Are you considering investing in a shipping container tracking software solution for your business?
Finding the right technology to meet your specific requirements can be a daunting task. But don’t worry; with careful planning, establishing clear goals, and understanding exactly what you need, selecting the ideal system can be surprisingly simple.
In this blog post, we’ll discuss the steps to take in defining your requirements so that you can make an informed decision on which shipping container tracking tool is best suited to your needs.
The Benefits Of Shipping Container Tracking Software
With shipping container tracking software, businesses can proactively monitor their shipping containers and the goods found inside them as they move from one place to another.
Shipping container tracking software offers a range of benefits to companies that are looking to increase efficiency and profitability.
This specialized asset tracking software allows shipping companies to easily access real-time information on their shipping containers, including location data and shipping timelines. This provides real-time visibility into the shipping process, enabling companies to adjust routes or schedules when necessary.
Additionally, shipping container tracking software provides shippers with the ability to reduce labor costs by automating certain tasks such as record keeping, bill of lading creation, and data entry.
Lastly, shipping container tracking software can help create efficiencies throughout more complicated shipping routes, reducing delivery times, as well as emissions for a more sustainable supply chain, all while improving the customer experience along the way.
How To Define Your Requirements For Shipping Container Tracking Software
Choosing shipping container tracking software can make intermodal containers easier to track in a cost-effective manner, with greater assurance of on-time delivery.
When selecting the right shipping container tracking system for the job, it’s important to set expectations upfront. Here are a few suggestions for defining those requirements:
Begin By Assessing The Pros & Cons of Your Current Asset Tracking System
When searching for shipping container tracking software, it is important to begin by assessing your current asset tracking systems.
Take a look at what has been working, such as tracking information, process automation, and internal coordinator collaboration, as well as what needs improvement in terms of tracking data accuracy and speed of shipping containers to their destination.
Conducting an honest assessment can help you determine what features in shipping container tracking software are most beneficial for your organization. Some examples of features to consider include real-time tracking and tracing, route optimization, shipping order management, and automated alerts.
Identifying the right shipping container tracking software that meets these requirements will ensure that your organization’s shipping containers reach their destinations safely and securely.
Set Specific Goals You Hope To Achieve With Shipping Container Tracking Software
Once you have reviewed your current container tracking systems, the next step should be to determine the objectives you wish to achieve by investing in shipping container tracking software.
These goals should be timebound, encompassing both short-term and long-term milestones for your business’ container management program.
- Short-term goals may include cost savings, process improvements, route optimization, reduced shrinkage, or increased shipping efficiency.
- Long-term goals should anticipate technological changes, customer/vendor expectations, and how the software will improve operational efficiency over time.
Write down precisely what you want to achieve and decide on any must-have features or technologies which could help meet these goals.
Once all desired objectives have been outlined, this will provide a clear reference point when researching and comparing shipping container tracking software solutions and should ensure that any investments made are providing maximum value.
Make A List Of Must-Have Features Using Your Assessment & Outlined Goals
Once you’ve evaluated your current tracking systems and defined your objectives, the next step should be to use the information you discovered to create a directory of requirements for shipping container tracking software.
In addition to a user-friendly interface, features to consider include real-time tracking, traceability, shipment planning, user access control, and advanced analytics.
Real-time tracking and traceability ensure the shipping containers will never go missing, and users will be able to follow a shipping container’s journey from its origin when it leaves a port to its destination with timely updates.
Planning helps organize shipping times, speed, and volume in the most efficient manner, helping to reduce dwell time, while user access control facilitates roles and permissions levels within the organization.
Last but not least, advanced analytics enable supply chain management groups to make better-informed decisions as they keep up with important shipping activities.
By identifying your goals and must-have features before beginning your research, you’ve created your own rubric for evaluating potential shipping container tracking solutions to ensure that they meet your exact business needs.
Knowing the basics of what you’re looking for in shipping solution software upfront can make the process of researching potential vendors and their offerings much smoother and more effective.
What To Look For In A Shipping Container Tracking Software Provider
Once shipping container tracking software feature requirements have been identified, the search for a shipping container tracking software vendor begins.
It is important to consider several key factors when determining the best provider to meet your needs:
- Industry Experience: Experience in your industry and an understanding of your business needs are key, as the provider must be knowledgeable about your company’s requirements and able to customize the shipping container tracking solution accordingly.
- Technology Offerings: Container tracking technologies are not all created equal. Certain technologies offer advantages over others depending on the use case. Depending on your needs, you could benefit from RFID, GPS, BLE or some combination of all three. Be sure the provider you select offers and understands these technologies.
- Data Security: Data security protocols must also be taken into account, as sensitive customer and shipping data must remain secure during every trade transaction.
- Reliable Customer Support: Reliable support from the shipping container tracking software provider should also be assessed because if an issue arises with the software, it can often have a major impact on business operations if not addressed quickly.
- Scalability: Ease of scalability for potential changes or expansions down the road should also be considered; look for a shipping container tracking solution that allows you to scale without too much difficulty if needed.
- Integration Capabilities: Lastly, be sure the software you select integrates with existing infrastructure and applications, as this could streamline processes while conveniently integrating other asset management tools and services you rely on.
It’s important to carefully research prospective vendors and assess how their services would meet your shipping needs today and into the future.
Make sure you select a shipping container tracking provider that is tailored to your industry and has the capability to help you achieve long-term growth.
The Bottom Line
In short, shipping container tracking software is used to increase the operational efficiency of your logistics operation by reducing the time, energy, and cost wasted searching for lost or misplaced assets. In fact, by adopting Radiant’s IoT-based solution, one automotive industry leader will save an estimated $15 million annually in reduced container loss.
The benefits of this type of returnable asset tracking system are numerous, but you must first take the time to define your requirements in order to find a solution that best meets the needs of your business.
We hope this guide has helped you better understand what shipping container tracking software is, its key advantages, how you can define your requirements, and what to look for as you shop around for a provider.
If you’re interested in learning more about Radiant’s own shipping container tracking solution, we invite you to explore it further and request your demo below.
Last Updated on January 12, 2023 by Radiant