How do you think modern logistics works? How are goods delivered from one place to another? You may be surprised when you figure out how many steps should be taken to bring your favorite milk to the supermarket close to your house. Moreover, if you decide to launch your own business, you have to be ready to solve hundreds or even thousands of logistics tasks. If you are interested in this issue, the following information will help you to make the process of freight forwarding less challenging and more efficient.
It’s a big mistake to think that the choice of the right freight shipping companies is the most difficult task you have to deal with. There are two aspects of the logistics industry that are often underestimated. They are dispatching and routing. Let’s figure out why they are important and how to avoid crucial mistakes.
Dispatching: Common Mistakes and Possible Solutions
When a person hears the word dispatcher, he or she images a girl sitting at the table with ten telephones which are ringing all the time. It’s almost true. Modern specialists use not only phones but laptops and tablets as well.
The role of the dispatcher is rather important. The experts have to control all the movements of all the vehicles, as well as stay in touch with drivers, carriers, and shippers. They are also responsible for the preparation of certain types of documents.
Routing: Main Peculiarities and Difficulties
The main task of the shipper is to indicate the final destination without errors. It seems so easy but every day dozens of parcels are delivered to the wrong locations because of wrongly indicated addresses. Moreover, transportation time may be significantly reduced if to choose the right streets and consider traffic jams.
It goes without saying that competent and experienced logistics specialists have all the needed skills and knowledge to make up the most optimal routes even for intricate orders. Yet, not all logistics companies have such specialists.
Both dispatching and routing activities can be organized in the most efficient way without great effort. How? The answer is simple – with the help of innovative technologies. You can hardly find a modern logistics company that doesn’t use such applications. They help to make the process of transportation as simple and trouble-free as possible. It’s only necessary to select the service that meets the needs and peculiarities of your business.
When working with mobile applications, there are several rules you have to follow. They are:
● Always check the data you input.
It seems so easy to type in the needed information via your smartphone. But even small mistakes such as one wrong letter in the address may lead to financial losses and delays.
● Do not forget about updates.
It is necessary to update applications to be able to get the most from software. Moreover, updates are important to check errors in programs and prevent the wrong functioning of the applications.
● Prepare a backup plan.
Technologies may be broken. If it happens, you should be ready to respond to unexpected situations. It’s rather important not only for expedited freight services where speed is of prime importance but for all types of transportation.
So, it isn’t an easy task to organize freight forwarding in a proper way. Smart dispatching and effective routing are able to help shippers to avoid delays. Moreover, nowadays there are various online tools and software that can help to cope even with the most challenging tasks
