A logistics technology platform plays a fundamental role in giving your operations an edge by providing you with:
- More visibility
- Enhanced accountability
- Tighter controls
Prior to commencing the search for a solutions partner, it is important to have an understanding about what are the problems that you are wanting technology to solve, how long have you had these problems and how are they impacting your business today.
This blog will help you understand exactly what you should be considering when it comes to selecting and implementing the right solution and partner for your business.
SELECTING YOUR LOGISTICS TECH PROVIDER
This is a challenging decision that has a high impact on your planning and your company’s financials. A thorough assessment of the below relevant factors will help minimise your risk and lead to a higher ROI.
1. SCALABILITY OF THE SOLUTION
One of the most important factors to assess is exactly how scalable the product is. It is important to have perspective and evaluate the options in the market considering not just your current, but your future needs.
For example, a technology’s capability to perform historical and predictive analyses with the data coming from different streams may be important to consider.
There are also complexities involved in centralising such data streams – on planning, routing, dispatching, etc. – that represent opportunities at the same time with the right solution.
This extends beyond your organisation. It also encompasses your partners, as you pursue higher connectivity among the nodes of your supply chain. This may imply integrating streams of data from AI, IoT, and RFID tags in your trucks, containers, and pallets.
2. CUSTOMERS ALREADY USING THE SOFTWARE
Due diligence is critical. It is vital to investigate whether the solutions applied are delivering results in other companies like yours.
There are solutions specific to certain industries that may not be a good fit for yours. Likewise, there are software’s that are geared to companies within a certain size.
You might want to understand if the logistics software solution applies to a broad spectrum of companies and industries – from SMEs to corporations across the supply chain in a wide variety of industries – or if they are niched to a particular sector.
3. FEATURES
Features are the gateway to understand if the logistics software solutions can indeed sustain their claims. A mere list with the features is not enough. You want to see how the software performs with YOUR data.
Going through a demo with your specific data helps you and your team to understand how the features work. Are the results consistent with what is expected and with the reality of your business? How is the “look and feel” of such solutions? Are they accurate and user-friendly?
Answering these questions with dummy data from other companies is more challenging. The more real the demo, the better.
4. ALIGNMENT WITH YOUR BUSINESS CORE VALUES
It’s important not to overlook an alignment between your core values and those of the logistics technology provider. As you scale the business, you want a logistics partner who will be invested in your growth and success. A provider who will introduce innovative ideas in all areas of your operations.
Think about two logistics software providers. Both have been successful in demonstrating that their capabilities and features match your business needs. One of them proactively asks questions about your situation and shows a high level of commitment and responsiveness.
The other provider is slower in returning your calls or replying to your emails. There are occasions that they are even late with their response. Furthermore, it looks like they are busy all the time.
Which provider would you choose?
THE MAKE OR BREAK FACTOR: IMPLEMENTATION
Knowledge and evidence of how a logistics solution provider handles the deployment must be part of the selection process.
Based on a Deloitte and Forbes survey, it’s important to be aware of the below challenges when it comes to implementation:
- Scope creep – be sure to be clear on your objectives and requirements and try not to stray from the plan. Scope creep can lead to delayed and costly projects that don’t meet the original goals of the partnership.
- Ensure you have realistic expectations. Technology is not a silver bullet. It is not going to solve all your needs. What technology solutions are going to do for you and your business is provide consistency over chaos. This consistency translates into predictability over your deliveries.
- Ensure you have a dedicated team to manage performance and implementation. Be aware of how poor implementation tactics can erode the value of your technology solution.
- Be prepared for your employee’s discomfort with change and ensure you provide additional resources and training on the usage of your new platform.
Having the right logistics software partner can help you improve customer experience and achieve greater financial results.
If you would like to talk to the team at Yojee about your supply chain challenges and how our software platform can be implemented to help improve your business, please click here.
You can also watch my video below as I do a deep dive into this topic here.
About Yojee
Helping businesses overcome their complex supply chain challenges has always been Yojee’s core value. We connect land freight players through our proprietary platform, providing supply chain visibility and enabling seamless communication between shippers and their customers.
Since our founding in 2016, we have worked alongside the world’s largest 3PLs, global freight forwarders, transportation companies, and brand owners to develop logistics solutions that meet their first-mile and last-mile delivery needs.
How Yojee stands out from other logistics providers is our multi-carrier management feature, which allows collaboration between land freight players to meet demands. Coupled with our last mile delivery app for drivers, logistics providers can now efficiently move freight from point A to point B with optimal resource usage. We do all this with one goal in mind: fewer carbon emissions and sustainability.
