Today’s trading environment is one of global supply chains. E-commerce is no longer limited to consumer goods. People shop online for all kinds of products, from tiny components to industrial machines.
To thrive in this world, companies must make shipping cost-effective. Multi carrier shipping allows your company to become carrier-independent. You can seamlessly switch between carriers and services. As a result, you can send every shipment at the lowest cost to meet the expected delivery time.
The best multi-carrier solutions include more than just parcel shipping. Instead, you can choose between parcel, freight, courier or LTL shipping as needed. Multi carrier shipping software will help you achieve the best customer service for each shipment.
Why Global Enterprises Need Multi Carrier Shipping Software
Shipping internationally can be complex. You must complete a multitude of forms, obey regulations, and calculate tariffs. Your company can’t afford shipment delays because of an infraction or human error. To manage global deliveries, enterprises have been turning to multi carrier shipping software.
Multi-carrier shipping software provides global carrier coverage anywhere in the world. The best multi carrier shipping software applications have a network that includes hundreds of carriers. This should include large, well-known global brands as well as smaller local and regional carriers. This allows you to optimize the first and last mile of your product’s journey—and every mile in between, both inbound and outbound.
Multi Carrier Shipping Software for High-Volume Shippers
Customers have become increasingly demanding. Many expect free shipping, or at least, low shipping costs. Furthermore, it is vital for logistics professionals to control costs.
Choosing the carrier with the lowest freight rates is important. This should match your customers’ needs and your business goals.
In busy shipping environments, people require additional time to research the unique rules that apply to every shipment. Multi-carrier shipping software considers your business rules. It automatically suggests the best route, the lowest cost, and the right carrier service to meet your customer’s expectations.
You can simplify this process with automation. Your solution can automatically assign shipments to a particular carrier. You could automatically route all parcel shipments from New Jersey to California to Carrier A. Furthermore, you could decide to consolidate individually packaged shipments from Germany to the UK using Carrier B.
These business rules do not depend on delivery location. You can choose a specific carrier or service level based on the shipment’s weight or size.
Many large-volume shipment companies use a single carrier because it provides volume discounts and simplifies the chaos on the shipping dock. However, it is unlikely that this carrier is the best choice in all situations. You may end up paying higher rates for some deliveries. In addition, your customers in some areas may experience slow delivery times.
Multi carrier shipping solutions ensure you get the best rates, best routes, and right service levels every time. The solution also automatically generates carrier compliant shipping labels, tracking numbers and documentation. It does this in the correct language and format no matter where you ship from or to.
Increase Logistics ROI with Multi Carrier Shipping Software
Multi carrier shipping software should include data analytics that helps you analyze carrier performance and improve your logistics ROI. By tracking important key performance indicators, you can identify problems areas or performance issues and respond accordingly.
For example, looking at on-time and late deliveries can help you find bottlenecks or problems causing delays. As a result, you have data-driven insights to use when you enter negotiations with your carrier partners.
In addition, you can achieve further cost savings by auditing freight bills for accuracy before paying them. Multi carrier shipping software can automatically compare billed rates with anticipated costs. Should discrepancies occur, the solution notifies key personnel to take action. For example, your carrier invoice could include a charge for a premium service not requested, such as Saturday delivery.
A complete multi-carrier solution with automated freight bill auditing helps shippers manage costs and boost logistics ROI.
Which Multi Carrier Shipping Solution is Right for you?
If you are thinking about a multi-carrier shipping solution, there are a few things to consider. These will help you decide the best option for your business requirements.
THE DEPTH AND BREADTH OF THE MULTI CARRIER NETWORK
Some software applications billed as a “multi carrier” shipping solution have a limited carrier network. Some may be strong in one region, such as North America, but lack coverage in Europe or Asia. As a result, you may not be able to adequately service customers in certain regions or countries.
BUILT IN DATA ANALYTICS
Your chosen multi carrier shipping software solution should have built-in analytics. Your shipping team needs near real-time information on key performance indicators. This enables adaptive global logistics, so that your team can implement changes to processes and procedures when needed.
MANAGE BY EXCEPTION
Your multi carrier shipping software should alert you if a shipment is at risk of missing its delivery date. This allows you to proactively manage delivery exceptions, resolving them with the carrier. Furthermore, if a delay is inevitable, you can notify customers in advance to find an alternate resolution.
ADAPTABILITY
Many things can disrupt a carrier’s fleet, from seasonal peaks to local weather conditions, to natural disasters. Your multi carrier shipping software should have built-in agility so you can react fast to changing conditions.
To understand how QAD Multi Carrier Shipping can revolutionize your shipping processes, please contact us for more information.
