Overview
AfterShip lets your agent answer shipping and delivery questions from tracking records already held in AfterShip. Customers can ask where a parcel is, see its tracking history or find the deliveries for an order, without leaving the conversation.
All six AfterShip capabilities are reads. The agent does not create shipments, change courier details or edit tracking records.
The journey at a glance
- 1Find AfterShipOpen Integrations, search for AfterShip and click Connect.
- 2Connect AfterShipPaste the API key and click Verify & connect.
- 3Check the AfterShip pageConfirm the card says Connected.
- 4Choose what it can doTick Workspace and This agent, then Save capabilities.
- 5Set up Actions and approvalsSwitch on the AfterShip reads this agent should use.
- 6Try itAsk tracking questions in the Playground as a matched test customer.
Before you start
You need an AfterShip account that already has tracking records. The integration reads existing tracking; connecting it does not import or create deliveries.
Create an API key in AfterShip
- 1In AfterShip, open Settings → API keys → Create.
- 2Name the key, for example “Cevanos tracking”, and give it read access to trackings only.
- 3Create the key and copy it somewhere safe. You paste it into Cevanos once, during setup.
Minimum access
Do not add tracking write permissions; none of the six capabilities needs them. Never share the key in a screenshot, support ticket or public document.
Step 1
Find AfterShip
- 1In the Cevanos dashboard, open your agent and go to Deployment → Integrations.
- 2Type AfterShip in the search box, or look under Logistics.
- 3Check the badge on the card. Available means it is not connected yet. Click Connect.
Result
The Connect AfterShip pop-up opens.
Step 2
Connect AfterShip
2a. Before you start
The first screen explains that Cevanos checks what you enter against AfterShip before saving anything. Click Get started.
2b. Enter the API key
- 1Paste the key you created into API key. It is shown as dots.
- 2Click Verify & connect. If the key has the right access, the pop-up moves on to Connected.
2c. Connected
- The pop-up says “AfterShip is connected”.
- If AfterShip was connected before, you may be offered to switch its previous capabilities back on.
- Click Choose what it can do to go straight to Step 4, or Back to integrations.
Result
AfterShip is connected for the workspace, but your agent may not be able to use it yet.
Step 3
Check the AfterShip page
- 1Go back to Integrations and search for AfterShip again.
- 2Check that the card says Connected and offers Choose what it can do.
- 3Open the AfterShip page when you need to check the connection or disconnect later.
Result
You can confirm AfterShip is connected.
Step 4
Choose what it can do
Click Choose what it can do. Each capability has two checkboxes: Workspace makes it available to agents in your workspace, and This agent gives it to the agent you are setting up. Both must be ticked.
- 1Tick Workspace and This agent for the tracking lookups you need.
- 2Scroll through the whole list, including the rows below the fold.
- 3Click Save capabilities.
Result
The reads ticked in both columns are available to this agent. Customer matching and your policies still decide who sees what.
Step 5
Set up Actions and approvals
- 1In your agent's left sidebar, open Actions. Under Logistics, click the AfterShip card.
- 2Use the All, On, Reads and Cannot run filters.
- 3Turn on the reads this agent should use. If an answer you expect is missing, check for a read that is switched off.
No approvals here
All AfterShip capabilities are reads, so nothing waits in Operations → Pending actions.
- Reads run immediately and need no approval.
- Actions marked Matched customer run only after the customer's email or phone is matched to a customer.
- Actions marked Confirmed customer also need a verification code: the customer gets a 6-digit code by email, valid for 10 minutes and usable once. A newer code replaces an older one. Once the code is accepted, the customer may need to send one more message (for example “yes”) before the action is proposed.
- Actions that change something wait in Operations → Pending actions until a team member approves them.
- Approving in Pending actions can reload the Playground and reset its Test as email, so open Pending actions in a second browser tab while you test.
Result
You know which AfterShip reads this agent can run.
Step 6
Try it
Set Test as to an email that has a tracking record in AfterShip. A visitor who has not been matched must never see another customer's deliveries.
| Ask | What to check |
|---|---|
| “Do I have any parcels on the way?” | The agent finds that customer's shipments. |
| “Where is my parcel now?” | The latest tracking status. |
| “Where has it been?” | The recorded delivery checkpoints, when there are any. |
| “Can you track order 1001?” | A result only if the tracking record holds that order reference. |
| “When will my parcel arrive?” | The date AfterShip gives, or a reply that no estimate is available. It must never invent a date. |
Compare each answer with the same tracking in AfterShip. If AfterShip has no current estimate or courier event, the agent should say so rather than guess.
Result
Your agent answers delivery questions from AfterShip, and only for the customer it has matched.
Reference
What AfterShip can do
AfterShip supplies six capabilities. All six are reads and all six need a matched customer.
6 capabilities · 6 reads
- Matched customer
Find this customer's deliveries
“Do I have any parcels on the way?”
aftership.find_shipments - Matched customer
Track one of this customer's deliveries
“Where is my parcel now?”
aftership.get_shipment - Matched customer
Show where one of this customer's deliveries has been
“Where has my parcel been?”
aftership.get_shipment_history - Matched customer
Find this customer's deliveries for an order
“Track order 1001.”
aftership.find_shipment_by_order - Matched customer
List this customer's delivered parcels
“Which of my parcels arrived?”
aftership.list_recent_deliveries - Matched customer
Say when one of this customer's deliveries is expected
“When will my parcel arrive?”
aftership.get_delivery_estimate
Good to know
The agent only reports what AfterShip holds. If there is no delivery estimate, it says so instead of inventing one.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to check |
|---|---|
| Verify & connect fails | Check the key was copied correctly, is still active and can read trackings. |
| Connected, but no tracking answers | Check Workspace and This agent are ticked in Choose what it can do, and that the read is On in Actions. |
| A customer's parcel cannot be found | Check the customer is matched and their tracking record is linked to them in AfterShip. |
| An order number returns nothing | Check the order reference exists on the tracking record. |
| The delivery date is missing | Check whether AfterShip actually has an estimate. The agent must not invent one. |
Optional
Disconnect AfterShip
- 1Open the AfterShip page and use Disconnect AfterShip.
- 2Confirm only if you want agents to stop reading the workspace's tracking data.
- 3To revoke the key itself, delete or disable it in AfterShip under Settings → API keys.
Your data stays
Disconnecting does not delete any records stored in AfterShip, and it does not revoke the API key there.
Help from AfterShip
Ready to connect AfterShip?
Open your agent's Integrations and click Connect on the AfterShip card.