5 Ways Shipping Software Can Automate Shipping at Your Company

by | Dec 13, 2019 | Blog, Freight Shopping, Multi Carrier

The days of handbills for airways and pre-printed shipping labels are over. Is your company able to work efficiently and run error-free in the shipping department with carrier-provided shipping technology or software from a third party provider?

Shipping remains inefficient in most industries when shipments are moved on to delivery. After the package has been sent out and the gate is closed, your shipping department will no longer monitor the order. Most companies aren’t aware of steps the shipping companies are taking to get shipments delivered on-time which can lead to significant delays.

Transport should not be a barrier and the introduction of more workers isn’t necessarily the right path to increased productivity and performance. Taking a few simple steps to automate operations and get complete shipment visibility with Multi-Carrier Shipping Software can improve overall performance and eliminate costly delays.

Five principal ways shipping software can help your company with simple automation to overcome manual tasks are:

Data exchange: Data exchange between the delivery code and the network on which orders are entered can be simple, but tends to get more complex as more orders are entered. Additional data requires more precision, which can lead to more instances of failure. Capturing important shipping data when order is placed with automated system saves time and reduces shipping mistakes.Achieving this can be as easy as tagging the vessel as a commercial supply or branding the order as ‘ free freight’. Shipping software can also be integrated into the order ship by generating an add-on program. For instance, UPSGR can be used for UPS Ground, FedEx Priority Overnight may be used for residential delivery and FDX1S+ for Saturday Delivery.

Generating package dimensions: Getting the right package dimensions can take extra time because the shipper can either weigh the container or look up the dimensions for each package. A dimensioning device that connects to the shipping software to capture the size while reading the size can give you package dimensions right after an order is placed. A less costly approach is to add an input field to the packaging display and the shipper will scan a barcode reflecting the package size. The product measurements can be interpreted for shipment size, width, and height, by adjusting details in the shipping code. ShipConsole Shipping Software features a dropdown list in which you can apply the container dimensions to the order and even incorporate a business rule.
Billing the Customer Account: Customer accounts are typically billed manually and can be ignored when the shipper depends on handwritten notes preceding the paperwork. If the customer asks for shipments to be delivered directly to their account number using its preferred carrier and to have the cargo paid, this is because they would monitor the price of the freight and would have a higher rate than the company negotiates.So how can this process be automated? One way is to capture the account number and forward the data to the shipping software when ordering. Another way is to flag order and then automatically add the billing options using saved information in the delivery software. ShipConsole includes an integrated table to store the customer number and billing address that can then be matched to the customer number on the order being processed.

Price for the right freight service: The invoicing of the correct freight costs through shipping management software avoids the hassle of the altering inventory once the shipment has been delivered and invoiced in your accounting department. Specific rules can be put in place to optimize how the freight is transferred back to the ERP system. It is important to invest in automation where shipping software can pass the published or negotiated rates back or customers can add a markup.
Carrier and Service Selection: The choice of shipping carrier and service must involve prioritizing savings on freight for your industry. If a client does not need a particular airline or system (i.e. NextDay Air), you can save your company money but the consumer as well. If you are shipping your orders using more than one carrier, multi-carrier shipping software should be used to manage outbound deliveries in a single software application. This is important since it is now possible for your business to rate shop. Find shipping costs for various levels of service (3 days vs ground) and transit times. Automate the freight rating process to find the best shipping option for every shipment.

Automate Multi-Carrier Shipping

Implementing Multi-Carrier Shipping Software at your company can make your life easier by automating your shipping process and reducing shipping costs. ShipConsole offers a number of tools built to help your shipping department get shipping done fast. Request a demo to see how ShipConsole can be implemented at your organization.

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