A good transportation management software (TMS) system is what brings together all aspects of your transportation process, including logistics, order management, distribution management, and everything else. Every division involved in the process works more efficiently with the right TMS, mainly because it ties everything together so they can communicate with one another and know what the others are doing the entire time. Choosing the right software is a must because unfortunately, there is no “one-size-fits-all” software package. Once you find the right TMS, you’ll find everything will run more smoothly when it comes to your transportation department, and below are some of the main benefits of choosing the right TMS.
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1. Better Inventory Management
The right transportation management software enables better management of your inventory, which means you can plan better for the future, which means not as much inventory will be wasted. When you can plan your inventory better, you save a lot of money in the long run because you’ll only have on-hand the inventory you need at any given point.
2. Better Customer Service
The right TMS allows you to track exactly when your customers receive their merchandise and, therefore, you can improve the process and enable them to get the merchandise on time. Good customer service is imperative for any business to succeed, and the fact that you can keep better track of the entire transportation process means much better customer service in the end.
3. Better Delivery Capabilities
Naturally, one of the main reasons you’re using a good software program is to make sure everything is delivered efficiently, and a good TMS helps with all aspects of delivery, including creating a master bill of lading. It even provides you with the ability to allow one person to manage multiple locations and, therefore, helps with overall efficiency of your delivery system.
4. Better Cash Flow Processes
Since all parts of your transportation process will be running more efficiently, you’ll reduce expenses every step of the way. This includes reducing the payment you pay your shippers for every freight invoice you generate. A little bit of savings each step of the way adds up to a lot of money in the end.
5. Better Ways to Minimize Paperwork
Professional transportation management software allows for less paperwork and, therefore, fewer errors during the entire process. With TMS, your accounts are automated, so paperwork is minimized and bringing quotes forward can be done with fewer errors on your part, meaning you save both money and time in the long run.
6. Better Tracking of Deliveries
With the right TMS, you can track deliveries in real time, which includes letting you know exactly how much time each delivery takes. This in turn helps you create more efficient routes that work better and which make better use of your time. The delivery process is a very important step of the entire process because it tells you exactly when your customers receive their merchandise.
7. Better Functionality with International Logistics
Most TMS programs are made for international business transactions, which means they can efficiently handle foreign currencies, selection of ocean or air carriers, and multi-language interface pages, among other things. The software is developed with international businesses in mind, allowing for companies all over the globe to use the same software and be able to communicate with one another.
8. Better Simplicity Overall
Many people assume that transportation management software is complicated or not user-friendly, but that is simply not the case. In fact, TMS is designed to be extremely user-friendly these days, which means you don’t exactly have to be technologically advanced to operate it. It can be learned quickly and easily.