SoftSlate Cloud Platform Improvements, 5/12/25

Avalara Sales Tax and Address Validation Integration
The SoftSlate Cloud Platform now offers integration with Avalara for computing and recording sales tax, as well as address validation. AvaTax provides accurate, real-time sales tax information based on an order’s point of origin, destination address, and product types. For full details, please visit: https://softslate.com/content/Avalara_Sales_Tax_Integration. Here are some highlights:
  • Settings allow you to specify which states to use AvaTax for, and how transactions are recorded in Avalara's system.
  • Each jurisdiction, tax rate, and tax amount is recorded in SCP and can be exported for tax reporting purposes.
  • As an order's status changes in SCP, you can trigger the transaction to be posted and/or committed in Avalara’s system.
  • Address validation can be applied during checkout; invalid addresses prompt customers to double-check their entries.
  • You can test connectivity to Avalara and receive notifications about any connectivity issues, making setup and troubleshooting easy.
 
UPS Shipping Labels
SCP now integrates with UPS for creating shipping labels! You can generate UPS shipments directly within the administrator application for orders and transfers, eliminating the need to manually copy and paste addresses, tracking numbers, or other information.
When creating a label, you can select from pre-defined package definitions you've set up, so there's no need to enter weights and dimensions each time. Labels are saved in PDF format and stored with the corresponding orders and transfers. They can be printed using any inkjet, laser, or thermal printer. For full details, please visit: https://softslate.com/content/UPS_Shipping_Labels. Highlights include:
  • Create a UPS label for an order shipment directly from the customer service form. Once generated, an icon appears with a link to the label, allowing you to print it immediately. The address is prepopulated with the customer’s delivery information.
  • Create a UPS label for an internal transfer between your locations. The addresses are prepopulated, and the label can be created and printed from the transfer grid screen.
  • Create a label to attach to each Unit in the system.
  • Use Package Definitions to select a predefined package when creating a label. You can also adjust the package details directly in the label form if needed.
  • Labels are created and stored in PDF format, so they can be printed using any standard printer. You can select and print multiple labels at once, and SCP tracks which ones have already been printed.
 
Infrastructure Improvements
We continue to enhance our hosting environment to boost performance and security:
  • Upgraded our web servers’ CPU capacity for improved performance and faster response times.
  • Updated the web servers’ operating system to the latest available version.
  • Refined automated failover functions to ensure maximum uptime. Our service continues to maintain uptime in excess of 99.99%.
  • Added new rules to our Web Application Firewall (WAF) to block illegitimate requests and improve platform protection.
 
Other Recent Improvements
  • Quickly create transfers for multiple products and product variants, including quantities, directly from the Inventory Tracking by Location screen.
  • Security enhancements in alignment with new PCI requirements.
  • New built-in reports, including abandoned checkouts and sales by product.
  • Quick-add forms in the administrator interface to simplify and speed up adding new records.
  • Ability to export all pages for an entity in the administrator interface.
  • Support for Authorize.net’s Accept.js integration method.
  • Numerous other small fixes and enhancements.