Technology is not just a trend, but rather the first law of business. When businesses integrate the right technology into their processes, they save money, simplify tasks, and enhance efficiency.

One area of business that is seeing some of the most significant advancements in technology is shipping. Logistics technologies are transforming the shipping process from start to finish. Embracing these new, innovative advancements frees up valuable time and allows companies to make strategic improvements. This article illustrates how your company can digitize its shipping efforts to gain unparalleled savings and newfound customer satisfaction.

1. Tracking And Control Notifications

Real-time shipment tracking and notifications allow businesses to know exactly where their inventory and orders are at any given moment, as well as receive an immediate notification when orders are delivered. This creates an efficient shipping process and, if integrated with other business systems, can create exceptional streamlining.

Additionally, real-time tracking provides the logistics and shipping manager with a bird's-eye view of each shipment, as well as the aggregation of all past, ongoing, and future shipment data. This is invaluable, especially in terms of addressing potential problems or delays.

While the most capable tracking services are often provided by carriers, Cabrella offers supplemental tracking information for any shippers. Cabrella’s internal staff monitors high value shipments and sets up personal notifications for clients when delays in delivery or other exceptions occur. This software directly integrates with any carrier being used to provide the most in-depth detailing when it comes to package tracking.

Many logistics and shipping managers are also utilizing the new-found power that highly sensitive control notifications offer. This technology sends a notification to the manager if there are minute temperature or humidity changes. For instance, these notifications provide dramatically lower risk for companies that are shipping medical supplies, artwork, and any other fragile items.

2. Risk Management

Without risk management there can be countless unforeseen and costly issues, like delayed or inaccurate deliveries and lost merchandise.

Differing available solutions can change this by comprehensively optimizing shipping routes. There are a handful of logistics technologies that can test service levels, define the most efficient routes, optimize shipping mode and mix, and lower the landed cost. This results in reducing company expenditure, saving time for both the shipping manager and the actual shipment, and improving customer service.

There is also automated technology that allows companies to optimize the carriers they use. This software breaks orders down into shipping configurations that will save the most money and time. The software determines the best carriers to use and allows users to harness historical data to model and analyze different shipment scenarios.

Finally, automated region to region risk analysis, another software service offered through Cabrella, allows companies to pinpoint geographic areas where hazards may exist or risks are elevated. Cabrella's technology alerts users of potential risks and consolidates loss history information to help shipping managers optimize their routes or destinations for future shipments.

3. Automation

Automation allows a business's workforce to avoid wasting time on repetitive and low-value tasks, and concentrate on work that is strategic and crucial to maintaining a competitive advantage. Many of us have seen shipping robots and Amazon Prime Air drones, along with many other machine learning advancements. Within the shipping industry, one of the best examples of automation success can be seen through the Dutch port, where they managed to gain a productivity surge of roughly 30% using automated giant robots controlled by magnets and computer systems.

Many other aspects of shipping operations can be automated, from beginning to end, including shipping insurance. Cabrella offers both automated claim filing and risk calculating. This can significantly reduce time-spend for both the shipping manager and the risk manager. Additionally, it can eliminate the possibility of human error.

4. Cloud Computing

Cloud computing enables companies to quickly deploy the technology that they need in order to enhance shipping operations. The best SaaS shipping software allows shipping managers to move merchandise from start to finish in the most cost-effective and efficient manner.

These platforms offer integrated tracking tools, allow invoices and quotes to perfectly align, provide transparent and real-time delivery updates, and utilize consolidation and waste-reduction rate-technology. All these functions provide excellent transparency and communication between everyone involved in the shipping process along with peace-of-mind across various shipping processes.

5. Wearable Technology

This technology is currently in the early stages of deployment in the shipping and logistics industry. However, it is extremely promising and recent trials conducted by DHL have shown that certain use-cases can increase productivity by 25%.

Wearables in shipping include smart glasses, smart watches, sensors, and more. They can be combined with augmented reality software to speed up the warehouse picking process, provide step-by-step instructions for delivery workers, or offer urgent updates to managers. Not only is the technology growing more economically feasible, but it is also promising a strong ROI due to efficiency boosts and error reductions.

6. Shipping Insurance Software

For companies that ship high-value items, there is no avoiding shipping insurance.

 Historically, filing claims has been laborious, and monitoring risks has been challenging to accomplish accurately. These processes can all be simplified by implementing shipping insurance software. Cabrella enables shipping managers to reduce the claim filing process down to a few minutes and monitor precise risk assessments from regions all over the globe.

At the core of shipping insurance software are the consolidation tools it offers. 

Companies have access to valuable data, automation, real-time updates and notifications, and the most up-to-date risk evaluations and analyses. It is a one-stop dashboard that offers everything a shipping manager needs to make quick decisions or strategic changes. They have immediate access to specific details, as well as comprehensive overviews of the current state of past, present, and future shipments.

Cabrella’s multi carrier shipping software also seamlessly integrates with carrier accounts and other logistics software. This means no downloads, email reports, or other forms of reporting need to take place to integrate. The technology picks up everything as soon as a label has been created and scanned by a carrier.

Logistics technologies, when implemented and used correctly, have the ability to transform the shipping burden that many businesses face today. The companies that broaden their technological scope with the right software and hardware will reap the rewards over the long-term. To find out more about how our technology can benefit you and your shipping needs, request a shipping insurance demo below