Fast Shipping Process Tools Explored

FreightPOP’s time-saving shipping tools are huge, particularly for high-volume shippers and for those organizing multiple pallet shipments as one order. This post explores these tools.

Shipping Automation

We integrate directly into customer order systems so they can scan an order number in and have shipping data auto-populate. Our TMS shipping software takes those shipping details and auto-populates a side-by-side comparison of the contracted carrier rates the customer has, against real-time marketplace rates and FreightPOP Partner Rates.

Within a few seconds after scanning an order, there is a price breakdown between various carriers, including fuel accessorial changes. The customer can then select the preferred carrier based on price, delivery days, service rating, or whatever is essential for that shipment, and go directly to a new page to schedule the pickup.  

After the “Ship It” button has been executed, tracking information from the carrier comes through the TMS system. All the required documents for the shipment - BOLs, pallet labels, etc., - are auto-generated and can be set up to print on a specific printer in-house or to an external party printer or email automatically. 

FreightPOP’s system allows shippers to automatically send a copy of the order and shipping confirmation emails to the ordering customer and to anyone else who might be required. Invoices are also automatically generated. 

Our system saves shippers from having to enter information on carrier websites multiple times to find the best price. These connections to carriers can be actioned in under 60 seconds, and once connected, a customer does not have to visit a carrier’s website externally ever again.  

SLASH PROCESSING TIMES - Read 4Wall Entertainment Case Study

Multi-Mode Rate Comparisons

Multi-mode carrier rate comparisons also save users a lot of time in organizing the most cost-effective shipments. Our system isolates cost-saving routing options for large shipments. For example, perhaps the customer was initially looking at an LTL option; however, if there is a cheaper parcel option, those lower rates will be served up for the customer to consider.

Another example demonstrating this is let's say our customer wants to ship a parcel shipment, and they typically order through FedEx’s two-day service. They are not even aware of what other cheaper options for that particular shipment may be available when processing the shipment. But entering the order in our system pulls up a host of options for them. Perhaps in this instance, USP is offering the same rate on a two-day delivery as well. Why wouldn’t our customers use USP and save a bunch of money? 

Shipments that are going out on a specific day to the same address are also prompted by the system to consider consolidation. This tool has the potential to see LTL shipments consolidated to an FTL shipment, which are MUCH cheaper. The system is intuitive enough to understand the orders and cross-reference them.

Better Data Capture, Better Invoice Auditing

Our customers get full transparency and visibility on the same screen in the TMS to help them make the best decision for the shipment based upon the real-time rates. And because the system is capturing this data, when customers audit their invoices down the road, we can compare against the accessorial or line item level charges, searching for discrepancies from the invoice to the quote.

We can also audit against the service levels for delivery delays and refunds. Auditors typically do not do this and most shippers have no idea that auditors skip checking for this - but our system enables that level of detail. It’s a massive advantage for our customers. 

An excellent real-world example of how we save our customers incredible amounts of time and money is outlined in our Grow Your Business With TMS - More Time and Resources post. 

After implementing our solution, our customer went from 8 staff handling order taking, processing, shipping, and auditing to just 3 staff members. That was 200 staff hours saved per week the customer was able to use elsewhere in the business. It was huge!

How FreightPOP Helps Shippers

Check out our case study outlining how we helped full-service entertainment company 4Wall Entertainment improve their customer service and slash processing times!