What should my company look for in a forwarding management system?

The logistics business is one characterized by complex business processes, relentless competition and high client expectations. Companies are constantly striving to increase margins while keeping their competitive edge. A forwarding management system is a piece of software that could certainly aid logistics businesses in achieving better results. But what should such software include in order to be effective?

Look for a flexible system that has quality at the same time

While most freight forwarding companies need the all the basic functionalities of a forwarding management system, many among them need further customizations to suit their specific needs. Make sure you find software that has the capability to be tweaked further and a software provider that is willing to help you best fit the system to your company. Your forwarding management system should be flexible when it comes to changes, as is your business.

Make sure safety and security aren’t an afterthought

Though this may not be the first thing that comes to mind, you should make sure that your system receives regular updates. Naturally, it should also meet all of your safety requirements and go through rigorous testing before deployment. The end product should always be a fast and reliable forwarding management system.

Find a system that has an extensive contract management functionality

An important feature to look out for is the forwarding management system’s contract management. It should be able to simplify and easily track and compare contract terms. Furthermore, if you have a long-term partnership with a customer, you should have the flexibility to set special conditions, such as special prices for agreed destinations. You should also be able to analyze the fulfillment of contractual agreements and perform profitability analysis of the concluded contracts.

Explore the software’s quotation management capabilities first

Look for a forwarding management system that simplifies the management of carrier contracts and makes it easy to track and compare contracts` terms. For example, it should be able to offer the best possible price and selection of the most reliable carrier for your customer, as it matches the customer inquiry to the most suitable carrier quote. In order to optimize your business processes, you should look for a solution that automates the majority of them.

To find out what else you should be looking for in forwarding management software, watch this video!

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