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Let’s talk shipping status
Blog
Let’s talk shipping status
Does this describe your current shipping software situation?
There’s nothing wrong with trying the solution that seems best at the time. But, after 10,000 tries where it just doesn’t perform as anticipated it may be time to move on. Perhaps the ERP integration was not strong enough. Maybe the carrier network was lacking. Perhaps the packing and retail compliance processes made things more confusing, not less. Whatever the reason, you’re not alone and there are partners waiting to help.
So you realized that you cannot, in fact, accomplish what you thought with your chosen shipping software. Turns out, it happens more than you might think. The important thing is recognizing what problems are unsolvable and move on. Some common reasons why shipping software underperforms, and fails to maximize the value of your ERP, include:
ERP integration
Many shipping software platforms use fancy adjectives to claim ERP integration strength. In reality, they are distant acquaintances who exchange occasional pleasantries at cocktail parties. But, if your ERP is your organization’s “brain” your shipping software must be its spinal cord. That’s the kind of integration you need – the kind that includes custom fields, allows shipping workflows to be completed in either system, and automatically shares data between the two.
Carrier network
Perhaps your software of choice – either the package included with the ERP or that of another vendor – could support your carrier needs at the time of implementation. Everything went parcel, with a single carrier. Easy. Done. But perhaps business needs changed, and additional modes, carriers, and services were required. What now? Or maybe you were shown a vast carrier network that was, in fact, operated by a third-party, subject to breakdowns and speed reductions outside of your control. What’s the answer? What you probably need is shipping software with its own carrier network, and one that has API connections to all major parcel and LTL carriers, with the ability to connect to additional carriers via other methods.
Complex processes
One of the primary reasons for deploying shipping software is to reduce the time, complexity, and errors in tedious processes. For example, pack-and-ship. Was scan packing part of the discussion? Maybe not, but it’s likely its substantial time savings and 99.5%+ accuracy would come in handy. Or what about retail compliance? Was the chosen solution really able to generate retailer-compliant GS1 labels, or integrate with your EDI vendor? It’s possible that neither of these were relevant when you chose the software, but your growth trajectory has all of a sudden made them must-haves.
You probably had a really good reason for choosing the shipping software you did: whether it seemed “good enough” at the time, or made convincing claims about being the “absolute best shipping software of all times,” it seemed like the right decision. If that did not turn out to be the case, never fear. There are partners available to help you implement a solution that meets more of your needs and helps you extract the most possible value from your ERP.
Ready to talk about your “next” shipping software?
Reach out for a conversation and get introduced (or reintroduced) to 3G Pacejet Shipping. At the same time, learn about some of our other Transportation Management products, in case your needs have evolved to the point of needing those, too.
Author
3G
Publish date
June 15, 2023
Categories
Shippers
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Does this describe your current shipping software situation?
There’s nothing wrong with trying the solution that seems best at the time. But, after 10,000 tries where it just doesn’t perform as anticipated it may be time to move on. Perhaps the ERP integration was not strong enough. Maybe the carrier network was lacking. Perhaps the packing and retail compliance processes made things more confusing, not less. Whatever the reason, you’re not alone and there are partners waiting to help.
So you realized that you cannot, in fact, accomplish what you thought with your chosen shipping software. Turns out, it happens more than you might think. The important thing is recognizing what problems are unsolvable and move on. Some common reasons why shipping software underperforms, and fails to maximize the value of your ERP, include:
ERP integration
Many shipping software platforms use fancy adjectives to claim ERP integration strength. In reality, they are distant acquaintances who exchange occasional pleasantries at cocktail parties. But, if your ERP is your organization’s “brain” your shipping software must be its spinal cord. That’s the kind of integration you need – the kind that includes custom fields, allows shipping workflows to be completed in either system, and automatically shares data between the two.
Carrier network
Perhaps your software of choice – either the package included with the ERP or that of another vendor – could support your carrier needs at the time of implementation. Everything went parcel, with a single carrier. Easy. Done. But perhaps business needs changed, and additional modes, carriers, and services were required. What now? Or maybe you were shown a vast carrier network that was, in fact, operated by a third-party, subject to breakdowns and speed reductions outside of your control. What’s the answer? What you probably need is shipping software with its own carrier network, and one that has API connections to all major parcel and LTL carriers, with the ability to connect to additional carriers via other methods.
Complex processes
One of the primary reasons for deploying shipping software is to reduce the time, complexity, and errors in tedious processes. For example, pack-and-ship. Was scan packing part of the discussion? Maybe not, but it’s likely its substantial time savings and 99.5%+ accuracy would come in handy. Or what about retail compliance? Was the chosen solution really able to generate retailer-compliant GS1 labels, or integrate with your EDI vendor? It’s possible that neither of these were relevant when you chose the software, but your growth trajectory has all of a sudden made them must-haves.
You probably had a really good reason for choosing the shipping software you did: whether it seemed “good enough” at the time, or made convincing claims about being the “absolute best shipping software of all times,” it seemed like the right decision. If that did not turn out to be the case, never fear. There are partners available to help you implement a solution that meets more of your needs and helps you extract the most possible value from your ERP.
Ready to talk about your “next” shipping software?
Reach out for a conversation and get introduced (or reintroduced) to 3G Pacejet Shipping. At the same time, learn about some of our other Transportation Management products, in case your needs have evolved to the point of needing those, too.
