Looking to the future, how can shipping be optimized for the holidays?
This past week we saw Cyber Monday evolve into Cyber Week. Just as it was over, records emerged showing unprecedented online sales growth across the consumer market. It is no secret that the holidays are busy for buyers and shippers alike. So speaking to the shipping side: how can one make this busy period less stressful and more productive?
Read below about some of the tools that savvy shippers use to overcome common time-wastes and grievances.
1) Freight quote shopping is a powerful tool that allows you, the shipper, to view all of your carrier rates in one location so that you view and compare the best rates. Stop going onto each carrier website to individually get quotes. Simply enter in the shipment information, get rates, click ship, and you’re done. Best of all, you can now have the ability to process hundreds of shipments within just minutes by using a centralized shipping solution.
2) Print labels directly from one app. Again, no need to waste more time going through each carrier’s website or waiting for a confirmation email – there is a better alternative. Use a TMS, print all of your labels without having to leave the application. Save time and better appropriate your efforts towards more important tasks.
3) Find errors in carrier invoicing. Know if your carriers are sending your invoices correctly without having to do the hard work yourself. Some TMS providers can provide invoice auditing which can save up to 15% of your shipping expenses that would otherwise have been lost to carrier invoicing errors. Automated reporting is a powerful way to make sure your shipping expenditures are correct.
4) A good TMS can integrate with your WMS, ERP’s or other logistics automation systems to enable quick cross-communication between the different arms of your logistics operation. A TMS can do all of the leg work of communicating to your resource planning system when you have sent out a shipment. Not only does this save you time as a shipper; but it can help eliminate any human error that could occur during data entry, especially if you are busy and are inputting a large amount of entries in a small span of time.
Download our Transportation Management System Guide
Although busy shipping periods aren’t just limited to the months of November and December, this is a time of year for celebration and joy can clash with the stress of work (especially if you live in the logistics world). The purpose of this blog was to show you how a TMS can help alleviate some of the stress that many shippers face during this period, and let it be known that a TMS will help increase shipping efficiency at any time of the year!
For more information, download our Ultimate Guide to TMS software below.