4 Signs That You Need a New Transport Management System
Are you a commercial farmer who distributes your products to numerous clients? Read on and discover some of the signs that can alert you to the need for transport management system for your shipments.
Difficulty in Generating Reports
One of the signs that can show you that you need a new transport management system is the difficulties that you find in generating the reports that are required to analyse your operations. For example, you may need to get a detailed report listing all the shipments that you have made in a given period. A good management system can generate and avail that report at the press of a button. The insights that you get from such reports can help you to make the needed decisions. For instance, you can decide to open a distribution centre in a certain area where you have been sending increasing volumes of agricultural products.
Delays in Generating Freight Quotes
You should also consider acquiring a transport management system in case it is becoming hard for you to generate shipping quotes for your clients. The time lost as you wait for your distributors to get back to you with a quote can cost you clients in this era where people expect instant responses to their queries. Having your own transport management system can allow you to have accurate shipping quotes in real time.
Lack of Tracking Mechanisms
How accurately can you track a shipment from the time you dispatch it to the time it reaches its destination? Being in the dark about the location of a shipment at any stage of the supply chain can be bad for business. One of the shortcomings of being in the dark about the location of a shipment/package is that you only get to realise that a package was sent to the wrong destination when it is too late to correct the error and meet a delivery deadline. Get a TMS (transport management system) that can allow you to track all shipments so that you don't disappoint clients.
Inability to Negotiate Bulk Rates
You should get your own TMS if it has been hard for you to negotiate bulk rates with logistics companies. Having a TMS allows you to have the data which can help you to show how much business you are offering to a given shipping company. This data will make a compelling case for offering you preferential bulk rates so that you reduce your costs and increase your competitiveness.
Work with an experienced management solutions provider to develop a custom TMS that will address your unique needs. Your distribution facilities will then be used maximally for the benefit of the business.