Of all the costs that a company incurs when producing and selling goods, the cost of transportation is huge. This will differ with distance and the mode of transport that should be used for delivering goods to various consumers. The company aims to help the customer get the goods at the earliest possible time without damage and at the lowest possible cost. All these need to come together and this requires a lot of data.
There are so many elements in transporting material from the factory to the customer. This involves the data of many transport companies and their charges for each destination. The company must also have the details of various modes of transport to the destination and see which is best for the given situation. The weight of the goods is also a fact to consider. The company must also have information about the best route possible to the destination.
The Use of Freight Management Software
Humans can’t bring together all these data and arrive at the best solution very quickly. Today there is a demand from customers for getting their goods at the earliest possible time. With many companies promising same-day and next day delivery there is a need to find the best shipping method to reach the goods. Logistics companies must find the best way to satisfy the demand of their clients for quicker delivery.
The freight management system will enable to collect all the data they need to find the best transport system to deliver the goods to the customer within the required time and at the lowest cost. The software for this will help to do the analysis quickly and find out the ideal solution. The logistics company can see the details and book the order immediately. The software will find the best mode of transport and the cheapest transporter. It will also find the best route to the destination. The software also allows for live tracking of the goods.
The Advantages of Having a Freight Management Software
While the software helps to book transport, track the cargo and bill the customer there are many other functions which it does. The software will help to bring all the different modes of transport in one platform. You can find out which is the best mode of transport to a destination for a given product. The software allows for efficient communication between the various parties involved in the order.
The software reduces the need to have more staff. Reducing the number of staff will not only result in cost reduction but also will prevent a lot of errors. The software will enable you to invoice from the software itself in addition to documenting the whole operation. You can also enter all the other details like any concession to be offered or claims to be settled. It will also allow you to integrate any other charges that should be added which can be forgotten when doing manual billing.
One of the biggest advantages is the possibility of the customer getting the status of the shipment at any time on a real-time basis. This improves the trust they have on the logistics company and your client. The software will also allow your clients to choose from a large number of carriers and transport means depending on their requirement. Every client may have a favorite carrier and you can oblige them by providing the same carrier.
If you have an app also built based on your software, it will enable all the parties in the system to know the present status and prepare themselves. If the client knows when the vehicle is arriving for loading, they can make the necessary arrangements and save time. The customers can also prepare to unload the goods so that the truck can be free soon. This will help the transporter to get more loads within the period.
Necessary Features for the Software
There are certain features that the freight management software must have for it to be of any benefit to you. The first one is the ability for the software to get you the best mode of transport and the carrier based on the clients’ requirements of time and cost. This will help you to offer the client the benefits of choosing one carrier over the other. This will help the clients to choose you for all their transport requirements.
If you are offering a total logistics solution you must choose software that will help you integrate the warehouse management system so that you can also reduce the time and cost in warehouse operations. The software must include the facility for you to calculate the total cost to any destination and send the quote to the client. Billing also must be included in the software so that you can mail the bill from it without any delay.
Analytics and reporting are essential for any business. The software must be able to analyze the activities and give you a concise report about how you have performed in a particular period so that you can alter your actions in the future.
