Logistic companies hear hear! Find out how you can facilitate the timely completion of necessary documentation from your subcontractors with the help of e@TransportDocument
Logistics companies often face challenges in efficiently exchanging data and documentation with their subcontractors, especially transport service providers. While this problem is not primarily related to technology, it requires a shift in business approach and innovative strategies to encourage subcontractors to streamline the process.
The Algometric team has created a “Collaboration and Administration Platform” for logistics companies, including the e@TransportDocument component. In this article, we will delve into the features and advantages of e@TransportDocument, a tool that enables logistics companies to exchange documents and data with their subcontractors in an efficient electronic manner.
The e@TransportDocument acts as an intermediary web application that facilitates the timely completion of necessary documentation required by logistics companies from their subcontractors. It enables efficient communication for confirming service performance and verifying invoices for payment, which is critical for complying with work procedures and contractual obligations. This communication also serves as the first step in introducing a self-billing scenario, which is becoming increasingly prevalent in transport companies. Self-billing empowers subcontractors to issue their invoices based on the provided documentation. Furthermore, the need for labor-intensive tasks such as scanning and inputting documents into the system and reconciling them with incoming invoices is eliminated, streamlining the process and increasing efficiency.
The platform offers a comprehensive solution beyond just exchanging documents between logistics companies and carriers. It also offers the capability to connect and access all tour-level data. The platform has established documentation requirements with rules that define the accompanying documents for a tour. Additionally, the system provides the flexibility of marking a document type as mandatory or optional.
After a successful login, users are presented with a main screen displaying available options according to their permissions. The portal is highly customizable, offering multilingual configuration and integration with the company’s website. Additionally, e@TransportDocument can be accessed through a web browser on a range of devices such as a computer, tablet, or mobile phone, without requiring additional software installations.
e@TransportDocument consists of the following fundamental functional components:
✓ System for viewing a list of incomplete/complete tours
✓ System for document entry
✓ System for document search and view
✓ User reporting system: Customer claims, Financial statements, Payment announcements, etc.
✓ Documentation submission process review system.
The crucial component is the review of incomplete tour records and document entry to finalize the documentation for a particular tour. This initiates a sequence of actions towards the logistics company’s transport manager and ERP system, affecting other business processes. The monitoring and completion of tasks are simple and easy to understand, resulting in smooth integration and facilitating efficient collaboration.
Actions of document entry can also be included in the existing workflow of the logistics company to enable tracking of the complete tour life cycle through job chronology. The system also provides a recording mechanism for tracking who entered a specific document and when, enabling user activity tracking within the system.
This is a flexible solution suitable for logistics companies of all sizes that cooperate with subcontractors and are seeking to enhance their business operations. It can be implemented either as a cloud-based or on-premises software, depending on the transport company’s specific requirements. Furthermore, this solution can be integrated with external DMS systems, enabling transport companies to store electronic documentation through external services they already use.
User profiles are customized based on specific needs, with the most common being administrative profiles for transport company officers, profiles for employees at subcontractors responsible for document entry and monitoring the submission of documentation as well as financial reporting (such as financial records, invoices, payment notifications, etc.).
e@TransportDocument is designed to operate independently or interact efficiently with existing information systems and solutions such as Transport Manager, ERP, and others used by the transport company, contributing to the flexibility of the solution through its multi-layered architecture. Any changes in the form or content of forms do not require alterations on all layers of the application, making maintenance and upgrading of e@TransportDocument simple, cost-effective, and proven in terms of reliability.
The option to control the completeness of documentation is among the most beneficial features on the e@TransportDocument portal. The user interface displays an indicator for each tour where documentation is incomplete, as well as a list of mandatory and optional documentation by tour. This list includes a list of permitted document types such as CMR, incoming invoice, disposition, Fito, JCI, packing list, waybill, thermal printout, etc. This way, the system automatically indicates to the user what is expected of them to enter. Additionally, the system indicates those tours for which documentation is complete, allowing the subcontractor user to see which tours can be invoiced, and the transport company user to see which tours can have the invoicing and payment reviewed.
Some of the portal main functionalities are:
✓ Tour overview
✓ Document entry
✓ Document search
✓ Reporting
✓ Integration with the Transport Management System
✓ Integration with other subsystems such as WMS, DMS, ERP etc.
✓ Integration with the subcontractor system
The problem of exchanging data and documentation between logistics companies and their subcontractors, especially transport service providers, can be a challenging one. While the root of the issue often lies in communication and proper incentivization, the technology can certainly play a role in improving the efficiency of data and documentation exchange. The e@TransportDocument portal is designed to facilitate the creation of beneficial regulations and a new ecosystem that benefits all parties involved.