If you’ve started looking for a TMS or are thinking about switching, you’ve made a great decision. A TMS is an increasingly common way to identify your best option for a shipment and track it all the way from pickup to reporting. Here are a few things you’ll want to evaluate:
How much does it cost?
One of the biggest considerations most shippers have for a TMS is the cost and this can range widely. A TMS is designed to provide savings so you’ll want to ensure that the estimated savings outweigh the cost of the system. If you’re not sure what your savings would be, you can simply ask for estimates. We have a few examples of the typical savings our clients have found in our Constellation TMS White Paper.
How user-friendly is it?
Find out how long it will take the average user to be able to use the system comfortably. It’s important to know whether training and live support will be provided. Ideally a system will be so intuitive that support won’t be needed but it’s nice to know that it will be there if someone gets stuck.
What features does it have?
It’ll be up to you which features are most important but here are a few things you may want to consider:
- Order management – Will this integrate with your system? Can it be automated?
- Rate Management – Can it manage spot quotes? Would it incorporate your contracted rates?
- Visibility – Will the system give you alerts? Can you manage by exception?
- Load building – Will it pull all the information you need from the ERP?
- Booking and tendering – Can it be done automatically? Will you receive notifications?
What reports does it offer?
Since a TMS is gathering lots of data about your shipments, one of its biggest benefits is the reporting it offers. A TMS can be used to measure your shipping efficiencies and track items such as:
- In-transit status reports,
- Carrier performance rating,
- Rated shipment reports,
- Accrual reports and more.
If you have any questions about how a TMS system works or anything else, please get in touch. And if you’d like to learn more about TranzAct’s Constellation TMS, please visit: http://constellationtms.com/.
