Scheduling and managing shipments has never been more complex or costly than today. Fuel cost increases, limited access to funds for reinvestment in equipment, and a shortage of drivers, have limited carrier options. When combined with increased demands for quicker
response, faster delivery, flexibility with order changes, and smaller shipment sizes, the situation becomes even more diffi cult to manage.
Many companies are still scheduling these complex shipments through a manual process supported by spreadsheets, increasing the chance of errors. Even those with programs or standard processes still fi nd it diffi cult to communicate the transportation schedule with everyone that needs to be involved. From simply opening the loading dock or shipping location at the right times in order to ensure coverage, to making sure there’s enough manpower available to manage the workload, a lack of visibility into a company’s shipping schedule can cause frustration, idle time for workers, and customer service issues due to missed delivery deadlines.
Some companies attempt to solve these issues by adding more personnel to the transportation department. Unfortunately this typically just increases costs and creates even more opportunity for errors through decentralization of this important piece of transportation and logistics management. What if companies could easily share their schedule of shipping needs, have access to carrier availability and see real-time performance metrics that help fully optimize their transportation department?
Web-based scheduling solutions, such as LeanLogistics’ LeanAppoint, are a carrier-friendly, easy way of organizing a company’s transportation schedules on a SaaS platform. With SaaS scheduling solutions, companies no longer have to rely on spreadsheets or written calendars to manage the transportation schedule. Everything is visible and manageable through an intuitive, online program created to provide greater insight into both carrier and company performance.
