Automated Shipment Tracking Bot for Web Forms and Email Inquiries

This n8n workflow automates the process of retrieving shipment tracking information based on user requests, whether submitted via a webhook (e.g., a web form) or through email inquiries. It intelligently processes tracking numbers, fetches real-time updates from a hypothetical external API, and responds to the user with the tracking status.

What it does

This workflow streamlines the shipment tracking process through the following steps:

1. Listens for Inquiries: It can be triggered by two sources:
   • Webhook: A POST request to a defined webhook URL (e.g., from a web form submission).
   • Gmail Trigger: New emails arriving in a specified Gmail inbox.
2. Extracts Tracking Number:
   • For webhook requests, it assumes the tracking number is provided in the request body.
   • For Gmail inquiries, it uses a Code node to parse the email body and extract a tracking number.
3. Determines Source: An If node checks whether the request originated from the Webhook or Gmail to apply appropriate processing.
4. Fetches Tracking Data: It makes an HTTP Request to an external API (e.g., a DHL tracking API, though the specific URL is not defined in the JSON) using the extracted tracking number.
5. Responds to User:
   • If the request came from the Webhook, it uses the "Respond to Webhook" node to send the tracking information back to the requester.
   • If the request came from Gmail, it uses the Gmail node to send an email reply containing the tracking status.
6. Merges Paths: A Merge node combines the workflow paths after fetching the tracking data, ensuring a unified flow for responding.

Prerequisites/Requirements

To use this workflow, you will need:

• n8n Instance: A running n8n instance.
• Gmail Account: Configured as a credential in n8n for the "Gmail Trigger" and "Gmail" nodes.
• External Tracking API: Access to a shipment tracking API (e.g., DHL, FedEx, UPS) that can return tracking details based on a tracking number. You will need to configure the HTTP Request node with the correct API endpoint and any required authentication.
• Basic JavaScript Knowledge (Optional but Recommended): To customize the "Code" node for robust email parsing if your email inquiry format varies.

Setup/Usage

1. Import the Workflow: Download the provided JSON and import it into your n8n instance.
2. Configure Credentials:
   • Set up your Gmail Account credentials in n8n.
   • Assign the Gmail credentials to both the "Gmail Trigger" node (ID: 824) and the "Gmail" node (ID: 356).
3. Configure Webhook:
   • Activate the "Webhook" node (ID: 47). n8n will provide a unique URL. Use this URL in your web form or application to send tracking requests.
4. Configure HTTP Request:
   • Edit the "HTTP Request" node (ID: 19).
   • Set the URL to your chosen shipment tracking API endpoint.
   • Configure the Method (e.g., GET, POST) and Headers or Body parameters to send the tracking number. The tracking number can be accessed using an expression like {{ $json.trackingNumber }} if it's passed from previous nodes.
   • Add any necessary authentication (e.g., API Key, OAuth) for your tracking API.
5. Customize Code Node (for Email Inquiries):
   • The "Code" node (ID: 834) is currently empty. You will need to add JavaScript code here to parse the incoming email body ({{ $json.text }} or {{ $json.html }}) and extract the tracking number. For example:

     const emailBody = $input.item.json.text; // or .html
     // Implement logic to extract tracking number from emailBody
     // Example: Using a regular expression
     const match = emailBody.match(/tracking number: (\w+)/i);
     if (match && match[1]) {
       return { json: { trackingNumber: match[1] } };
     }
     return { json: { trackingNumber: null } }; // Handle no tracking number found
     

6. Activate the Workflow: Once all configurations are complete, activate the workflow.

Now, your n8n workflow is ready to automatically process shipment tracking requests from both web forms and email inquiries.