Intergate Gladly With AfterShip Tracking (Advanced)
Overview
Gladly is a customer service platform built to improve how businesses communicate with their customers. It focuses on creating a seamless, personalized customer experience by consolidating various communication channels such as email, chat, SMS, and social media into a single interface. This unified approach allows customer service agents to view all interactions with a customer in one place, creating a more seamless and informed support process.
In this upgraded version, we've integrated Gladly with the Gladly App platform, enabling a seamless connection with AfterShip. This integration brings together features like tracking, returns, and warranty management, letting you bring in data, trigger actions, and expand the capabilities of Gladly for both customer service agents and your customers.
What you’ll learn
- Difference between Gladly Basic and Gladly Advanced
- Use case
- Description of data pull and actions
- Create credentials from AfterShip
- Install the AfterShip App file on your Gladly App platform
- Configure your use case on Gladly
- FAQs
Difference between Gladly Basic and Gladly Advanced
In this guide, we distinguish between the Basic Integration, which utilizes the Gladly Lookup Adapter, and the Advanced Integration, which utilizes the Gladly App platform. Both integrations are highly functional and seamless, but the Advanced Integration offers additional flexibility and capabilities.
Here's a comparison of the two versions:
Feature | Basic | Advanced |
Integration Method | Uses Gladly Lookup Adapter | Uses the Gladly App Platform |
Supported Scenarios | Customer file card: Pre-defined layout and fields for agents | Customer file card: Flexible layout with more fields. - Actions for Sidekick: Trigger operations like tracking, returns, or warranty claims directly from Gladly or Sidekick. |
Installation Difficulty | Simple | Requires development skills |
Plans | Available on all plans | Available on all plans |
Use cases
- Agents can check shipments, returns, and warranties via customer profile cards
AfterShip sends relevant data to Gladly, which aggregates it by order. This allows agents to directly access and view shipment details, returns, and warranty claims associated with a specific customer order.
- Shoppers can track orders, initiate returns, or handle warranty claims via Sidekick, without needing agent assistance
By utilizing AfterShip's feature set up within your Sidekick guides, customers can independently resolve issues related to shipments, returns, and warranty claims, offering them a self-service option.
Description of data pull and actions
1. Data pull
- The shipment data sent from AfterShip to Gladly
Field | Description |
Tracking number | The shipment's tracking number. |
Tracking status | Current delivery status of the AfterShip shipment. |
Order number | The customer-facing number identifying a purchase or order placed by a customer. |
Carrier | The name of the carrier slug. |
Carrier service type | The shipment's carrier service type (e.g., UPS Express Saver®). |
Shipping method | The shipping method of the shipments. |
Destination address | The destination location of the shipment. |
Origin address | The origin location of the shipment. |
Transit time | The total time spent on this shipment so far. |
Estimated delivery | The latest estimated delivery date, determined based on the following priority order: Carrier estimated delivery date > AfterShip AI predicted estimated delivery date > Promised delivery date > Custom estimated delivery date. |
Delivered date | The delivery date of the shipment. |
Ship date | The ship date of the shipment. |
Pickup date | The pickup date of the shipment. |
Order date | The date when the order was placed. |
Item image | Image of the shipment item. |
Product title | Product title of the shipment item. |
Variant title | Variant title of the shipment item. |
Quantity | Quantity of the shipment item. |
Latest checkpoint carrier | The latest carrier of the shipment. |
Latest checkpoint status | The latest checkpoint status of the shipment. |
Latest checkpoint message | The latest checkpoint message from the carrier. |
Latest checkpoint address | The latest location of the shipment. |
Latest checkpoint date | The latest update time on the shipment from the carrier. |
AfterShip tracking page | URL to your AfterShip branded tracking page with “tracking number” as a pre-set parameter. |
Carrier tracking page | The carrier's tracking page URL. |
- The return data sent from AfterShip to Gladly
Field | Description |
RMA number | Return merchandise authorization number. |
RMA status | The status of the RMA. |
Created at | The date and time when the return was created. |
Order number | The order number associated with this return. |
Return method | Return method of the RMA selected by shoppers when the return request is created. |
Shop now | Whether it is the shop-now return. |
Gift return | Whether the return request is a gift return request. |
Refund method | Method used for processing the refund. |
Refund amount | Amount refunded to the customer. |
Internal note | Notes from the merchant based on the return. |
Item image (return item) | Image of the return item. |
Product title (return item) | Product title of the return item. |
Variant title (return item) | Variant title of the return item. |
Quantity (return item) | Quantity of the return item. |
Product ID (return item) | Product ID of the return item. |
Variant ID (return item) | Variant ID of the return item. |
SKU (return item) | SKU of the return item. |
Price (return item) | Price of the return item. |
Return reason (return item) | The reason for the return request. |
Return subreason (return item) | The sub-reason for the return request. |
Return reason note (return item) | The note from the customer. |
Product title (exchange item) | Product title of the exchange item. |
Product ID (exchange item) | Product ID of the exchange item. |
Variant ID (exchange item) | Variant ID of the exchange item. |
SKU (exchange item) | SKU of the exchange item. |
Quantity (exchange item) | Quantity of the exchange item. |
Exchange order | The exchange order number of the return. |
Tracking number | The shipment associated with this return. |
Tracking status | The shipment status associated with this return. |
Carrier | The carrier of the shipment. |
- The warranty data sent from AfterShip to Gladly
Field | Description |
RMA number | Return merchandise authorization number for the warranty. |
RMA status | Current status of the warranty claim. |
Warranty type | The type of the warranty claim. |
Place of purchase | Where the product was originally purchased. |
Created at | Date and time when the warranty claim was created. |
Product title (warranty item) | Product title of the warranty item. |
Variant title (warranty item) | Variant title of the warranty item. |
Item quantity (warranty item) | Quantity of the warranty item. |
Warranty reason (warranty item) | The reason why the customer needs to create a warranty. |
Warranty subreason (warranty item) | The sub-reason why the customer needs to create a warranty. |
Warranty resolution (warranty item) | The resolution of the warranty claim. |
Product title (replacement item) | Product title of the replacement item. |
Product ID (replacement item) | Product ID of the replacement item. |
Variant ID (replacement item) | Variant ID of the replacement item. |
SKU (replacement item) | SKU of the replacement item. |
Quantity (replacement item) | Quantity of the replacement item. |
Replacement order number | The replacement order number of the claim. |
Tracking number | The inbound shipment associated with this claim. |
Tracking status | The inbound shipment status associated with this claim. |
Carrier | The carrier of the shipment. |
2. Actions
By installing the AfterShip app, the following actions can be supported for your Gladly account:
Actions | Description |
LookupShipments | Supports looking up tracking info from AfterShip Tracking. |
LookupReturns | Supports looking up returns from AfterShip Returns. |
getReturnLink | Supports looking up the deeplink with customer email and order number for creating a return. |
LookupWarranties | Supports looking up warranty claims from AfterShip Returns. |
Orders | Supports looking up the order list from AfterShip. |
Set up process
1. Integration setup for AfterShip Tracking and Gladly
If you’ve already completed the Gladly Basic integration with AfterShip Tracking, you can skip this step and proceed to the configuration in Gladly.
Note: If you want to integrate both Tracking and Returns, make sure to select both products for installation. This ensures that we can identify the data scope and send it to your Gladly account.
Step 1. Access AfterShip integration
- Go to AfterShip Tracking and select Apps.
- Click View more apps and choose Gladly from the list.
- Click the Install app to access the integration authorization page.
- Follow the integration instructions carefully to establish the connection between the apps.
- Copy the URL in point 2 and keep it aside for later use.
- Copy the AfterShip API Key and keep it aside for later use.
Step 2. Log into your Gladly account
- Open Settings in your Gladly account.
- Navigate to Apps and click on Add App.
- Select Custom to add a new custom integration.
Step 3. Configure custom app
- Provide a name for the app.
- Paste the URL copied from AfterShip (Step 1, bullet 5) into the URL field.
Step 4. Add HTTP header
- In the HTTP Headers section, add as-api-key as the header key. (Make sure there is no space before or after the header key, otherwise it will show error when saving)
- Paste your AfterShip API Key (Step 1, bullet 6) into the corresponding field.
Step 5. Add signing key
- When saving the settings, you might encounter an error about an empty Signing Key. You can ignore this error and enter any value to proceed.
Step 6. Verify the integration
- After saving, the new custom app should appear under Apps in your Gladly account.
Step 7. Confirm the integration
- Go back to AfterShip Tracking and navigate to the Apps section. You should now see Gladly listed as successfully installed.
2. Install the AfterShip App on Your Gladly Platform
- Contact your Gladly CSM support to obtain the AfterShip app file.
- Install the app according to the installation guideline, or request your Gladly CSM support to assist with the installation.
- For authentication, the API key can be obtained from AfterShip during the first step.
- After installing the app, verify the app actions in your Gladly portal by navigating to Settings, then the App Actions.
3. Configure your use case on Gladly
A. [Optional] Display data from AfterShip on the customer file card
- Navigate to Customer Ticket > Customer File.
1. View the order list for a specific customer
Shipments, return RMAs, and warranty claims are grouped by orders, allowing agents to easily access the information using the order number.
2. Shipment details
Prerequisite: You must have integrated with AfterShip Tracking on the AfterShip portal.
3. Return RMA details
Prerequisite: You must have integrated with AfterShip Returns on the AfterShip portal.
4. Warranty claims details
Prerequisite: You must have integrated with AfterShip Returns on the AfterShip portal.
B. [Optional] Create guides with actions for your Sidekick
Navigate to Guides.
Sidekick is your AI-powered partner for customer service. Gladly Sidekick is an AI and automation platform for customer service teams, designed to deliver personalized self-service across all digital channels through Gladly Hero.
Based on the actions provided by the AfterShip app, you can set up guides for your Sidekick to help solve order-related customer requests.
The performance of your Sidekick is influenced by how the guides are configured in Gladly. For detailed instructions on using Sidekick, please contact your Gladly CSM support. For additional action cases, you can either reach out to your AfterShip CSM or develop them yourself based on the app file.
For further reference, you can check out the Gladly help article here.
Demo 1 - Track Orders
Action: LookupShipments
Demo 2 - Look Up Return Details
Action: LookupReturns
Demo 3 - Create Return RMA
Action: getReturnLink
FAQs
1. Which integration method is recommended for my use case?
- Basic Integration: Best for companies looking for a quick, simple integration to display basic AfterShip data like shipments, returns, and warranties in a predefined layout.
- Advanced Integration: Ideal for businesses that need customizations, including the ability to trigger actions (such as tracking, returns, or warranties) directly within Gladly or via Sidekick, offering more flexibility.
2. What should I do if I encounter issues during integration?
If you encounter any issues with the integration:
- Verify API Key and URL: Ensure that you have correctly copied the API key and URL from AfterShip during setup and added them to the Gladly platform.
- Confirm installation: Check the Apps section in both AfterShip and Gladly to verify that the app has been installed successfully.
- Remove previous integrations: If you have used the basic integration with a lookup adapter, make sure to remove the custom app from your Gladly account to avoid duplicate data.
For further troubleshooting, you can reach out to your AfterShip CSM or Gladly CSM support.
3. Do I need development skills for the Gladly Advanced Integration?
Yes, the Advanced Integration requires development skills, as it involves working with the Gladly App platform to customize the layout and trigger actions based on your specific needs. If you need assistance, you can contact your Gladly CSM support or your AfterShip CSM for guidance.
4. How do I manage return RMAs and warranty claims in Gladly?
Once the integration is complete, your agents will be able to view detailed RMA information and warranty claims directly from the customer profile. For example, agents can check the status of a return or warranty claim by looking at the relevant order number or tracking number.
To initiate a return, the agent can use the getReturnLink action to generate a deeplink, or customers can resolve these issues themselves via Sidekick.
5. Can I integrate both Tracking and Returns with Gladly?
Yes, you can integrate both Tracking and Returns with Gladly. Make sure to select both products during installation in AfterShip to ensure the integration correctly identifies the data scope and sends it to your Gladly account.
6. What should I do if I see an error with the integration?
If you encounter an error during the integration setup:
- Double-check the API key and URL from AfterShip.
- Ensure the correct configuration settings are applied in Gladly.
- If the error message mentions an empty Signing Key, you can ignore it and proceed by entering a placeholder value to continue the setup.
For more complex issues, reach out to your AfterShip or Gladly CSM support team.
Updated on: 17/10/2025