Your freight procurement software should help everyone involved in the process – not just your procurement team.
If you invest in software that offers your carriers industry-leading features, you'll build stronger relationships with your top carriers. And the strength of your relationship can make the difference between securing capacity and not.
So which carrier features should you look for in your freight procurement software?
1. Fast digital rate quoting
Your top carriers have to use your procurement platform to send you quotes. If your platform slows down their quoting processes, they will begin to resent working with you – or even avoid working with you all together!
Your platform should make your carriers love working with you, not resent it. When you’re looking at freight procurement software, look for a carrier portal that speeds up the quoting processes for them.
The portal should digitise carriers' manual processes, automating the time-consuming work that slows down the quoting process. A faster quoting process is a win for your team too – the faster your carriers quote, the faster your tendering processes will be too!
2. Procurement messaging tools
The foundation of any relationship is good communication. And in today’s digital world, we all expect software to integrate easy-to-use real-time messaging tools.
Surprisingly, many freight procurement platforms don’t offer any messaging tools to communicate and save conversations between you and your carriers.
When you’re purchasing freight procurement software, look for platforms with modern messaging tools that offer real-time communication. This will ensure your carriers can always reach you, you’re always able to seamlessly communicate and all your conversations are stored all stored in one easy-to-access place.
3. Digital freight contract management
Your carriers are managing thousands of data points. Just like managing your freight rates is complicated, it's difficult for carriers to keep track of all their contracts and historical data too.
So, when you're searching for a platform that stores your freight data securely in the cloud, consider whether the platform offers your carriers the same feature for their data too. This will enable them to make better, data-driven decisions and ensure they keep your records secure.
Want to learn about the feature that has everyone in freight procurement talking? Download the whitepaper below to learn all about autonomous freight procurement.
