In short-haul trucking, a Transport Management System (TMS) is the backbone of the business. It pulls everything together, and it provides automated processes to save you time and money. Correctly chosen, a TMS will provide a platform for your long term business growth. They key to your implementation being a success is in the preparation you put into making that correct decision. And that means making sure you're clear on the most important factors that will validate your choice.
The main question to ask yourself is what you hope to gain by using a TMS. What goals do you wish to achieve? What areas of potential improvement have you identified within your existing operations?
A TMS implementation can be a tricky process. It's vital that you align your business goals with your operational processes and integration capabilities. For starters, you can expect a TMS to greatly reduce operational costs for you and your customers. It will put an end to laborious manual processes, and save you time. It will also enhance data security for you and your customers across every department. It will increase productivity for your drivers, dispatchers, and back-office teams.
In short, it will transform your business efficiencies and profitability and enable you to keep on doing so.
TMS selection process and implementation tips
There are six key factors in making your first-stage selection. They're basically the 'entry level' rules you should use when screening any potential providers.
The six stage-one selection factors:
- Does the vendor provide ongoing support?
- Do they offer a top-notch customer experience?
- Does the solution incorporate user-friendly features?
- Will the system easily integrate with your existing systems/processes?
- Can you customize it to your business needs?
- Is it cloud-based, for real-time data management and insights?
A score of anything less than six out of six against the screening questions should immediately eliminate the vendor. As you move through to next stage conversations you should make sure you feel that the companies you're talking to are companies you can imagine working with or, ideally, that you really want to work with. This means getting a feel for the mindset alignment between your hauling business and the TMS provider. Do you feel that they genuinely want what is best for you long-term? Will they treat this journey like a true partnership?
pre-implementation tips
To guarantee a successful TMS implementation, determine your priority items and ensure all the right team members and the ultimate users are involved. This inclusive approach is important, as you get to know the reactions and aspirations of the people who will be working with the system on a daily basis. This feedback should become integral to your vendor selection process. Involving your teams is also invaluable form the point of view of adopting the system. People are much less resistant to change if they were partly instrumental in shaping it.
From the initial discovery call all the way through the sales hand-off to the onboarding process, when you work with AMCS, you can lean on our sales director and sales engineer to answer all of your questions. They will be able to give you a clear understanding of our capabilities and set your expectations ahead of time. Our onboarding team will be there to set timelines and manage the project – ongoing and open communication, with a teamwork commitment.
post-implementation tips
Post-implementation support is a must-have. This includes ongoing training, 24/7/365 customer support, and assistance with system configuration and maintenance. Once the system is fully live, drivers in every location can successfully run loads through the system. The onboarding team will hand off a customer to one of our customer experience representatives as the new point of contact.
how AMCS supports the TMS implementation process
We believe firmly that our technology makes our customers’ lives easier. Your entire experience with us should feel simple and easy, as we set out to lessen the workload. Before a deal is even made, we work with you to build a true partnership so that we can better understand each other’s business and vision.
onboarding
Depending on your specific business needs, we recommend our standard 30, 60, or 90-day onboarding timelines. Our onboarding process has 6 main pillars:
- communication: We can't read your mind, which is why it’s better if you overshare with us instead of under-share. Any information you can give us is helpful. The more we know about you, the better we can onboard you.
- documentation: Having example tickets or providing us with reports of what you are currently doing helps us understand and visualize your business processes. We build all future workflows around this information, with AMCS Bulk Hauling acting as your e-ticketing solution.
- feedback: Feel free to reach out to us anytime – not just on weekly calls – to let us know how we are doing. Feedback helps us meet and exceed your expectations.
- harmony: Is everyone on your team in sync and on the same page when it comes to proceeding with a AMCS Bulk Hauling? Even if one team member is out of the loop, it could cause delays and disagreements. We are here to answer any questions, whether from drivers or C-suite executives.
- deliverables list: After the kick-off call, we will build a list of all deliverables to be completed before you are officially onboarded. This list is included in an onboarding welcome packet and will cover the onboarding timeline, as well as all items and assets that we need from you before we get started. Both parties will work together to set project goals and timelines before final approval.
- on-site training: This is to help you familiarize yourself with the AMCS Bulk hauling. All training can be conducted virtually (but face-to-face is always recommended so we can get to know you better!).
customer experience
The great experience you had during the onboarding process doesn’t stop as soon as everyone has been trained. Post-implementation support can be scary for some, but with us you’re never left behind, fending for yourself.
Our customer experience and support teams are there for you – even during those odd hours – to quell your concerns. Our team understands the current challenges facing the short-haul, bulk commodity industry and acknowledges the specific expectations you have of AMCS Bulk Hauling.
setting the standard
Short-haul, bulk commodity trucking technology is our specialty. With a user-friendly interface and out-of-the-box software modules, our cloud-based TMS, AMCS Bulk Hauling, sets the standard for transportation management software.
With all of the tools you need for more effective fleet management, AMCS Bulk Hauling is designed for exactly what you’re doing. Please feel free to reach out to learn how we can help you navigate your way through the world of fleet logistics.