notify authorized parties of what is shipped and in what quantities the shipments are in. Therefore, any alterations to what was ordered are immediately known by the recipients, a needed heads up that can be instrumental to the customer, especially when it comes to planning.

The last two principles – Confirmation and Communication – are more or less secondary to the first two principles. Confirmation seeks to validate the accuracy of the details included in the ASN, an exercise that becomes paramount more so when an ASN replaces an invoice. On the other end, communication seeks to address the invaluable importance of sending ASNs in a timely fashion. It's highly advisable that vendors send ASNs immediately after dispatching a shipment, an action that consequently offers the customer ample time to plan for the delivery.