This system map is part of the proof-of-delivery disputes guide, which walks through the records that explain an exception. Here the job is narrower: where each of those records sits, and what joins them.
Six systems around one parcel
A regional courier or a retailer with its own fleet usually spreads one dispute across six places.
- Delivery platform. Route scans with time and geolocation, stop ID, driver ID, delivery status.
- Photo and signature store. Often part of the platform, sometimes a separate image service keyed by stop.
- Help desk. The recipient's or shipper's complaint, with a ticket ID and, ideally, the tracking number as a field.
- Client terms. Contracts or account notes holding each shipper's delivery rule, such as a photo of the house number for unattended drops.
- Claims or review notes. The reviewer's reasoning and outcome, in a claims tool or inside the ticket.
- Finance. Credit memo, refund or denial, and sometimes a chargeback response.
Retention differs by system, and the map has to record it. Scans and tickets are small and may be kept for years; images are large and may be purged sooner. Where a courier hands part of its volume to a national carrier, the carrier's own limits apply: FedEx, for one, says signed proof of delivery letters are available for up to 18 months with FedEx Express, and notes on its picture proof page that some deliveries may not include a photo.
The map: system, record, linking key, owner
The page's evidence asset. Read each row as one record and the key that lets it join the case.
| System | Record | Linking key | Owner | Common break |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delivery platform | Route scan with time and location | Tracking number, stop ID, driver ID | Delivery platform admin | Stop IDs renumbered at a platform change |
| Photo and signature store | Delivery photo, signature image, receiver name | Stop ID | Delivery platform admin | Images purged on a shorter schedule than scans |
| Help desk | Complaint ticket | Ticket ID, tracking number | Customer service manager | Tracking number typed in the body, not a field |
| Client terms | Delivery rule for the shipper | Client account ID | Account manager | Terms held as PDFs with no account reference |
| Claims notes | Reviewer reasoning and outcome | Claim ID, ticket ID | Claims lead | Decision recorded as a code with no words |
| Finance | Credit, refund or denial | Claim ID or tracking number, account ID | Finance manager | Amount booked without the claim reference |
| Address records | Address flags, later deliveries | Address ID | Route planning lead | Flags lost when the address book is re-imported |
A retailer that must answer a card chargeback needs the same joins in a hurry. Stripe's sample evidence packets list the carrier, ship and delivery dates, tracking number and status, and a delivery photo and signature verification, which is this table read across in one pass; chargeback representment records covers that side.
StripeOne wrong-door case joined end to end (Illustrative)
Illustrative; the courier, addresses and figures are fictional. A 410-person same-day courier delivers an electronics order to a terraced street where two houses share a gate. The recipient reports non-delivery.
| Step | System | What the record shows | Key carried forward |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delivery platform | Scan at 14:06 within the street geofence; status delivered | Tracking number, stop 22 |
| 2 | Photo store | Photo shows the parcel at a door numbered 14B; order address is 14A | Stop 22 |
| 3 | Help desk | Recipient ticket next morning, tracking number in a field | Ticket ID, tracking number |
| 4 | Client terms | The retailer's terms require photo of the house number for unattended drops | Client account ID |
| 5 | Claims notes | Reviewer compares photo with address: wrong door; driver sent back, parcel recovered from 14B | Claim ID |
| 6 | Finance | No credit needed; redelivery cost logged against the route | Claim ID, account ID |
| 7 | Address records | Address 14A flagged "shared gate, check number"; next three deliveries photographed at 14A | Address ID |
Every step joins because each system stored the key as a field. Swap one, say the help desk ticket with the tracking number only in the free text, and step 3 has to be matched by date and customer name. Swap step 7's address ID for a re-imported address book, and the evidence that the fix held disappears.
Where the joins usually fail
Three breaks are common:
- Platform changes. A new delivery platform issues new stop IDs, so photos from the old system lose their link to scans unless a mapping was kept.
- Image retention. Photos are large, and some companies purge them sooner than scans and tickets, which leaves the decision without the evidence it was based on.
- Codes instead of words. A claims note that says "POD invalid" without the rule or reason cannot be read later.
Freight versions of the same problem appear in over, short and damaged freight and freight audit exceptions; billing disputes in accounts receivable dispute resolution.
Who confirms the map, and who decides
The delivery platform admin and customer service manager confirm the keys and retention periods; the operations director knows which change is coming. The CEO decides whether a licensing discussion fits, with the COO or general counsel advising, and shipper contracts and recipient personal data shape what could be used; the who-can-license decision tree covers that path. For SourceX, an introduced company needs 50+ full-time employees at peak (contractors excluded), a documented operating history, rights to license and an authorized contact. Companies in the U.S., Canada and the EU qualify, as do companies in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, South Africa, Latin America, the UAE and Saudi Arabia when at least 90% of the data is in English.
What stays unknown until SourceX reviews it: buyer interest, how client contracts and personal data affect rights, the preparation needed and any offer. SourceX licenses approved business data directly from companies for AI training and evaluation, and manages the agreement, rights review, data preparation, delivery and payout. Partners sign the Channel Partner Agreement before submitting introductions; the first valid introduction within the 90-day window is credited when the company submits a verified application. The referral brief template turns the map's answers into a one-page note.
Next step
Refer a company. Earn up to $100,000. Default reward: 25% of Actual Supplier Payout, capped at $100,000 cumulatively per referred company. Eligibility and payment conditions apply, and a signed Schedule A or addendum can differ. A lead, meeting or signature alone does not trigger payment.
If a client's systems carry the tracking number, stop ID and claim ID as fields, register as a partner, check the company on who qualifies and read the program terms before you introduce the decision-maker, with the operations director as sponsor.