Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Enhance Liner Agency Business with a Shipping Software Solution

In the days before the internet, conducting business in the shipping industry meant tons of paperwork, sales and marketing difficulties, data management problems, and of course, a lot of disgruntled employees. Logistics is a realm of complex business operations burdened with complicated industry rules and regulations.

In today's era of technological advancements, shipping companies are able to perform several functions with ease. Liner agencies can now facilitate various cargo transport processes by using sophisticated shipping software solutions.

A state-of-the-art shipping software suite such as ALFA consists of a Sales and Marketing Module that provides the groundwork for business acquisitions with superior address management, detailed customer statistics and promotions history.

Furthermore, tariff information and quotations such as surcharges, rates and customer quotes are covered comprehensively no matter what mode of shipment is involved (FCL, LCL, RoRo, etc).

An advanced shipping software solution provides bookings generation capabilities from existing quotations to advanced booking state. Line Managers are able to access updated booking information from all offices at any given time. Commercial decisions regarding voyage profitability, shut-outs and allocation shifting can be made with Principals in real-time.

In addition, a shipping software solution enables efficient documentation. Import and export Bill of Lading (B/L) data processing is improved with plausibility tests and check routines to ensure that communication and reporting rules involving all parties are stringently followed. Manifests and other documentation that are stored in the database are created and printed quickly with just a few mouse clicks.

Shipping software solutions like the ALFA Suite also include other modules for:

• Invoicing
• IMDG (International Maritime Dangerous Goods)
• Intermodal Haulage
• Voyage Account
• EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)

Today, cargo shipping and transport pandemonium is a thing of the past. With innovative shipping software solutions, liner agencies can conduct business smoothly as well as save on operational costs.




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