Technology for Real-Time Visibility in Shipment Tracking

Real-time tracking is an integral part of this process, having so many players moving your freight effectively takes the control away from your hands. The question here is—What exactly is going wrong with your distribution, and how significant a role does real-time visibility play in this picture?

In today’s fast-paced freight world, more and more businesses are looking for a way to redesign their distribution methods. After dispatching your shipment, there are a lot more forces involved in getting your freight from point A to B—Freight forwarders, shipping lines, port handlers, marine insurers, inland transportation, and others.

Manual tracking of freight and 3PLs are hurting your business

The pressure associated with meeting delivery deadlines is quite high. This responsibility falls on your logistics team, and the logistics team goes a long way to ensure that your freight reaches on time and in full (OTIF). This is where real-time visibility plays an important role:

•  Lack of knowledge on delays in exports can spoil your relations with your customers and affect future business.
• In imports, lack of knowledge can result in you incurring extra detention charges and ground rent.

But real-time visibility on shipments is not easy. At present logistics teams deploy both or either of the following ways: 

• Manually visit each shipping line’s website or agent and track shipments using the consignment number.

• Outsource tracking to Third-Party Logistics (3PLs) and let them take care of the freight.

The former process is time-consuming and riddled with inefficiencies. A rough estimate states that the manual process of tracking takes nearly 133 hours. Being updated with the location of freight is almost impossible in this case. Any delay or carrier failures push the expected time of arrival even more.

The challenges of the latter process of outsourcing the implementation of real-time visibility solutions to 3PLs outweigh the benefits in the long run. The lack of accountability, lack of control, and possible conflicts of interest will hurt your business. The operational costs arising from these problems are a lot, and an in-house implemented IoT solution will prove to be cheaper. 

These are some problems that are common in both these ways:

• Slow responsiveness from the carriers and 3PL.
• Nearly impossible to collect data and analyze statistics.
• Absence of insight and visibility in tracking your shipment.
• Difficulty in consolidating reports.
• Lack of centralization makes it challenging to access each tracking resource and shipping line.

Both these ways can significantly affect your DIFOT (Delivery in full and on time) rates. The entire process can be simplified with automation and GoComet’s Real-Time Visibility Tracking Solution. 

Simplify Your Tracking Needs With GoComet’s Real-Time Visibility Software

The responsibilities of tracking can be taken entirely away from the logistics or manufacturing team. As we pointed out earlier, having an in-house implemented IoT solution will be much cheaper and easier to manage. The best approach, however, is to find a real-time visibility provider who can provide you with an on-demand business model, manage the IoT device reverse logistics, and make the service extremely light on your operations. GoComet’s Container tracking module does precisely this. GoComet’s tracking platform takes most of the responsibilities away from your logistics team and gives you control over the entire process. Here’s how GoComet’s platform works:

1. Upload an Excel sheet with all container numbers on the GoComet platform

2. View the live status of all containers on one dashboard

3. Get daily MIS in Excel format about the state of containers

4. Automated email notification in case of any delays from the planned date

5. Automated notifications two days before your cargo is about to reach the destination

6. Access to a map-based tracking to quickly view the vessel location

The process requires very low human intervention and your customers/clients can be updated at any time due to real-time visibility. 

How does it solve the problems we discussed before?

• Responsiveness is not a factor as the tracking data is readily available on the platform.
• All the data required is available on the platform, along with data analytics.
• Notifications and constant updates keep you in check, ensuring visibility into the transport of your freight.
• Reports are compiled by the platform automatically, which reduces the time spent on consolidating reports.
• All your cargo is tracked by the platform so that you can view it on a single platform instead of scouring each shipping-line site click by click.

Benefits of Automated Real-Time Visibility Tracking With GoComet

GoComet’s automated tracking solution saves you time and money, increasing efficiencies and accuracies, and uncovers valuable data as to carrier service levels and performance that is so often left unchecked. The benefits of adopting GoComet’s Container Tracking module are not limited to this. Here are some more benefits of using the platform:

• Track end-to-end delivery of multiple shipments from a single dashboard: GoComet’s API integrations allow you to track all your purchases from a single dashboard. The bulk add option allows the logistics team to follow all the consignments in one go. It helps in saving time and staff hours. 

• Helps improve your DIFOT rate: Instead of managing complex and time-consuming spreadsheets, the use of data analytics will help significantly increase your DIFOT rate. According to a survey by PWC, they found that using data analytics is helping business leaders DIFOT at 96% and above, which is 7% higher than the average. The data collected from previous freight transits and tracking can help you analyze some of the factors that contribute to poor DIFOT.
  
• Valuable assets are secure: Cargos are expensive and cost nearly thousands to millions of dollars; hence, investing in a Container Tracking module secures your asset. Container monitoring tools can give you real-time data on the location and status of your products (owned or leased). 

• Additional lead-time gains: With waiting time for each stage analyzed post-project—routes, choice of carriers, and choice of departure and arrival ports can be optimized. It also allows the company to monitor the carrier’s commitments more closely.
  
• Increase in time savings: Using our solution, you can track multiple containers from a single dashboard, deal with their capacity, and organize the delivery procedure so that the minimal amount of time and energy is used. Along with this, you can figure out the most efficient and cost-effective transportation routes possible.

• Prevent Additional Operational Costs: The container tracking module can save you extra operational costs like fees for lost or compromised shipments. The platform provides you with updates regarding the delay and delay-related charges like demurrage and detention. Receiving real-time tracking notifications about shipment milestones, arrival, events, and delays, it enables the consignee to become proactive and ready for immediate exceptional handling. 

• Increase efficiency: Real-time container monitoring data enables you to make better business decisions, control over the delivery dates. Faster access leads to higher internal efficiencies for strategic planning, purchasing, and maintenance. It also helps in streamlining your final stage of supply chain management. 

• Better Customer Relations: The real-time insights also help in quick and accurate response to customer inquiries. Sales and customer service teams are able to field better questions and craft solutions for the clients. Easy-to-access information means fewer emergencies and smoother operations. While exporting or importing goods, the module will allow the user to share the dashboard with his customer and enable both parties to stay updated with the status of the cargo.

The accumulation of detailed tracking data of numerous shipments will create long-term gains for your business. The profitability of each consignment entirely depends on how you handle it. Being informed and updated about each batch of shipment gives your team and the clients a concrete timeline. With an automated real-time visibility container tracking process, actionable insights and route history of your shipment, our quick and easy implementation can simplify your tracking to a great extent. 

Automate your tracking needs with GoComet.

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