Unlike in the past, freight transport operations undergo drastic changes during digitalisation, from optimising shipping processes and matching supply and demand, and so on. Indeed, freight services adopt these changes to provide the best services for their customers at cost-effective rates. As we all know, shipping is a complex process involving several steps. And coordination at all levels of operations is crucial for the smooth implementation of dispatch and delivery at the specified time.

Hence, for freight shipping, a digital platform has become essential for beating the cutthroat competition prevailing within the industry. Digital shipping is all about adopting an easier way of implementing shipping and logistics management to bring several advantages through technology adoption, automation, business analytics, enhanced customer experience, and staying on top of artificial intelligence and machine learning to go places.

Digitalisation in freight transport comes with several advantages. Digital freight shipping platforms help in the efficiency of operations and ensure cost savings exceeding 50 per cent. Freight forwarding firms can even enhance these savings by up to 75 per cent. Today, freight forwarders use digitalisation to transform the existing system into a more adaptable and scalable one. Furthermore, it helps elevate the customer experience to accommodate market demands.

Digitalisation also enables access to highly detailed real-time data that streamlines the shipping processes. Digital freight shipping platforms facilitate customers to connect with carriers and access carrier capacity available in real-time while helping to optimise last-mile delivery solutions. Freight forwarders, shipping and logistics services that provide integrated services should undergo several changes to fulfil the digitalisation process. The technology adoption and its effects on the logistics chain positively influence freight movement, which intends to provide the best customer experience.

In this article, we discuss the impact of digitalisation and a few significant benefits it offers to beat the challenges in freight transport operations.

1. Instant Freight Rates

Before digitalisation in the freight transport industry, a shipper approached a carrier or freight forwarder for receiving rates. There is always a chance for mistakes in generating invoices when manually handling this task. Manual invoice reconciliation adds up to the costs. Also, pricing becomes transparent as it considers existing market conditions and allows rate comparisons to offer the lowest one for moving freight. Indeed, this is apart from the discount when there are higher freight volumes. Digital solutions use instant quoting tools to standardise freight rate management. With the help of rate management software, freight transport services generate quotes fast, immediately after the customers send rate requests. If digitalisation is in place, customers need not wait for freight quotes. With a single click, they can instantly access rates.

2. Enhanced Efficiency and Productivity

Freight transport and logistics require several activities get done simultaneously. As we all manual labour has its limitations and is prone to errors, not to mention the delay in executing tasks. Digitalisation facilitates many freight forwarding and logistics companies to enhance efficiency in the first place. For digitalising the supply chain, companies rely on cloud-based software, which helps them streamline their operations. An integrated technology platform ensures the automation of information and enables its access in real time. Also, manual work reduced implies that work productivity has improved. When digitalisation is in place, it is easy to identify problems and bottlenecks. It eliminates uncertainties as the entire process becomes streamlined through resource optimisation. By using digital solutions, staff can perform efficiently while improving their productivity.

3. Efficient Flow of Communication

Lack of real-time communication can impact freight operations, and telephones and emails do not help smooth cargo movement. Freight transport and logistics involve the service of multiple vendors; for example, in the case of multimodal transport, many parties are involved, and the process gets very complex. Therefore, in such a scenario, digitalisation offers many benefits with the help of digital tools for automating communication. Above all, it reduces costs, integrates freight shipping platforms with carriers, communicates with all stakeholders in real-time, and uses APIs for quoting freight rates and tracking the status of transit cargo. It is a cost-effective and fastest way to send information, compared to conventional means. Also, with the help of address validation API, freight companies can check whether an address exists. Using digitalisation, freight companies guarantee timely delivery, particularly by avoiding delays caused due to wrong addresses.

4. Tracking of Transit Goods

Ease of tracking is one of the essential requirements a customer looks for while selecting a freight transport and logistics service partner. The tracking API system allows customers to receive alerts and notifications at every milestone, from pickup to delivery. Helping customers access the status of transit freight helps them to make better decisions. Also, freight transport companies need not be required to attend “where is my order” (WISMO) calls from their customers, now and again. It implies that there would be considerable savings in time while sending transit status in real time. Therefore, both sides derive freight process automation and digitalisation. End-to-end visibility facilitates dynamic routing, and with the help of data sharing, it would become easy to avoid delivery delays. Carriers get updates regarding the route, and in case of delays, they can re-route for timely delivery. Route optimisation ensures shorter delivery times and the precise estimated time of arrivals (ETAs) and keeps customers happy.

Freight Transport Services from Ianis Cargo Get a wide range of freight transport services from Ianis Cargo, where every freight operation gets automated so that there is complete control over the shipping process. From express transport to full truckload (FTL), less than truckload (LTL/Groupage) and air shipping for eCommerce delivery, Ianis Cargo offers its customers the ease of shipping at affordable costs. Since there are no intermediaries, customers do not need to pay any hidden charges. The live shipping calculator allows customers to get the lowest freight quotes while our intuitive algorithm compares rates from several reputed couriers. Access freight quotes in real-time using a live shipping calculator, track the real-time transit status, receive electronic proof of delivery, 24/7 customer support and many more. Move your freight through Ianis Cargo and get the best of freight services!