The freight transportation and logistics industry has climbed back steadily from the economic downturn in 2009. During that time, many companies implemented outsourcing solutions for the processing of their bills of lading, invoices, drivers logs and other transportation documents.
Outsourcing these business processes helped create a competitive advantage for these freight carriers, which are now positioned to thrive in 2012. Here are five reasons why outsourcing works for the top shipping companies:
- Reduction of labor costs
Organizations often respond to ramped up-business activity by adding more staff to the process without taking a step back and re-thinking how the process can be made more efficient. An outsourcing firm can bring in experts with Lean and Six Sigma efficiency and quality expertise to completely re-engineer the process. Using best workflow practices and the latest in terminal and in-cab scanning technologies can significantly reduce the manual tasks required to process transportation documents. Also, nearshore or farshore outsourcing can significantly reduce labor costs in high-volume document processes.
- Faster processing of payment
High-volume scanners and fax servers in the terminal, as well as in-cab scanning means bills of lading and invoices can be transmitted immediately for processing. Access to nearshore and farshore teams allows for processing around the clock, resulting in faster reconciliation and payment.
- Improved customer service
Transportation document processing outsourcers use specially trained staff who understand the intricacies of handling the non-standard forms used in freight shipping. A good outsourcing firm will have built-in quality assurance processes to make sure every document is processed accurately. The result is happier customers and less headaches for the carrier.
- Improved load planning
Immediate transmittal and processing of transportation documents and instant access to digital information via keyword search allows for better load planning. This reduces shipment delays, prevents trucks from standing idle and decreases operating costs across the board.
- Improved control and compliance
A completely, re-engineered and improved business process ensures that documents won’t be lost or damaged. Secure digital storage of documents, back-up processing sites and immediate retrieval with keyword searches with Google-like results gives you peace of mind that your information is safe and ready when you need it.
If you are ready to see how outsourcing can improve your business, you can take the first steps with a free Business Process Analysis from DATAMARK. For more information, contact us at 800-477-1944 or complete a BPA request form here.
No comments yet.