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Jay-Lynn Wallace

The Age of Transformation: How Are You Managing Supply Chain Data?

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Everywhere you turn, you’re hearing about COVID-19. You’ve probably read and heard all about the effects on business, and many of you in the supply chain are feeling those effects personally.

The natural thing for many companies to do is freeze spending and cut expenses, but this is also a time to regroup, re-evaluate, focus on areas that can be improved, become leaner, and reposition your company for efficient growth.

Thinking bigger, this is an opportunity to prepare for the next chapter of the digital transformation in the supply chain. Specifically, this blog will focus on how you can transform the management of your supply chain data.

The Supply Chain Data Challenge for Many Companies

Let’s start by painting the picture of inefficiency with supply chain data management. Are you wasting valuable time emailing people in your organization for information and reports? Do you have log-ins for multiple systems trying to track down data?

Instead of waiting for important data or tabbing through multiple windows on your computer, supply chain decision-makers need to have a very clear view of the supply chain. Within a minute, you should be able to find answers to questions such as:

  • What shipments are en route to me from my suppliers?
  • How much have I spent on freight in the last week? By month?
  • Do I have any outstanding bills to my carriers? What’s the dollar amount?

These are just a few examples of the details you should be able to view instantly and all from one screen. Having access to this data will support decision-making during this critical pandemic recovery period and position your company for growth beyond the pandemic.

How to Achieve Efficiencies in Supply Chain Data Management

The next stage of the digital transformation is upon us. It may have come earlier than expected because of the disruption caused by the pandemic, but it’s here and it’s time to achieve efficiencies managing supply chain data.

  • Let’s work together to get all your data in one place.
  • Let’s get those freight costs down.
  • Let’s empower all your employees and suppliers to be more efficient with localized data.

This is a time to network, collaborate on ideas, and build a better future for your company.
CloudLogix is your partner to support the digital transformation in your company. Let’s explore solutions together so that you can stop spending time on inefficient processes and start gaining supply chain visibility for decision-making.

– Contact Jay-Lynn Wallace today to discuss how our compelling combination of supply chain software and services are the right fit for your company.

Are You Still Contacting Carriers for Quotes?

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Sometimes shipments require a specialized approach that a standard rate shipping tool cannot provide. Perhaps you need quotes from carriers that don’t have contracted rates. Or maybe these carriers don’t have the ability to automate this process.

Fortunately for you, there is a better way to handle these exceptions that no longer requires you to individually call and email multiple carriers for quotes.

Let the Shipping Rates Come To You!

Our custom quote tool, LoadQuote, is fully equipped with email alerts, system notifications, and the ability for you to communicate with your carriers simultaneously and effortlessly.

LoadQuote exists within our LoadStar Shipping software, requiring no additional installation or add-ons for customers who currently utilize our signature TMS tool.

How LoadQuote Works

Whether your carriers are big or small, you can reach them all through LoadQuote.

Each carrier will receive your request and have the ability to submit a custom rate generated specifically for you. Then, you can award and dispatch your shipment for pickup, while the carriers not chosen for the shipment are advised as such.

Increase efficiency today by trying our LoadStar custom quote feature! With LoadQuote by CloudLogix, you don’t have to worry about phone calls or emails again to find custom shipping rates.

Not a current CloudLogix customer? Contact Jay-Lynn Wallace today to discuss why LoadStar Shipping and our LoadQuote tool are right for your business.

5 Tips for Harmonious TMS Software Implementation

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We’ve spent over a decade facilitating logistics and supply chain software implementation projects for clients. Sometimes, the software implementation process can become contentious when involving IT or software development teams.

We would like to share a few tips we’ve learned along the way to help manage expectations. We believe that taking note of our experience will help promote a harmonious relationship between your team and the software developers that operate on the back-end of the project.

Create An Environment of Communication and Understanding

Each of these tips boils down to two key actions you can take: communicate and understand.

1. Be Open-Minded to Design Suggestions

You have an idea. You’re the subject matter expert on logistics or supply chain management and you know what you want from a TMS solution. But, if you’re working with developers on a software concept, yield to their expertise. They’re architecture and design experts, and they have seen their share of success and failure when it comes to scope decisions.

Hear out the software developers; they might be able to make your idea even better than you thought it could be.

2. Have Realistic Expectations About the Effort Level

Just because a task seems easy from the outside doesn’t mean it’s easy to actually perform the work. Often times, significant or unanticipated effort is needed on the back-end to complete the project.

Some jobs require an engineer to touch several different areas of the system, not to mention a thorough UAT process upon completion. Ultimately, the software development team wants to make sure the project is done right the first time. So, if they say they need more time, don’t pressure them to rush.

3. Respect Their Time

  • Questions arise.
  • Check-ins are necessary.
  • Input is needed.

All these things are true and completely acceptable. However, an engineer might be working on something highly complicated. Therefore, staying on their specific train of thought is crucial.

It’s best to reserve your thoughts and questions for an email so that the software engineer can answer you at a stopping point. If you need to discuss in-person, request a meeting in writing so that an optimal time can be arranged. This is good practice for anyone, actually.

4. Try to Stick to the Scope

We know it’s common to recognize that other elements would be nice to add to the project once development is underway and all the pieces start coming together. However, it’s not a good idea to start building a new wish list when the project is already scoped out.

It’s important to prioritize those new items in relation to the project terms already agreed upon. Ask yourself this question: is this idea critical to include in this iteration of the TMS solution, or should the idea be saved for a future release?

Scope creep happens, but don’t expect out-of-scope items to be completed for free or within the originally quoted time frame.

5. Don’t Immediately Blame the System

User adoption is tough. Change of any kind is tough. If something doesn’t seem right after the software is implemented, examine your internal process and review any training tools first. Many times, the issue is process-related rather than system-related.

If you determine that your users are still having trouble with the TMS solution, then circle back to the software developer to see if they can communicate helpful information to your team.

Have Other Tips on Software Development Projects?

We would love to hear from you if you have other tips to share about successful TMS software implementation projects. Drop us a line at info@cloudlogix.com with your feedback.

Otherwise, try to incorporate these tips into your software project management approach. Your software engineers will thank you!

Not to Pick on Debbie, But There’s a Better Way

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You might be focused on reducing supply chain costs over time by adopting the latest, greatest software tool. Or, you are thinking about making contractual changes with your transportation providers. But, let’s also think about Debbie in Accounting:

– How is she coding those freight invoices every week?
– Does she have to pull spreadsheets from various places?
– Who else is involved in the process?
– Can any of it be automated? Better yet, can all of it be automated?
– Is Debbie doing it this way because that’s how she’s always done it?

Not to pick on Debbie, but maybe there is a better way.

Process improvements save time, and we all know that time is money. Efficient software is critical, but you will receive the maximum benefit when the software is coupled with efficient procedures. There are likely several areas that can be optimized.

Where Do You Start Trying to Blend Software and Processes?

You might already have a hunch where you can impact the most change. Start there. Otherwise, start identifying where spreadsheets are used. Then, ask these questions:

– Are the spreadsheets necessary?
– What processes are being followed today that seem to have the most manual steps or involve the most people?
– Is there something you’ve always wanted to measure but were unable to?
– Do you have data that always seems to have issues or mistakes?

Can Your Software Accomplish Your Necessary Tasks?

Hopefully, you have a software provider that you can speak with about your day-to-day processes and gain additional input on the software capabilities. If you do not, consider how CloudLogix can help.

We do not just sell off-the-shelf software — we help you find solutions. Our software is simply the tool that can help accomplish the solutions.

Whether you’re looking for new software or if you are only focused on process improvements, CloudLogix is up for the task. Don’t let Debbie in Accounting dictate your decision-making. Let’s talk about a cost-saving solution that makes everyone happy, even Debbie. Contact us today for a consultation about optimizing your supply chain.

How Important is Software Cost to Streamline Your Supply Chain?

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Consider this common scenario for logistics companies:

– Your company is looking for a tool to streamline your supply chain.
– Your focus is collecting freight bill data in one place or perhaps finding a one-stop shipping solution.
– Wherever your focus lies, the number one goal is to save money.

Do you believe finding the lowest cost provider is the best move? Or, do you have the “you get what you pay for” mentality?

The reality is it’s best to be somewhere in the middle. The big companies will give you fancy software at a fancy price, but that usually comes with a lot of features you don’t need and will never use.

Comparatively, the lowest cost provider might have a solution that solves most of what you need, but it might not be able to scale to your future plans.

Finding the Right Size Software Solution to Streamline Your Supply Chain

When you have been tasked to find a solution that saves you money, it’s easy to buy into promises of “cutting your shipping expenses by 30 percent” or “three months free and a discount each month thereafter.”

However, you will likely find in the end that those value promises fall short of the overall number you were looking to save that year.

It’s important to find software that suits your needs. It’s even more important to think beyond the software to find a provider that delivers stellar customer service and serves as your partner, helping you navigate through your process challenges and provide perspective in other areas you might not have focused on before.

The truth is that you don’t just need software. You need solutions. You need a partner who will help you explore those solutions at a reasonable cost, all while providing their software to help facilitate. It’s not unreasonable to expect premium service at a less-than-premium price.

Why is CloudLogix the Right Fit?

CloudLogix does not just provide a piece of software to streamline your supply chain. We offer industry-leading customer service support to help you utilize the software to save costs, increase efficiencies, and improve visibility throughout the supply chain.

Many of our customer service team members have been exactly where you are in the thick of the battle trying to manage a changing entity. Now in a consultancy role, our team is capable of listening to your specific situation, providing answers, and crafting a custom software solution that fits exactly what you need — at the right cost.

Contact us today to schedule a consultation. We would appreciate the opportunity to find the best solution for your company.


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