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As much as we may enjoy seeing certain supply chain myths pop up time and time again, we feel that it’s time we address them once and for all. With that in mind, here’s a look at five of the most popular supply chain myths, as well as a quick overview of why they’re completely wrong.

1. A GOOD STRATEGY MEANS LOWERING COSTS

While it sounds good in theory to constantly be looking at the bottom line, the truth is that the effectiveness of a supply chain extends beyond its total cost. Although there are certainly smart ways to lower costs and improve efficiency, there are also plenty of ways that will only serve to hurt your business in the long run. That’s why we put so much effort into designing our delivery software, as it can ensure that businesses don’t cut costs in other important areas.

2. A GOOD STRATEGY IS ALWAYS APPLICABLE

As tempting as it may be to try and develop a singular strategy for all of your supply chain needs, the truth is that different products demand different strategies. This is why a courier management software is so important, as it can help bolster communication and ensure that everyone is on the same page at all times. By developing different strategies for different products, each strategy will be able to react and adapt to changing needs as necessary. This is especially true for companies that regularly deal with a variety of products.

3. SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGERS MUST BE TECH EXPERTS

“Strong functional and technical experience required,” a requirement found on many supply chain manager job postings. While having technical skills is important, software has become user-friendly, and skills like communication, leadership and cross-functional awareness are important as well. Nowadays, the idea of supply chain has broadened to include more areas; therefore, a more broad range of skills is required to be a successful supply chain manager. Skills from understanding business strategy and people skills in combination with technical knowledge is required to be successful supply chain leaders. While it is always great to be an expert in one specific area, it is more beneficial to have a wider range of skills.

4. A GOOD STRATEGY DOESN’T NEED THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY

There are many businesses that are stuck in the past and think this whole technology thing is just a very resilient fad. We understand the value in sticking with what’s comfortable, but the key is to find a balance between efficiency and comfort. If your business hasn’t invested in a dispatch management software yet, then that might be the reason for your drop in overall performance. Although not everything needs to be automated, there are still plenty of tools available right now that can help streamline your existing process.

5. A GOOD STRATEGY DOESN’T CARE ABOUT CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

CSR may seem unnecessary, and perhaps even costly, but it can have a positive impact on not just your local community, but your business as well. When companies start thinking creatively about how to improve their supply chain and make it environmentally conscious, unexpected benefits can develop. If you want to create a truly sustainable supply chain system, then you’ll want to also think long and hard about the social responsibility of your business.

At the moment, Omni-channel is perhaps one the hottest trends in supply chain management. CPG (consumer packaged goods) manufacturing is one of the areas where omnichannel fulfillment has had the most significant impact. With more manufacturers looking to sell directly to the consumers, the line between B2B and B2C is getting blurry with each passing day. Manufacturers can now reach consumers directly, thanks to the emergence of additional commerce channels such as Omni-channel.

WHAT IS OMNI-CHANNEL?

By definition, Omni-channel is a multi-channel way of selling merchandise aimed at providing a seamless shopping experience for the customer. Whether they are making a purchase from a brick-and-mortar store or online via a smartphone or computer. Omni-channel differs from multi-channel in that the Omni-channel experience integrates many channels in the back end to provide an overall smoother, more seamless experience.

WHY THE HYPE?

The growth in popularity of Omni-channel in e-commerce is attributable to shoppers’ increasing desire to do their shopping how, where, and when they want. Omni-channel allows businesses to deliver this experience. Consumers are increasingly spending time interacting with brands at a personal level on social media platforms. Marketplaces like eBay and Amazon are able to provide quick, reliable shopping experience with additional perks such as free shipping and fast processing.

FREEDOM OF SHOPPING

The emergence of e-commerce solutions and technologies such as courier tracking software and courier dispatch software facilitates the delivery of a seamless experience. Consumers want to take advantage of this, and they won’t be sticking to a single channel. Freedom of shopping will be the key driver of the future of Omni-channel in e-commerce.

INTEGRATED COMMUNICATION AND DATA ANALYSIS

Multiple communication channels allow companies access to several data streams. Big data analytics help businesses to understand, quantify, and review communication with their clients. Companies can track the preferences of their customers over multiple channels through their Omni-channel strategy. This helps them deliver a more personalized, high-quality shopping experience.

IMPROVED EFFICIENCY

The development of an Omni-channel strategy helps a business to increase efficiency. This, coupled with the adoption of a courier software or a courier management system, helps improve clients’ experience. With such software, a business can provide additional perks — free or faster shipping of merchandise — on top of the seamless shopping experience provided by the omnichannel approach. This allows these businesses to sell their products everywhere without the complexities or added costs that would typically accompany the provision of services at this scale.

Any company can take advantage of Omni-channel, just as long as it has the technology to roll it out. However, this approach requires a deep understanding of the target market and their shopping habits. Find out the channels that your clients favor the most and then come up with a plan to achieve Omni-channel personalization.

According to data published by Oxford Economics, contributing $80 billion to the world GDP in 2008, equivalent to the contribution made by shipbuilding industry, and supporting 1.3 million jobs, the express industry, more commonly known as the courier and dispatch industry, is all set to support almost 4.5 million jobs globally by 2018.

In the courier and dispatch industry, last mile delivery is in a revolutionary phase, where consumers have become much more demanding than ever before. Market leaders are focusing on software solutions that can make their existing courier dispatch system smarter. They are looking for a single, comprehensive and user-customizable software, which is straightforward to implement and cost-effective in nature.

FEATURES OF GOOD COURIER AND DISPATCH SOFTWARE

The software should be comprehensive, powerful, user-friendly and fully-customizable. It should be able to fulfill the needs of couriers, dispatchers and the consumers. Here are some more features to look for while choosing the right solution for your business needs:

1. Fully Cloud Based Software

According to TechTarget, the cloud based software is meant to cover a wide range of resources while working with an enormous amount of data generated in the process. Cloud based software should be self-provisioning and elastic, giving the option to provide services on an on-demand basis. In addition, the software should be the fastest to start and easy to switch on, without the need of cutting down on any of functionality.

2. Feasible with any Operating System

The software should operate across all sorts of operating systems, from Windows to Linux and the Mac OS. In addition, it should be compatible with Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, Chrome, either on workstations, laptops or tablets. It should be customized enough to harness the capabilities of the user’s growing business, covering all aspects including same-day, next-day, e-commerce, distribution and warehousing industries.

3. Detailed Dashboard Reporting

Software solutions today come with the free mobile dashboard reporting apps that offer detailed dashboard reporting. The aim is to highlight real-time and/or historical data of the happenings across all areas of user’s business, which could be viewable on a smartphone and/or tablet. In fact, this user-friendly interface should work across any mobile operating system.

4. Should Cover All Phases of the Dispatch Process

Routed and scheduled work, on-demand, distribution, cross docking operations, Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) and warehousing are the main phases of any courier and dispatch process. The software solution should be able to manage all of them simultaneously.

In short, courier and dispatch software should help streamline operations, maximize company resource, thereby attracting new businesses. It should automate the flow of information, ensuring its accuracy and accountability, according to experts at Key Software Systems.

Only 0.036% companies ever reach annual sales of $1 billion, according to an article by business magazine, Inc.com. Most businesses that last more than a year have good products and serve a market well. They fail to grow simply because they do not aggressively implement growth strategies.

New market development has long been used as a powerful growth strategy. It is a four-pronged strategy that has proved effective for businesses looking at growing fast.

ADDRESSING A NEW MARKET SEGMENT WITHIN THE SAME GEOGRAPHY

A business can scale down its offering to lower its pricing structure to address a new market within the geography it already has a presence in. This strategy is effective if users already know your brand. For instance, software companies catering to businesses begin offering a home version of their program, priced significant lower, to address a different market segment.

REACHING OUT TO CUSTOMERS THROUGH NEW CHANNELS

Companies with a local presence can expand their reach to more customers by adopting new distribution channels. Increased penetration of the internet has made this easier. Maintaining an online store can be challenging and your company would need to develop the skills to respond to online orders and fulfill them without delay. New procedures may need to be incorporated to process online orders. Companies are increasingly using mobile apps to streamline such processes, says an article in the Huffington Post.

EXPANDING TO NEW MARKETS

This involves expanding your offering to more regions across the US. The greatest challenge in this strategy is setting up logistics across a wider region. This challenge can be overcome with the use of technology. For instance, Interconnect is a dispatch management software that connects businesses in different geographies, such that new business can be received from partners in other regions. Moreover, this helps ensure customer satisfaction across remote locations.

NEW PRODUCT PACKAGING

A company can repackage its offering to cater to a wider range of customers. For instance, a packaging that is bright and colorful with bolder fonts can be used to address younger customers, while the same product can have a more sober packaging to appeal to older clientele.

The implementation of growth strategies is often influenced by a company’s financial situation and ability to improvise. The good news is that technological advancements have made it easier and more cost effective to execute aggressive growth strategies. The internet has made it easier and cheaper to reach out to wider geographies and software has made it simpler and more cost effective to establish logistics partnerships.