3 Ways Brokers Save Time with a Transportation Management System (TMS)

Time in the auto transport industry is a ticking clock measuring operational success, competitive edge, and customer satisfaction. But it’s not just about how much time is being spent, but what your time is being spent on. Too many car shipping operations waste time on non-value added activities that could easily be eradicated with the right technology. 

If you are using an outdated system or still scrolling through endless spreadsheets, it’s time to consider the ways an advanced transportation management system (TMS) will save you time. As Super Dispatch Shipper TMS users, brokers have reported being able to go from 9 hours of manual workflows to only 15 minutes. Sound like time your team could use back? Here are just three of the ways they saved time.

1. Save Time Communicating 

Communication is important to any business, but none more than the time-sensitive information exchange between brokers and carriers. Chasing people down and the back-and-forth that follows isn’t just a massive time suck, but it can also be an energy drain. There isn’t enough time in the day to constantly be making phone calls, frequently checking for return text messages, or sifting through emails for responses. And whether you need to send loads, check on load status or the location of a carrier – your customers are waiting. 

“Eliminating any unnecessary communication with external sources gets you back hours to your day and frees you up to better focus on your business.”

Advanced TMS providers will have real-time status updates and a single location to track everything. With instant notifications, you get back all that time chasing down information for your business or your customers. And if you really want to go the extra mile, you can leverage a customer portal that directly gives your customer access to view the exact status of their vehicles. This helps you stay on top of your loads around the clock without having to be the information middle-man for your customers.  Eliminating any unnecessary communication with external sources gets you back hours to your day and frees you up to better focus on your business. 

2. Save Time Managing Documents

Paperwork or managing documents is a monotonous and outdated system. From manually completing to organizing and filing, paperwork takes a significant amount of time. Not to mention the process of searching for documents you need to revisit. According to CMS Wire, 36% of an employee’s day is spent looking for or consolidating information. And 44% of the time, that information goes unfound. That means you are spending almost 3 hours of your day searching for frequently lost documents. 

“…36% of an employee’s day is spent looking for or consolidating information. And 44% of the time, the information goes unfound.”

All of your documents and data are important to your auto transport business on a daily basis. As you manage large volumes of loads and a scaling operation, how you spend your time is critical. With opportunity on the line, sifting through a filing cabinet or multiple files is not an effective use of your time. Through a TMS, all of your documentation is built, exchanged, and stored digitally. This not only keeps your information more secure, but organizes your documents and makes them easily accessible. Leveraging a TMS digitizes everything you need from inspections to proof of delivery, damage claims, invoices, and more.

TMS technology is the easiest way to keep all of your important documents uniform, organized, and filed securely while automatically saving you hours of time everyday. 

3. Save Time with Integrated Systems

Technology can be complicated – especially when your tools have different and disconnected data. When you’re having to jump from system to system or app to app, it’s not only a frustrating use of time, but it’s also significantly hindering your operation. These types of process bottlenecks don’t just waste the time of your team, but creates an inconsistent customer view. 

“When your system is completely integrated, your team can access a more accurate view of your information while eliminating manual efforts with automated workflows.”

An integrated system, like the Super Dispatch TMS, is really just a hyper-connected platform. It means that your TMS isn’t just helping you manage loads, but it’s connected to all your favorite tools like accounting or customer relationship management software. When your system is completely integrated, your team can access a single location for all your information while eliminating manual efforts with automated workflows. It’s time to say goodbye to the endless hours of scrambling through disconnected systems and the ongoing manual processes.

 

There is a better way to spend time and an advanced TMS is the key to making that happen. Eliminate wasted time and better focus on customer experiences, increasing volume, and more effective practices. Want to learn more about how you can save time with the Super Dispatch Shipper TMS? Get started on your free trial.

Published on September 24, 2020