Freight procurement software is specifically designed for all types of freight transactions and shipping requirements. A range of vendors provides different services, software, and capabilities depending on the type of business and the number of users required to access it. Below are some questions to ask yourself about shopping for freight procurement software:
How Much Information Do You Need To Access?
Most freight procurement software will provide some shipment management solution so users can stay up-to-date on the shipments and deliveries as soon as the transaction occurs. Depending on how involved an organization needs to be, there might be multiple layers within one piece of software, such as a portal for vendors and suppliers where you enter the transport-related information: generating bills, providing proof of delivery, etc.
The transportation interface is another layer that provides live updates about ship statuses, container loading and unloading details, ETA’s, and more specific information depending on what is required to be accessible by the users.
Another layer is usually a fleet management system within freight procurement software for managing and reporting vehicle movements; routes are taken, fuel usage, etc. The information an organization requires access to makes it easier to choose which product will best suit the company’s needs because not every piece of software contains the same features and functionalities.
Can I Use My Current Program?
If an organization already has a transportation or logistics module implemented, there could be options available where you can integrate this functionality into the new freight procurement software; if it works with existing modules such as SAP or Oracle, then it may work seamlessly together depending on compatibility and structure of both programs. This way, users do not need to learn something completely different but can pick and choose certain features to add to their current workflow for optimal performance.
How Much Do You Need To Spend?
When choosing a freight procurement software product, it is important to look at the costs associated with these. Most vendors offer either an on-premise solution or in the cloud, and there are benefits and limitations to both: on-premise means the software will be installed locally within your network. This can make integration with your existing program difficult depending on compatibility.
It is more difficult to maintain than a cloud vendor because users have access to it 24/7, so there needs to be someone always available to manage any issues. In contrast, a cloud vendor guarantees uptime and availability because a dedicated team manages it all remotely. This is only a general cost comparison of the most common models offered; some vendors have different models that may suit organizations better, depending on the budget and needs.
Freight procurement software can help streamline business processes by adding more efficiency to daily transactions, providing real-time information that would normally take hours or days to receive now takes seconds. Depending on what a business requires, you may need to use more than one product which is perfectly fine as long as it caters to the needs of all users and provides proper integration between programs, so there are no unnecessary gaps in information being given vendor to vendor.