Almost every business in the transportation industry uses a transportation management system to some degree.
A cutting-edge TMS can help a business flourish by streamlining shipment planning and execution. On the other hand, poor TMS functionality hinders business processes rather than helps them, which can result in slow workflows, missing information and errors.
The nuanced business needs of brokers, shippers and 3PLs are as intricate as the supply chain itself. Functionality can sometimes get sacrificed when TMS companies try to solve complex problems with complex solutions.
In fact, according to Corey Coogan, president and co-founder of Logistically, one of the biggest challenges TMS customers experience is how complicated most systems on the market are and the burden that puts on users. Often, these systems are packed with too many features and configurations users never touch, while lacking the features they actually need.
“Adding that level of complexity for a small percent of customers means everyone will have to deal with it at some point,” Coogan said. “When it comes to software, complexity leads to inefficiency, and being able to have team members and customers jump right on a system and be productive without hours of training is invaluable.”
The second biggest challenge with most TMS platforms, according to Coogan, is the inability to work with multiple modes of transport in the same system. The flexibility to support full-truckload, less-than-truckload and drayage shipping gives users room to branch out and move more freight for existing customers.
“Nobody wants to leave money on the table, so choosing a platform that allows for growth into other markets and modes can add significant value to the bottom line,” Coogan said. “For shippers, this is also very important. Not having the ability to choose the right mode for the freight can leave them without options or the control to manage their freight in the best possible way.”
At the end of the day, brokers, shippers and 3PLs want a reliable TMS that can handle all of the nuances of both their particular segments of the transportation industry while also offering a simple user interface.
TMS platforms don’t need to be convoluted, however, as Logistically is demonstrating.
The company provides a no-nonsense TMS solution for brokers, shippers and 3PLs that aims to become a partner for life by listening to its users and their needs. Logistically focuses on 95% of the most common features and leaves out unnecessarily complex configurations that make some systems so difficult to use and navigate.
Logistically’s users can enjoy a lasting relationship with a reliable TMS and a company that takes pride in listening to and delivering on the needs of its customers to develop solutions for their unique business requirements as the business grows.
If a customer needs a customized solution, Logistically can handle it. The company does this with its concierge services, through which engineers can develop specific solutions for its users’ shipping needs, ultimately helping them to win and keep accounts.
“That could mean a custom integration with a particular system or service or acting as the technology expert in an important meeting,” Coogan said. “Our system is very fast and efficient, with scalability built in, but we believe the real value in evolving with Logistically comes from those soft skills and resources — allowing our 3PL customers to compete with the big boys and our shipper customers to build new relationships and have access to more logistics expertise.”
Being able to access multimodal shipping types allows users to be able to move freight they couldn’t previously. Logistically delivers by supporting FTL, LTL and drayage transport needs, with its LTL offering being especially robust.
“Since our platform comes with integrations with all the major LTL carriers and brokerages, our customers can get real-time rating, dispatch and tracking,” Coogan said. “If they don’t have direct relationships with carriers, they can leverage one of our brokerage integrations to get quick access to quality carriers and rates and start handling more freight.”
Forging a lasting bond with its users is a top priority for Logistically. So, when a new customer comes on board, the company wants them to know there’s a strong system in place that will offer support through all of their business changes.
To learn more about Logistically’s TMS for brokers, shippers and 3PLs, click here.