Helpful Articles
How a TMS supports you on the road to growth
We know through our experience of working with hauliers that business growth is a struggle without the right systems and processes in place. Manual processes make it difficult to manage an increase in new work.
Business growth is certainly something to get excited about, but it could also mean that managing a growing workload could become more challenging, without the proper tools in place.
A growth in demand for your services could require staff to work harder and longer hours to keep up the pace and there may come a time when you realise that your current systems or processes are no longer sustainable if you are to continue to grow, and improvements are required.
Adopting the right technology and systems can help. Perhaps you’ve been using spreadsheets, or manual day sheets and whiteboards to plan work. Or, you’re using a bespoke transport management system which now doesn’t support the way you now want to work.
Here are six ways a transport management system can support your business growth:
1. Improve your work-life balance
Are you finding your team has to work longer hours to get through your growing workload? Work smarter, not harder, and achieve greater results with the help of a transport management system (TMS).
A TMS can help you to reduce your growing admin workload, such as ensuring proof documents are returned, and matched up to the correct paperwork automatically. Your POD process can be digitised using a TMS and integrated driver Manifest app to speed up the whole process of POD returns and invoicing. This is just one way a TMS can help you to improve efficiency, and free up time for other tasks.
2. Simplify communications between staff, customers, and sub-contractors
Whether its giving work to your drivers, keeping customers informed, or keeping track of your sub-contractors, a transport management system can help you to improve communication, saving time and effort.
Integrated apps make sending information between your office and driver community, quick and easy. As details are updated at the point of collection and delivery, the TMS and customer portal are updated, keeping everyone informed.
A Mandata TMS can be tailored to notify your contacts throughout the collection and delivery journey, freeing up your time to spend on other tasks.
Keep track of your subbies using a Mandata TMS. You can send work and receive updates from your subcontractor as if they were part of your own fleet.
3. Speed up your order-to-cash cycle
Maintain a healthy cash flow by managing the whole lifecycle process from order to invoicing with one system. Invoices are created using the job information saved in the TMS and sent via email to customers as soon as you like.
4. Create and execute the perfect plan
Use transport management software to plan all your work in one system to build loads and create plans you know you can achieve, without overcommitting your fleet. View KPIs as you plan to minimise empty miles and make the most of your fleet.
5. Help you to deliver what you promise
A TMS can be configured to keep you informed, so that you can see if work isn’t going to plan, and resolve issues before they impact your customers.
6. Diversify into new sectors
A Mandata TMS can support one or multiple work types, so when you take on new work, you can continue to use the same system. So whether you’re in a pallet network, or you transport bulk or general haulage, you can manage all your work in one place.
Would you like to learn more about a TMS and how it can support your business growth?
Talk to our team on 0191 250 2220 or email: hello@mandata.co.uk.