Transport Software: Top Benefits for Freight and Transport Businesses

If you're into the business of transporting and receiving goods, then you'll definitely need transport software. To succeed in this business, it is very important to ensure that your transport management efforts are accurate and reliable. This way, you can make sure that all important goods are moved and delivered on time. Meanwhile, here are the benefits of using transport management software.

In the business world, especially in the freight and logistics industries, having the ability to meet deadlines are very crucial. After all, you can potentially lose customers if your company is unable to deliver customers' goods on time, especially if the supplies that you are transporting are essential in the manufacture of your client's products. As such, you will need to ensure accurate and timely movement of goods. This is where having a good transport or logistics software comes in.

Having a logistics or transport software that helps you manage schedules and records can be quite handy when moving electronics, manufacturing supplies, or food products among other things. Knowing exactly when, where, and what is being transported can make it easier for you to keep track of the goods that were entrusted to you and make sure that they reach their destination safely and as scheduled.

Reliable logistics software can also help you to identify any problem that may occur during transport. As you may know, freight and logistics businesses cannot afford to encounter any complication that can cause delays and affect their supply chains. Therefore, you will need a tool that can help you prevent potential problems. With a transport management program, you can easily identify the necessary steps that you should take to avoid any complication that can impede with the timely delivery of goods.

Another advantage of having transport software is that it makes managing your supply chains more efficient. It is no secret that using a manual approach to managing the transport of goods usually takes more time and resources as compared to utilising a software system. Not only such a practice is inconvenient, it can also potentially affect the amount of profits that you will generate.

But if you're going to use solid transport software, you can do away with the tedious task of manually managing schedules and keeping track of goods that need to be transported. If utilised correctly, not only you can maximise your precious time, you can also cut operation costs and increase profits. Therefore, to improve your company's profit potential, you should use such a reliable transport management tool.

Learn more about the author: James Gasket

5 Reasons Why Businesses Should Use Reliable Payroll Softwar

These days, it is not uncommon for many businesses to use payroll software. With the advent of various programs and advanced tools that are used in the world of business, it is only logical for organisations to take advantage of things that can help them cut costs as well as improve business productivity and efficiency. Meanwhile, if your company is still using old methods to manage your employees' salaries, then here are the reasons why you should try using reliable software to manage your payroll.

Reason No 1: It helps you minimise operational costs. Using software that is intended for business purposes can be a huge help for companies and organisations that want to minimise their operating expenses. Believe it or not, using payroll or accounting software is more cost-effective than hiring a professional. It can help business owners like you save hundreds of dollars each month, which you can invest in other business ventures or use to further expand your existing company.

Reason No 2: It helps you save time. As you may know, time is a very important commodity, especially if you're involved in the business of transporting and receiving goods. Therefore, as much as possible, you should avoid doing anything that can cause you to waste a lot of time.  As such, you should use payroll software to manage your employees' salaries. As compared to manually calculating your payroll, using software is quicker and more convenient.

Reason No 3: It keeps employees' records safe. As you may know, payroll information is generally sensitive to each employee. Therefore, employee records, particularly those that have something to do with their salaries, should be kept securely. Using payroll or accounting software provides businesses with added security. It helps prevent the exposure of sensitive data since the employees' records are stored electronically.

Reason No 4: It keeps data accurate. When you manually compute your company's payroll, there is always the possibility that you're going to make a mistake. This can be a problem, especially if you're going to receive lots of complaints from your workers. With good payroll software, however, you can make sure that all computations are as accurate as possible. Because the salaries are calculated electronically, you can minimise if not totally eliminate human error.

Reason No 5:  It helps you easily organise payroll information. Using payroll software helps keep your records organised and easily accessible. Since you don't have to deal with piles of paper and folders, you can easily find the information that you're looking for. 

Learn more about the author: James Gasket

Cloud Solutions – Transforming Logistics Companies IntoMoney-Saving Machines

Since the advent of cloud solutions as valid enterprise systems, many companies have adopted them and integrated them into their day-to-day operations. Included in the long list of industries is logistics, and frankly, any supply chain business. The cloud is not just a technologically advanced solution; it is, more than anything, a cost-effective measure. That is why a lot of companies that implemented this system experience savings in their operations.

When finance teams evaluate their company's purchases and expenses, they not only take into consideration the upfront investment, they also look into recurring expenses. That is why a cloud-based logistics software would be perfect for a business that is looking to reduce expenses related to operations. And if experts say that it's impossible to reduce overhead without laying off people, they probably have not heard of the cloud.

In a nutshell, what cloud solutions do is provide enterprises with an all-in-one solution to their operations software needs. Instead of forcing the company to purchase IT infrastructure to support the software or rent expensive dedicated servers, the cloud allows the business to run as usual without the hassles. When you subscribe to a cloud-based program, your monthly expenses will include both the software and the required data space. You do not need to separately purchase or rent dedicated IT equipment.

A logistics company will naturally need software to keep track of available warehouse space, of trucks leaving the warehouse, of delivery dates, and invoices, among others. These tasks are usually handled by manual labour, leading to a high overhead. But if you can use logistics software to simplify these processes, you will free up your manpower so they can do tasks that cannot be handled by the software. Does this mean you save money by laying off staff? No. That is not how the cloud can reduce your expenses.

As mentioned earlier, cloud solutions allow you to get the software you need to run operations without purchasing or renting dedicated IT equipment. This means the company can avoid shouldering the upfront and monthly expenses related with the IT equipment. But more importantly, the software allows logistics firms, to refocus their manpower – so that your people run personally challenging processes, not repetitive, stressful tasks. You get better value for your money this way.

But apart from IT- and manpower-related savings, a cloud-based logistics software also gives authorised personnel the power to access the necessary programs they need to perform their tasks with eases – wherever they may be. Compared with local programs that are based in company premises or in company laptops, software that's based on the cloud can be accessed as long as there's Internet connection. This means pertinent information can be encoded into the system as soon as possible, speeding up deliveries and other tasks, and streamlining the overall operations of the company.

Cloud solutions represent not just technology but savings. They allow companies to avoid expensive upfront investment and monthly expenses related to IT and manpower. They also allow personnel to do their job better so that the company can close more deals faster and reach revenue targets with faster and more efficient access to information.

Learn more about the author: James Gasket

Slash Finances: 4 Ways Cloud Solutions Cut Your Logistics Expenses

Logistics companies that are yet to use cloud solutions in their operations are throwing away money. By using out-dated, disparate, or company-owned solutions, your business is setting its finance department on fire. The availability of online-based programs and the demand to streamline operations from manufacturer to consumer should be enough for logistics firms to reconsider their options.A better motivation though is saving money. CFOs should understand how the cloud impacts operations and expenses. Here are some ways cloud-based logistics software can help your company cut your expenses.

Upfront Expense – Infrastructure Investment

It's hard to convince finance to spend on IT infrastructure considering it is 1) a major upfront investment and 2) a monthly recurring expense. Let's talk about the first part of the problem. For a company that's looking to cut its expenses, it will not help if it shells out a massive amount of money to purchase the equipment needed to set up IT infrastructure – infrastructure necessary to run the operations management software. Cloud solutions, on the other hand, won't require you to purchase or update hardware. Providers shoulder that expense.

Recurring Expenses – Power

Data centres are among the biggest consumers of electricity on the planet. They run 24 hours a day, seven days a week without rest. They require redundant power to keep the servers functioning. They also need electricity to maintain cooling. By not using cloud-based logistics software and opting to set up your own infrastructure, you are effectively agreeing to spend more money each and every month on utilities. Go for the cloud and avoid this recurring expense.

Recurring Expenses – Manpower

Here's a factor that is often overlooked when weighing between cloud and local software solutions for logistics operations. If you choose to set up, upgrade, or keep your own IT infrastructure, the company would need to hire a whole engineering team dedicated to the maintenance of the IT infrastructure. A data centre will have at least two layers: the physical layer and the IT layer. This means you need engineers and technicians to maintain the physical layer, which is space, power, and cooling. On the IT side, you have the cabinets, racks, and servers, among others. On top of all of this, you need a data centre manager to oversee everything. Cloud solutions allow you to skip this huge overhead because the provider is in charge of the infrastructure maintenance. You are in charge of your own business: logistics.

Recurring Expenses – Consumption

The amount of data you can store and use is fixed when you have a data centre. It depends on the hardware you have installed. If you want to increase your data consumption, you need to reinvest and purchase more servers. Those servers need racks and cabinets, as well as space, power, and cooling. When your use of the logistics software grows, you need to reinvest again. But what happens when demand drops? You still need to maintain the same amount of hardware, leading to a waste of power and manpower hours. With dedicated servers for rent, you can increase or decrease the servers you require but it would take time, depending on availability.

Consider using cloud solutions for your logistics business today. You can cut your upfront and recurring expenses, as well as streamline your operations.

Learn more about the author: James Gasket

May 2013 - NQ Group achieves new ISO Quality Certification

Here's great news for any organisation looking for safer and more reliable heavy haulage, heavy cranes, and heavy rentals services.

NQ Group, one of the country's most reputable and most trusted heavy lift and shift companies, has just announced that it has received ISO 9001:2008 certification. The certification was awarded on May 23, 2013 by Sustainability Auditor Dave Bardsley of Better Business Strategies, after Mr Bardsley conducted a four-day audit of NQ Group's new management system in action. Read More...

Cloud solutions – Motivations for Moving Your Logistics Operations

Cloud solutions are clever in a way that they move the mover.

Companies in the supply chain industry, or businesses that move things, rely on their people, their fleet, and their operations software to make sure everyone receives their packages on time. These companies need to ensure deliveries are met, warehouses are maxed, and that everything is done with minimal costs. Traditional logistics software have been very helpful for the past 20 years in meeting these goals. However, with tougher and more competitive markets, and with the complexities brought by the Internet, businesses need to "move" elsewhere.

Traditional Solutions Examined

The very core of Australian logistics is yet to change after all these years. It's simply moving one item from point A to point B. Sometimes it's kept in point B before it's moved to point C. The emergence of cloud solutions and other Internet-based developments, however, opened up doors to improving services and operations. Shipments can now be tracked. Pick-ups can now be applied online. Despite these improvements, many logistics companies still lag behind. Much of this has to do with the kind of software – or worse, the lack of such software – they use in operations.

Prior to the emergence of cloud-based logistics software, companies have relied on manual recording of data. This might work for a transport business with a fleet of two or three cars. This might work for a storage space rental. This will not work with enterprise class businesses that need to move iron ore quick, or to decent sized warehouses that track dozens and dozens of palettes.

Other companies are more advanced and employ desktop based solutions like excel spreadsheets. They audit everything via such solutions. And then, there's the technology-savvy enterprises that process everything centrally through an operations software. These software, however, are often hosted locally within company servers or externally on third-party dedicated servers.

Why the Cloud is a Mover

With cloud solutions, the user sees just one plain interface: the software side. As for the hardware side? The cloud aggregates available space from different secure servers often based on different locations. The package is offered as one solution containing the software, hardware, and other services when applicable. What does this mean to CTOs and other technology decision makers in logistics companies?

This means it's one less worry. The company no longer has to worry about the hardware side to keep the software – and yes, the business – running. It's a big burden off their shoulders as IT hardware maintenance is no easy and cheap task. It requires full-time attention and a whole team to run.

Logistics software that run on the cloud also mean business possibilities. With the cloud, companies can easily scale data storage and computing needs when necessary. Noticing a spike in services? No worries because you're on the cloud and you can easily increase or decrease consumption with ease. This is not possible with dedicated servers because the hardware can accommodate data to a limit. Once that threshold is reached, you need to apply for more space and pay for the whole server. Paying in excess for unused space is never a wise financial decision for any company.

Cloud solutions allow logistics firms to do what they do, which is store and move items. The major difference is they are able to do their job more effectively as they focus more on operations, not on maintenance of the IT hardware infrastructure. The focus is on gaining more customers and deliveries, not on worrying if the allotted space on the dedicated server can carry the load. It is time to move to the cloud.

Learn more about the author: James Gasket