Why Improve Your Workflow
Technology is racing ahead and the need for logistics workflow and automation is being pushed in order to remain competitive. You need clear visibility to make strategic decisions, keep business successful, as well as make customers happy.
According to the Department of Transportation (DOT), truck drivers deliver approximately 70% of all freight transported in the U.S. Moving $671 billion of goods per year is no small feat. Of course, truck drivers are just one component of the freight and logistics industry.
In 2020, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics released the latest “Freight Facts and Figures” report. In the report, the BTS estimates the total tonnage of freight moved by the U.S. transportation system will increase by 1.2 percent per year between 2018 and 2045. With major growth on the horizon, the logistics industry cannot afford to ignore the developments in efficiency and document workflows that are taking place in the technology sectors.
Document Scanning & Data Capture: It’s Only the Beginning
Shipping documents, invoices, proofs of delivery (PODs), bills of lading, and customs documentation for border crossings are just a small sample of the types of documents that you needed scanned and captured with Advanced Data Capture technology using Optical Character Recognition (OCR). OCR technology allows users to capture typed characters on a page and store it as data. By digitizing these paper documents, the data is better protected, easier to access, and can be utilized like never before. With OCR, your company has the ability to research and report on data that would otherwise only be available if an employee spent the time manually keying the information from the paper into your database.
6 Long-term Benefits of Document Scanning
Once a document is scanned with OCR technology, it is loaded and stored into your company’s document management system, where it can be easily searched and retrieved by authorized parties.
Expediting Workflow with a Document Management System
Within your document management system, any document can be searched for based on index values or keywords. Furthermore, OCR allows users to search the full text of a document as well – not just the indexes set up for that particular type of document.
Your enterprise software can also use the information pulled from scanned documents to assist with proper routing of files via workflow. Business-defined rules and processes can ensure that scanned documents are sent to the correct departments for processing.
Common Problems and the Workflow Solutions That Fix Them: Freight, Shipment, and Logistics
The Power of Logistics Automation and Workflow
Once you are enabled digitally with powerful capture technology and a document management system, you are ready for the big time – automation! Robotic process automation (RPA) boosts efficiency by enabling the automation of a number of tasks that are repetitive and rule-based. This is a game-changer and keeps trucking and logistics from falling behind their competition in a number of ways.
Automate Shipment Scheduling and Tracking
Never have a shipment delayed because of a slow processing system. With a document management system and automated workflows, shipping documents can be quickly accessed and retrieved. From the initial pick-up request to checking and reporting shipment status between internal systems and portals, you are able to extract shipment details from incoming emails, log jobs in your scheduling systems and provide pick-up times in customer/carrier portals, all with the power of digital robots!
Improved Customer Experience
Easily provide your customers with shipment tracking information in order to reduce confusion and customer service expenses.
Compliance
Always remain in compliance by having the correct documentation for a shipment. A robot provides a more detailed and continual audit log of activity.
Speed Invoicing by Integrating Systems with Customer Portals
Rapidly route invoices to avoid delayed payments. Eliminate re-keying, cutting-and-pasting, and manually attaching data to invoices. Automatically extract shipping data, attach scanned PODs and invoices, and update customer portals in seconds, rather than days.
The Future of Logistics and Trucking
To harness the power of document workflow automation, you need your data digitized and placed in a dynamic document management system. These solutions then lend their hand in superb automation which makes your life easier so you can focus on what you do best. Don’t fall behind using paper-based systems and relying on manual processes. Those ways are no longer needed and not at all cost-effective for your organization. You owe it to yourself and your customers to get your solutions in place to fully take advantage of these great technologies.
