When companies evolve from basement startups to mid-sized businesses to Fortune 500s, employees accumulate, and higher-ups turn to ADP or Workday. As sales increase, corporations implement Microsoft Dynamics or Salesforce. As business booms for entrepreneurs and freelancers, some install tools like QuickBooks to manage earnings and expenses. As your business grows, so must your software.
As a freight forwarder, TMS software is your ADP, your Salesforce, your QuickBooks.
So what is TMS software and how can it benefit freight forwarders?
We’re breaking down everything you need to know about TMS (transportation management system) software and considerations for selecting the right variation. From increasing efficiency to keeping paperwork in one place and discovering the best rates, let TMS software boost your bottom line.
What is TMS software?
TMS software is a one-stop-shop for managing your entire network as a transportation professional. TMS software manages your transportation chain and keeps all freight movements in one place for easy tracking. To help scale your business and improve efficiencies, software systems automate both inbound and outbound order processing as well as carrier selection, auditing, and freight bill settlements.
TMS software also leverages both legacy freight forwarding systems and existing client systems to customize everything to your workflow and ease customer service.
How can it benefit freight forwarders?
Speed Deliveries & Cut Costs
TMS software automates a variety of processes including and, arguably most importantly, selecting a transport company that will provide you the fastest delivery at the lowest rate. Per the needs of the specific job, TMS software pulls rates from stored contracts to find a company with the best rates for the task required. Once a final selection is made, top software systems automatically create paperwork as well as electronic tracking data for the carrier. Instead of hiring employees to wade through contracts and file messy paperwork, let one software system automate and organize the process, mess-free.
Improve Communication
When customers have questions, answers should be at your fingertips. When third parties need information, your response should be timely and accurate. Software systems like TMS software keep everything in place so you save time searching for information and feel confident that the information you’re providing is accurate.
Increase Efficiencies
Software systems help you gain a comprehensive understanding of how your money is being spent so you can quickly determine where to cut costs and what processes are saving you money. Compare transport rates, track reports on shipping delivery speeds to understand what’s causing delays and compare vendor reports to make the best choice for future shipments.
How can I choose the right TMS software?
User Friendly
You shouldn’t have to hire a technical genius to unravel your new TMS software. Software systems shouldn’t be overly complex and should include a variety of user-friendly features. For instance, layouts should be intuitive for building analytics reports or anything else you’ll want an overall picture of when making daily business decisions.
Cloud-Based
Cloud-based software systems allow you to work on-the-go – an important function in the transportation business. Cloud-based systems are also (often) less costly to install and maintain.
Automation
Choose systems with top-notch automation. The ideal software should automate everything from rate comparisons to completing orders to invoices and all administrative functions. Top software systems create key performance indicators and automatically rank vendors accordingly, helping you make key decisions about which vendors to move forward with.
Summary
Stop spending hours searching for paperwork and wasting valuable time tracking your transportation train. To remain competitive in 2020, invest in scalable solutions like TMS software systems that work proactively to ensure that the right goods are delivered to the right customers at the right time at the best cost. Stay organized, stay efficient, stay smart.
More questions on TMS software? Contact us at 734-953-5600 our specialists are ready to help!
CSA Software is a developer of state of the art, Cloud-based software solutions for freight forwarding, transportation management, air freight, ocean freight, and logistics organizations. We offer comprehensive custom software solutions to handle special requests and customer specific requirements, because no two companies are alike. Contact us today for your Free Software Demo!