In this article we’ll explore how document management software (DMS) can solve many of the issues the logistics industry faces. Of course, the industry’s challenges tend to remain the same year after year. Fortunately, DMS can help companies meet customer expectations of an on-time delivery while helping companies manage pricing options that keep your bottom line in the black.
Challenges for the Logistics Industry
Companies in the logistics industry have to meet similar challenges year after year. The biggest concerns for this industry include the rising cost of transportation, the shortage of drivers, and the controlling costs. In addition to that, the logistics industry is concerned with sustainability issues as alternative fuels are becoming a more viable option.
When you’re in the business of shipping and delivering goods, you’re very vulnerable to increased prices of fuel and labor. It’s a huge challenge to keep costs low and still meet your customers’ expectations.
Generally, logistics companies have limited options. They can either increase their prices or change the services they offer. For example, many companies are offering slower shipping methods in order to retain customers who can’t afford to pay due to the price increases.
The logistics industry also has to keep up with increased regulations. Whether it has to do with fuel efficiency, carbon footprints, or safety regulations, it’s important to keep up with the rules of trade. For companies that provide international services, the challenge of keeping up with industry regulations becomes even more difficult.
How DMS Solves Challenges for the Logistics Industry
The biggest issues for the logistics industry are meeting customer expectations, on-time delivery of items, keeping costs within reasonable limits, and staying on top of industry standards and regulations. The good news is that document management software can help.
Meeting Customer Expectations
Customers have high expectations for the logistics industry. Not only do they want their goods shipped in a timely manner, but they also want to stay updated about the process. Last but not least, customers want to pay reasonable prices and still get their goods delivered on time and in excellent condition.
Meeting these customer demands is not easy. Fortunately, document management software can help. For one thing, using document management can free your employees’ time to take care of your customers. For example, with document management software, it only takes a few minutes to locate a specific document and send it to your customer.
Timely Delivery of Items
One of the most important things for the logistics industry is to deliver goods on time. A lot of factors go into making the deadline, but using document management software can help your organization make it happen.
With DMS, it’s easy to coordinate shipments and ensure that the proper documentation is in place. One of the reasons shipments get delayed is because they lack the appropriate paperwork. Fortunately, it’s easy to retrieve the information you need when your organization embraces a paperless office. It only takes minutes to find and send a document when you don’t have to look through all of your filing cabinets.
Providing the Right Mix of Pricing Options
The cost of transportation is always rising. Driver shortages, fuel costs, carrier pricing, and sustainability all go into the cost of shipping. That’s why many logistics companies offer cheaper and slower shipping options for the customers who don’t require fast services.
Your company can also severely cut down on mailing costs by using our SecureDrawer when you need to share documents with your customers. In fact, it’s a good idea to choose the paperless option whenever possible. Electronic document management keeps your documents secure, and it’s much easier to find what you’re looking for. Your customers also don’t have to worry about where they put the papers you sent them because they can log in to SecureDrawer and access the files whenever they need to.
Keeping Up with Industry Regulations
The logistics industry is likely to remain the target of rules and regulations because of its combined carbon footprint. Whether logistics companies are required to upgrade their trucks to be more fuel-efficient or convert to using green ships that emit less CO2, it’s important to know the rules and obey them. Document management software can help your logistics company keep track of the regulations in each of the world’s regions that you operate in.
Keeping Track of Paperwork
Keeping track of paperwork is one of the biggest challenges for the industry because of its mobility. You have to require drivers to keep fuel receipts, bills of lading, freight bills, and toll receipts. The challenge is that you need to collect and organize all of this paperwork in a way that you can find it again when you need it. Fortunately, document management software makes it easy to look for your documents with OCR scanning technology and full-text document search.
Using document management software is a great way for your logistics company to stay ahead of its competitors. You’ll be able to provide faster quotes and better customer service, and you can reduce costs at the same time.