THE EXPERT GUIDE TO BETTER

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Efficient, cost-effective transportation

management is the very cornerstone of strong,

lasting supplier-customer relationships. When the

goods arrive on time, damage-free, and to the

right location, your company becomes a “hero”

that customers come back to time and time again.

When shipments are late or damaged in today’s

same-day and next-day environment, customers

go elsewhere. Managing transportation effectively

is one of the most important things your

company does, but getting it right every

time can be a challenge.

The good news is that there are steps you

can take to achieve best-in-class transportation

management status. In this ebook, we’ll look at

the value of assessing your current processes, the

key “signs” to look for during these evaluations,

and the most important considerations as you

shop around for the right transportation

management system (TMS).

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Signs That It’s Time to Improve Your Transportation Management Process

Evaluating Your Transportation Needs

How Transportation Management Systems Can Help Solve Your Problems

Conclusion & About WINTM

5 SIGNS THAT IT’S TIME TO IMPROVE YOUR TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PROCESS

Business may be good and customer complaints few, but that doesn’t mean you can rest on your transportation management laurels. Many

organizations are using legacy systems. Some

organizations have no discernible system in place

at all to manage the transportation component.

There is always room for improvement.

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You wonder if you could be saving more on your shipping.

Managing multiple dispatches at the same time is an ongoing struggle that your current solution doesn’t support very well.

You have a group of preferred carriers, but you:

Never really know if you are getting the most cost-effective rate.

Have no easy way of evaluating carrier performance without multiple spreadsheets and website visits.

Have to go to multiple websites or make numerous calls to get information when a customer asks for shipment status.

Your team is making multiple phone calls and sending multiple email messages to make sure shipments are covered.

You don’t have freight spendvisibility across your business.

Don't have visibility into shipment status for everyone in your organization who needs it.

Engage in a consuming project with multiple spreadsheets and website visits when getting a new lane covered or finding additional capacity.

HERE ARE FIVE TELLTALE SIGNS THAT IT’S TIME TO TRANSFORM THE WAY YOU MANAGE TRANSPORTATION:

Shifting capacity availability, an evolving omni-channel distribution environment, the growth in e-commerce, and today’s ever-changing compliance and regulatory rules can all take a toll on your transportation management approach. By understanding your complete, end-to-end transportation needs, you can find

the solution that will help your company work smarter, better, and faster in any business environment.

TO PERFORM THIS INITIAL EVALUATION, FACTOR IN THESE IMPORTANT POINTS:

GeographyAre you shipping domestically, throughout North America, or to locations around the globe? The answer to

this question will have an impact on your TMS selection and should be considered as you explore your options.

Shipping VolumesCarefully assess your firm’s current (and projected/future) order

volume, and shipping volume, by type (both inbound and outbound).

ModesAre you using truckload (TL), less-than-truckload (LTL), tank truck, flat bed and/or intermodal shipments?

The more complex the mode, the more automation you’ll need to keep the process running smoothly.

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EVALUATING YOUR TRANSPORTATION NEEDS

Now, review the existing

systems and tools that

you’re using to run the

transportation component

of your business. Do they

effectively address all of

the key considerations

that you outlined during

the re-evaluation process?

Even the smallest “gaps”

can greatly impact your

customer service,

profitability, and

bottom line.

BudgetWhat can you afford? You don’t want to over-extend yourself, but you do

want to get the power and functionality that you need to improve your

transportation management process.

ResourcesIn addition to budget, what IT and other internal resources do you have

available to set up a solution, and what ongoing support resources do you

have and/or need?

TimingHow quickly does the solution need to be up and running? If your company is

plagued by delays and your customers are complaining, you need a system

you can roll out quickly.

Success MetricsHow will you measure the success of your new system? Be sure to include

important key performance indicators (KPIs) and returns on investment (ROI)

like cost savings, time savings, and on-time performance. 06|

EVALUATING YOUR TRANSPORTATION NEEDS (cont.)

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Time for a New Transportation ApproachAiming to cut their upfront transportation spend,

companies globally are not only replacing their supply

chain technologies sooner than they have in the past,

but are also more likely to use a cloud-based

transportation management system (TMS) rather than

an on-premise solution, according to recent research

from Gartner.

On a mission to bring their supply chain software up

to date, more companies are turning to TMS to help

them improve their transportation approaches in an era

where customers have come to expect fast and accu-

rate service every time.

At its simplest, a TMS helps firms move freight

from origin to final destination in a streamlined,

reliable, efficient manner. Equipped to move

freight across all modes—including intermodal—

TMS gives shippers the visibility they need to orchestrate the supply chain without having to make numerous phone calls and send multiple emails for every single shipment.

In a TMS survey, ARC Advisory Group found

that respondents indicated freight savings

of approximately 6% with the use of a TMS

application. Of these savings, nearly 60% of

users indicated that less than 25% of the

net savings were absorbed by the TMS.

These freight savings can be attributed to lower cost mode selections, better routing, and better procurement negotiations.

HOW TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMSCAN HELP SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS

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Running a Comprehensive, Integrated SystemThe right TMS can help you run your own private fleet, work more effectively with outside carriers, or a little of

both (for those using the “hybrid” transportation approach). By using a comprehensive, cloud-based system that

integrates seamlessly with your existing technology infrastructure, you can achieve better results for your own

company, your customers, and your key business partners.

HOW TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMSCAN HELP SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS (cont.)

As a shipper, you have a wide range of TMS options standing by and ready to help you improve your transportation management processes. They include:

Traditional, licensed TMSAlso known as “purchase and install” systems, this type of TMS can cost millions of dollars to install and integrate. Such systems integrate with your existing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system and can take up to a year or more to fully integrate into your existing technology infrastructure, even if the TMS is hosted by the provider in a SaaS model. Traditional TMS provides visibility and optimization opportunities on existing carriers, but it does not provide access to new carriers or the spot market. Additionally, the client shipper can only optimize his own freight network. Finally, this option requires significant IT investment for both installation and ongoing super-users and support staff.

3PL, lite TMSAnother option is to use the TMS that your third party logistics (3PL) provider or carrier is using—thus reducing the need for a large IT investment and ongoing support/maintenance/upgrades. Using this approach, you’ll gain access to one portal that allows you to access the TMS provider's existing carrier base. In most cases, these systems tend to be limited to only supporting a few modes, but they are less expensive than the traditional purchase-and-install option. Other downsides can include a lack of ERP integration, limited reporting capabilities, and no access to the spot market or other/outside carriers.

Subscription based TMS for SMBsFor small to midsized shippers that mainly use LTL freight, there are tools available that enable interaction with their carriers for a nominal monthly fee. This approach is viable for smaller firms that don’t need a full-blown, onsite TMS and for those who want to reduce the manual processes required to get the best possible transportation rates. On the downside, this strategy doesn’t generally offer enterprise resource planning (ERP) integration, new carrier options, or spot-quote capabilities.

WIN Cloud-Based TMSWIN, a product of Odyssey Logistics & Technology Corporation (Odyssey), is provided at no fee to shippers and can be seamlessly integrated with an existing ERP system. Offering many of the key features and functions of expensive licensed TMS, this cloud-based solution manages existing carriers, provides additional carrier options, manages multi-modal shipments, and allows you to take advantage of spot market opportunities. Each client shipper's freight is optimized within Odyssey's $2 billion freight network. In addition, the system provides master data loading and route rate loading (both electronically) and

solid visibility and reporting capabilities. Shippers can be using the system in days versus the months that a traditional TMS may take to implement.

HOW TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMSCAN HELP SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS (cont.)

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HOW TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMSCAN HELP SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS (cont.)

Regardless of which TMS deployment option you choose, your goal should always be to ship your product

in the most cost effective and efficient manner possible. By factoring in the needs assessment and

carefully considering your TMS options, you can not only revolutionize your transportation component,

but you can also save time, money, and hassle in the process.

11|TO LEARN MORE OR TO SCHEDULE A PERSONALIZED DEMONSTRATION,

PLEASE VISIT GOWITHWIN.COM

ConclusionAdding technology to your transportation management can make

your processes easier, faster, and less expensive. A good TMS can

also help you automate previously manual processes; do a better

job of evaluating available freight rates; improve the customer

experience; and manage data, information, and reporting.

By evaluating your needs and then measuring those needs

against all of your available options, you’ll be able to select

the best possible TMS for your organization.

About WINLeveraging the technology that Odyssey Logistics & Technology

Corporation (Odyssey) has been developing and honing for more

than a decade, WIN helps shippers manage their existing carriers

more efficiently while also giving users access to new carrier

options. Connected to Odyssey’s nearly $2 billion freight network,

WIN uses Jitterbit® and API technology to enable seamless ERP

integration and carrier rate retrieval without the need for manual

data loading—and all at no-cost and no-fee to the shipper.

TM

© 2016 Odyssey Logistics & Technology Corporationn (