When navigating the high-stakes logistics environment that we find ourselves in, speed, efficiency, and convenience are paramount. In order to be successful, shippers need to keep costs down, maintain high margins, and avoid disruptions. By leveraging managed transportation to successfully deliver at below cost and exceed expectations, shippers can continue to flourish in the current logistics market.
This article examines managed transportation and some of the many ways shippers can leverage this service to build and maintain a competitive advantage. Furthermore, we look at how having the right service provider — like Continental Logistics — can be the catalyst for continued growth.
What is Managed Transportation?
To help them meet customer needs, shippers are turning to managed transportation to excel. Managed transportation is a comprehensive solution that can help companies meet their cost and efficiency goals. Providers can handle transportation, freight payments, and managing carriers, along with delivering comprehensive analytics about your shipments and logistics. By outsourcing logistics to a partner who excels in managed transportation and logistics operations, companies can achieve faster deliveries, lower costs, and happier customers.
Why do Shippers Gain By Outsourcing Logistics and Transportation?
Managed transportation becomes especially important during periods of growth for companies. When a business is small, it can operate its logistics with a level of inefficiency, such as using manual spreadsheets for keeping track of orders and shipments. However, as a business grows, those small inefficiencies are magnified and they can end up costing a company many thousands of dollars.
These companies have extensive experience operating and economizing logistics for businesses of all sizes. They also have access to a suite of technological tools to help them find, track, and analyze every shipment. These can include tools to find the best price, utilize multiple modalities to lower costs, provide better reporting to maximize efficiency, and more. Instead of getting overwhelmed by the scale of your business, turn to managed transportation providers to maximize your logistics while minimizing cost and people hours.
By outsourcing logistics to a managed transportation provider, companies can see a lot of benefits.
- Save money on both the cost of shipping and staffing needed to book and track those shipments.
- Access better prices and optimize routes more effectively using the provider’s larger scale, relationships, technology, and experience.
- Improve customer satisfaction because shipments arrive faster and at a lower cost.
- Access comprehensive analytics reporting to track costs, delays, and benefits.
- Access a broader range of shipping options, including multimodal. This larger pool of choices helps mitigate the risk associated with supply chain disruptions.
- Access to a larger pool of truckers can help businesses better weather issues such as construction on a major highway or a localized trucker strike.
If any issues occur, a managed transportation provider can quickly address any issues with strong solutions to make customers happy and coming back for more business.
Continental Logistics Specializes in Managed Transportation Services
Companies turn to Continental Logistics and its 50 years of experience handling everything from multimodal transport to freight consolidation and temperature-controlled shipping.
Order Fulfillment
Continental can handle diverse order fulfillment needs with integrated technology and various logistical strategies that make shipping a breeze. They can integrate with all major shopping and e-commerce software to fulfill orders seamlessly.
They utilize advanced technology and industry expertise to optimize logistics operations. Their integration with both your company’s communications through EDI and with e-commerce sits enables them to quickly fulfill any requests while maintaining inventory management.
Shipment Solutions
Once the order is ready to ship, their interface for booking fast, cost-effective shipping helps save money on shipping.
Continental can handle every need including:
- Full truckload – efficient, cost-effective shipping for full truckloads.
- Less than truckload – find the best option for your needs to ship less than truckload quickly.
- Drayage – moves goods from port to warehouse quickly while Continental manages the logistics.
- Intermodal services – tap into additional modes of transportation like trains to reduce costs and deliver goods faster.
And if anything goes wrong, Continental is ready to help resolve any logistics issues with truckers or customers to ensure everyone is satisfied.
Customized Reporting
With its unique ERP system, Continental is able to help businesses connect all their platforms and workspaces to a single system. Through that connection, they can help companies develop new and more insightful reports that help them see a comprehensive overview of their business and the ways they can improve. When they’re ready to make those improvements, Continental is there to help companies maximize efficiency with new innovations, such as improved inventory management, better shipping, and beyond.
Additional Customized Services
Continental can offer customized solutions that fit the unique needs of each shipper. Whatever you’re moving and how you need it to arrive, Continental can help you figure out the best way to transport it.
Trust Continental Logistics for Customized Transportation Management
Managed transportation services are essential for companies to succeed in this high-stakes logistics environment. It’s a great option for growing businesses and any company that wants to improve order fulfillment and logistics efficiency while optimizing employee time.
Continental Logistics caters to every managed transportation service need, including order fulfillment, warehouse optimization, and shipment solutions. Most importantly, they are pros at customizing services to meet individual business needs. To take the first step toward better logistics, contact Continental Logistics today.
