Vikram Malik, Author at Audintel

How to overcome challenges of small parcel shipping?

Small Parcel shipping is challenging for many shippers. Businesses need strategic solutions with the right software tools to ship small parcels efficiently.

The convenience of ordering online is here to stay. Experts believe there’s been a significant increase in the volume of shipping small parcels to customers directly over the past few years. However, small parcel shipping domestically or internationally requires strategic planning. Inflation, record-high gas prices, supply chain disruptions, and more contribute to various challenges during shipping. Shippers need to automate shipping processes to save time and enhance customer satisfaction. This blog will focus on the challenges shippers face when shipping small parcels.

Small parcel shipping

Packages such as envelopes, posters, small boxes, etc., weighing less than 150 lbs are small parcels. Shipment of small packages requires efficient pickup, transit, and delivery. They do not occupy full truckload capacity like freight or large packages. Each small parcel order is unique and has various requirements. Shippers face challenges when shipping small parcels direct to customers (D2C).

Some of these challenges include:

Management of high volumes of small parcels

As customers shifted to e-purchases, there has been a rise in small parcel shipping volumes. Warehouse workers and truckers keep parcel volumes moving to prevent supply chain disruptions. LTL carriers disassemble small parcels or less than pallet load (LPL) shipments to fill their trucks. It may cause damage to the goods during transit.

Labor requirements

Processing small parcel shipments requires more labor or workers than bulk shipments. It leads to higher shipping costs for shippers. This cost is either transferred to customers as shipping fees or is a part of the product. Companies hire more people for warehouses and fulfillment centers for shipping small parcels.

Overcoming packaging hurdles

Small packages can vary in size, weight, and dimensions. Picking out the ideal packaging material is necessary to prevent shipping delays. Padded mailers and envelopes are appropriate for single items. Fragile items need packing in boxes with proper dimensions to avoid damaging goods in transit. In addition, heavy packages cost more to ship than light ones.

Accessorial fees charges

Many transportation service providers charge accessorial fees for small parcel shipping. These fees are residential charges, additional handling, address correction, weekend pickup/delivery, and more.

Selection of appropriate parcel carriers and services

Last-mile delivery of small parcels is essential for better customer satisfaction. Choosing the correct local parcel carriers is necessary as inexperienced and untrained courier staff can damage the goods. Hence, selecting the parcel carrier and the appropriate services allows shippers to cater to their customers’ needs.

Retail consumers expect on-time delivery and updated arrival status of packages. And failure to meet customers’ expectations causes loss of repeat business. Providing reliable services with greater visibility gives shippers an advantage over their competitors. Many parcel carriers like UPS and FedEx enhance customer experience with their services.

UPS small parcels

UPS has various options for small parcel delivery that are tailor-made for small businesses. They provide access to Drop Boxes, pickup options, and an-inclusive rate for shipments. They have defined the price range and service level for small parcel deliveries of particular dimensions at specific times. For example, UPS Ground services can provide 1-5 delivery dates for shipping small parcels.

FedEx small parcels

FedEx has different package classifications based on size and weight for delivering small parcels. For instance, FedEx’s Flat packages have short dimensions and a volume of around 400 cubic inches. FedEx has various small parcel limits for domestic Ground services than Express Services.

A third-party (3PL) provider helps shippers in carrier management. They can negotiate better shipping rates for shippers to get better discounts. Further, they can compare carrier performances and suggest services of multiple parcel carriers. With expert knowledge of packaging expertise, they can provide cost-effective solutions.

Audintel- for faster and cheaper small parcel shipping

Our state-of-the-art shipping optimization platform helps manage small parcel delivery. We offer customizable dashboards that continuously monitor shipping status and on-time delivery of packages. Audintel’s automated real-time customer notifications keep our clients abreast of the entire shipping operations of packages. Our expert team can provide shippers with data to compare carrier performance, identify areas of saving money and time, and more.

Companies can streamline their small parcel shipping needs with Audintel’s Transportation Management System (TMS). We provide customized views within our dashboards even for the shipping’s made through small parcels to different destinations. Moreover, our software tools help reduce shipping costs for our clients by providing alternate solutions.

Finally

During the pandemic, there was a drop in sales of brick-and-mortar products. E-commerce sales of small packages have grown exponentially. Smooth, reliable small parcel shipping is vital for shippers to improve their profitability. So, efficient management of high volumes of small parcels with advanced shipping software solutions is the need of the hour. Partnering with Audintel helps shippers overcome these challenges. We address each business’ unique customer preferences to ensure effortless, cost-effective delivery of small parcels.

Along with customized dashboards, Audintel do have 200+ reports available in their portal which are available for live customers which will help in generating and scheduling the reports based on their required criteria.

Wondering how much it will cost for small parcel shipping? Learn more about small parcels by contacting us at +1 (619) 354 8539 or visiting our Audintel website.

Accurate Shipping Audit for Shipping Credits

Offering a hassle-free process to identify delivery exceptions and claim credits for a prominent automobile company.

A renowned automobile company, shipping spare parts globally, was looking for a hassle-free solution to identify claim refunds and handle delivery exceptions. The need was to improve the claim refund success rate and limit false claims from clients.
Learn how Audintel helped the client with easy-to-implement tech-forward solutions.

Download the Case Study

Freight audit services for greater transparency

A freight audit is essential for checking incorrect freight billing errors. Outsourcing freight audits and payment helps eliminate overcharges and save money.

Companies that transport freight have to deal with overwhelming volumes of transactions daily. The amount of paperwork and complexity of freight rates is challenging for many organizations. In addition, payment to freight carriers has to be on time to avoid souring carrier-shipper relationships. Companies must perform a freight audit to identify freight billing errors and improve productivity. Hence, outsourcing freight audit and payment services to a third party maximizes a company’s bottom line. This blog discusses outsourcing freight audit and payment services to freight audit companies.

Freight audit

Earlier companies used manual freight audits that were time-consuming. The process was prone to mistakes. Now, freight audits are a combination of automation and manual processes. So, freight audits can give reliable freight rates and ensure invoices are not duplicated or overcharged. Freight payment involves the amount payable for transportation or freight invoices. Further, freight audit and payment processes improve logistics efficiency and monitor shipping carriers’ performance.

The importance of freight audit

A freight audit is necessary for all freight shippers. Freight rates are negotiated with shipping carriers before contracts are signed. However, many companies end up paying more than the agreed quote. Freight audits help companies gain better visibility on their overall shipping expenses. In addition, freight audits optimize invoice management and payment. Freight audit includes both pre-audit and post-audit services.

Pre-audit helps shippers understand if the shipping carriers are correctly charged based on the contractual agreement.

Freight post-audit services aid companies decide whether shipping carriers have overbilled them.

How does outsourcing freight audit work?

In the U.S., many companies outsource to freight audit and payment companies. Ideally, freight audit companies act as facilitators between shippers and shipping carriers. Freight auditors receive invoices from shipping carriers or for in-depth analysis. The analyzed data offers good insights into shippers’ operations. Duplicate invoices are verified, and only outstanding bills are processed. Finally, only confirmed invoices are paid by wire transfer or check for payment. In addition, any unpaid invoices and due balances are taken care of during the freight audit process.

Advantages of outsourcing freight audit

Conducting a freight audit in-house may seem the best option for many companies. But outsourcing freight audits identify the mistakes that internal teams cannot. Some of the significant advantages of outsourcing include

Reducing labor costs

Outsourcing freight audit helps in cutting labor costs with accurate freight billing. Manual verification of freight payments before invoice approval requires labor. Outsourcing reduces these labor costs and increases productivity.

Saving time

Companies need not waste their valuable time tracking each shipment, filing for claims, requesting refunds, and more. Outsourcing saves time for companies by streamlining the freight audit process. Further on-time accurate freight payment to shipping carriers improves the shipper-carrier relationship.

Increase in financial returns

Freight audit companies aid shippers in recovering lost charges. Based on carrier contracts, accessorial surcharges or late delivery charges are verified, reduced, or waived. Outsourcing helps in identifying wrong detention invoice rates. In addition, freight audits help in reducing inventory costs and improve productivity.

Greater visibility

Dashboards give shipper the capability to become pro-active instead of reactive by anticipating problems before they become a crisis. They allow shippers to easily view their transportation data in easy to read and interpret tables and graphs. Perfect Dashboards , customizable reports helps shipper to enhance decision-making. Dashboards and reports provide transparency and real-time visibility to a shipper’s freight spend.

The above advantages give a competitive edge to shippers. Freight audits provide new opportunities for companies to streamline their processes.

Save more with Audintel

Freight audits can transform businesses. Audintel’s customized, intuitive dashboards and shipping reports help our clients understand their freight shipping expenses. We uncover potential freight bill errors and provide accurate freight billing across each carrier agreement. Audintel has a dedicated, professionally trained staff at our Call Center that negotiates with shipping carriers periodically for claims and refunds. Our state-of-the-art technology tracks freight invoices and saves money for companies. In addition, we handle complex contracts and rates for our clients. Audintel‘s team has optimized the freight shipping processes of our clients, saving them millions of dollars in shipping costs.

The bottom line

Businesses can save a substantial amount of their freight costs by adopting a good freight auditing process. Freight audits help in identifying freight billing errors and resolve freight payment issues. Skilled and qualified auditors at Audintel identify freight billing errors. In addition, we resolve payment issues and follow clients’ precise business rules. Audintel has saved millions of dollars for our clients with our efficient freight audits. Would you like to learn more about freight audits and our services? For further information, you can contact us at +1 (619) 354 8539 or visit our Audintel website.

How to receive UPS Guaranteed Service Refund (GSR) seamlessly?

UPS Money-Back Guarantee, also known as UPS Guaranteed Service Refund (GSR) in the US. The UPS GSR is for 50 service failures. Did you know you can reduce shipping costs with the UPS GSR? What are the services for which your company gets a guaranteed service refund from UPS? How to claim refunds from UPS? We will try to answer these questions in this article. In addition, we will explore the latest updates in 2022 regarding UPS Guaranteed Service Refund (GSR).

Reduce shipping costs with UPS Guaranteed Service Refund

Shoppers tend to abandon their shopping carts if the shipping costs are high. Similarly, shipping companies leave valuable money if they do not claim refunds from parcel carriers for service failures. UPS commits to deliver packages by a scheduled date, time, and location according to their negotiations with the shipping companies. Each parcel that misses its delivery deadline is eligible for a refund from UPS. With UPS Guaranteed Service Refund, shipping companies can reduce shipping costs to a large extent.

Services that offer UPS GSR

According to UPS Service Guide, 2022, UPS guarantees on-schedule delivery to 50 states and Puerto Rico. UPS Service Guarantee is for the following services:

UPS Air Services
UPS Hundredweight Service® Air Services
UPS 3 Day Select®
UPS Hundredweight Service® UPS 3 Day Select®
UPS® Ground
UPS® Ground with Freight Pricing
UPS Hundredweight Service® Ground

In addition, UPS guarantees on-schedule delivery of the following services, provided customs clearance by UPS Supply Chain Solutions brokerage offices.

UPS Worldwide Express Plus®
UPS Worldwide Express NA1®
UPS Worldwide Express®
UPS Worldwide Express Freight® Service
UPS Worldwide Saver®
UPS Worldwide Expedited®
UPS 3 Day Select® from Canada
UPS® Standard

UPS Service Guarantee Suspension

Due to the coronavirus pandemic and government restrictions, UPS has suspended UPS Service Guarantee. The Service Guarantee is under suspension for other UPS services. However, UPS reinstated a few Services in some countries from April 5, 2021. The continuation of select services gave shippers a breathing space. Shipping companies were able to deliver their packages on time to customers. However, shippers need to ensure that their recipient’s business location is open for UPS to deliver packages on schedule.

UPS Guaranteed Service Refund – How to file a claim?

A lost package, parcel not delivered on time, invalid residential surcharges on packages, etc., are eligible for UPS GSR. To receive refunds from UPS, shipping companies need to request a refund. We had discussed refunds from UPS and the process for getting GSR in our earlier articles. Before requesting a refund, companies need to file a claim. The claims should cover the details of the package, the role of the person filing the claim, documentation accompanying the claim has to be submitted to UPS. Not every shipper can file a claim with UPS.com due to shipper restrictions, account authentication, etc. In short, shippers need experts like Audintel for help in filing a claim for UPS GSR.

Challenges in receiving UPS refunds

UPS Guaranteed Service Refund is a time-consuming process that requires resources. It is a big challenge for shipping companies. In addition, there is a possibility of missing out on errors made by carriers for each invoice. Further, shipping companies have to abide by the conditions and exceptions to the UPS Service Guarantee to get a refund. Automated auditing systems meet the challenges faced in receiving UPS refunds. An automatic audit system optimizes billing errors and smoothly manages the refund process. Audintel is a parcel audit company that offers automated audit processes to its clients.

Benefits of partnering with Audintel

UPS offers a free Guaranteed Service Refund (GSR) for parcel delivery later than the committed delivery time. Audintel ensures that clients receive the refund securely and safely in their accounts. Our automated services help to recover UPS refunds for our clients. Audintel has dashboards that display refunds by services, carriers, etc. We provide customized dashboards and reports for our clients. The refund recovery offered by UPS Guaranteed Service is visible to our customers at a glance.

Conclusion

Businesses are facing supply chain problems due to high demand by online shoppers. Due to labor shortages, companies do not have the resources to secure UPS refunds. Further, shippers have to keep track of the service failures of UPS to request for UPS Guaranteed Service Refund. For this reason, partnering with Audintel helps businesses simplify the refund process and save money. You can learn more about the UPS Guaranteed Service Refund process by contacting us. For further information about our services, call us at +1 (619) 354 8539 or visit the Audintel website.

How Audit companies deal with Freight logistical and operational challenges?

Nowadays most companies are leveraging worldwide logistics to spread their footprints globally. Companies will incur huge costs in transportation hence Transportation Cost Control is required to be competitive in the market. To optimize cost and overcome the freight logistical and operational challenges, industries are consulting freight audits and payment companies.

Freight audit and payment companies will help identify the challenges industries are facing with respect to logistics and operations.

Common freight logistical and operational challenges

Dealing with Bulk Data:

The number of shipments is increasing day by day and the companies use multiple carriers for shipment which leads to the bulk of invoices. The amount of paperwork backup required to validate the charges increases tremendously which is impacting the amount of time required for freight reconciliation and also on-time payments. Hence affecting supplier/partner relationships and hugely impacting business.

Improper Freight Billing:

If the carrier contact information or weight information on your bill of lading is entered incorrectly, carrier obtains inaccurate shipment information and that can lead to a number of consequences such as delayed delivery and overcharging on the freight bill. Audintel uses advanced business intelligence solutions to achieve 100% correct billing.

Higher Shipping Rates:

Shipping cost is one of the major contributors to overall Inbound and outbound logistics costs. Shipping expense is something every company has to worry about. We need to be careful in choosing the right carrier and right shipping mode when transporting goods to larger distances as this will incur higher costs. Audintel analyzes the market data to determine how well a carrier is performing and compares the cost of transport against different carriers. Audintel also helps in making tactical and strategic decisions by choosing the right carriers with the lowest cost possible.

Data Transparency:

Companies have access to lots of data at the same time it became difficult to get easily accessible information. Visibility and understanding of data are very important for companies to make the right decisions.

Dashboards are an important component of Auditing companies. Audintel provides new dashboards highlighting a variety of data including shipment overview, annual summary details, audit activities, net spend, etc…

How do Freight Audit Companies help in freight logistical and operational challenges?

Freight audit companies examine the freight bills to verify information on invoices and ensure that the invoice has not already been processed using EDI (Electronic Data Interchange). By automating Freight reconciliation, we can eliminate paperwork and errors caused through manual work. If errors are found on the invoice Freight audit company reaches out to the carrier and ensures corrected invoices are sent whenever errors are found in invoices.

According to third-party logistics research, lowering transportation costs is at the top of the list of logistics sector priorities. Increased optimization using advanced shipping analytic tools makes it easier for the clients to choose the cost-effective carrier and analyze data to determine how well a carrier is performing.

Using BI, Visualization, and Data analytics to spot trends, Audintel provides powerful and interactive Dashboards for clients. Dashboards are also featuring drill-down functionally. At the highest corporate level, the dashboards are designed for the client to view the graphs. It also provides graphic breakdowns of your current rate sheets, so you can quickly see what your rates are with each carrier.

Streamlining invoice processes, reducing costs through invoice audits, and providing actionable insights are just a few of the benefits. All of the steps that were previously completed manually can now be completed using the services of a freight provider and their automation.

Conclusion :

Audintel provides shipping logistics companies full visibility of their supply chains and manages their resources efficiently. Features like Freight Audit, optimization, selection of carriers and data transparency helps customers in choosing the best suppliers. To learn more services provided by Audintel, contact us at [email protected]. You can also learn about our services by visiting Audintel Website or call us at +1 (619) 354 8539.

Reduce shipping costs of small parcel shipments seamlessly

“Fast delivery” and “free shipping” are the terms keeping businesses on their toes. Small business owners have to fulfill customers’ expectations while keeping shipping costs down.

It is difficult for small businesses as they know the expenses involved in shipping. In addition, shipping carriers increase shipping rates each year. Here, we will cover the ways to lower shipment costs and make profits for companies.

Factors affecting shipping costs

Reducing shipping costs is vital for increasing profits in businesses. The main factors affecting shipping costs include

Speed and service

Weight and dimension

Shipping destination

Shipping volumes

These factors affect the calculation of shipping charges. However, shippers can reduce expenses by making changes in shipping methods.

Ways to reduce shipping costs

69.8% of online shoppers abandon their carts due to extremely high costs (research by Baymard Institute). The rise in shipping costs is due to various reasons. It could be due to taxes or shipping rates. As shipping companies have no control over taxes, there are some ways to reduce shipping costs. We, at Audintel, advise our customers about ways to save money. Here are five easy ways to lower shipping costs.

1. Use of modern tracking software

Shipping companies should use tracking software such as transportation management software (TMS). The software help shippers track their shipments. The tracking tools provide an accurate shipment delivery time. TMS gives shippers an edge over shipping carriers when requesting refunds for late deliveries. Audintel screens the packages and files a refund for our customers. Our automated software guides shippers’ insights into real-time shipment processes.

2. Managing shipping rates

Shipping carriers offer different shipping rates and delivery services to customers. Software like TMS gives businesses insights about shipping carriers. Shippers can choose from a list of shipping rates that suits them best. Audintel gives comparison data about the carriers’ rates to shippers. Audintel provides analytics to support shippers in making decisions regarding shipments and save money.

3. Negotiate the best price with shipping carriers

The core of each shipment is a well-negotiated deal. As a result, negotiation with shipping carriers is vital for companies. Shippers negotiate for a flat shipping fee to reduce costs. Shipping carriers like FedEx, UPS offer better rates for packages based on the size, weight, and destination. Audintel aids shipping companies in negotiating the best price with shipping carriers. We negotiate discounts with different shipping carriers for businesses. So shippers benefit from discounts offered by the shipping carriers.

4. Educate shippers on the shipping process

Shippers hate unexpected charges in their invoices during the checkout process. Shipping companies need to understand the complexities of the shipping process. Shippers need to decrease the size of the packages to save money. For instance, use a poly mailer instead of a box. In addition, companies need to reduce the weight of the parcels. For example, use lightweight packaging material. Audintel provides essential services to companies to bring down costs. We do a thorough audit to curb any mistakes caused by shipping carriers. Our checkpoints halt improper invoicing done by shipping carriers.

5. Streamline the entire shipping process

The entire shipping process from end to end needs streamlining. Companies have to optimize the supply chain model to increase profit margins. Alternatively, shippers need to pay attention to customers’ requirements. Shipping companies need to adopt processes with efficient planning. Audintel provides business models to its customers that cut shipping costs. We advise shippers about shipping strategies to increase profit margins. Shipping small parcels can be made seamless with low shipping costs.

These cost-effective ways potentially help shippers to save money and increase profit margins.

Let Audintel audit your shipments to cut undue expenses.

Shipping companies can rest easy by letting Audintel audit and manage their profiles. Our services customize tracking of shipment packages. Audintel’s shipping software provides access to the best shipping rates. It allows shippers to compare rates, pick the best one, and save time. We aid shippers in negotiating good deals. As a result, our customers receive best-in-class services and discounts. In addition, we provide shipping strategies to customers that help in reducing shipping costs.

To sum it up

Shipping is an integral part of all businesses, whether big or small. Hence, managing the shipping costs of shipments becomes crucial. With this in mind, partnering with audit companies is essential. Audintel keeps track of shipments and streamlines the process giving shippers peace of mind. The analytics provided by Audintel helps shippers to save money. If you need help in reducing shipping costs, contact us at [email protected]. To know more about us and our services, visit our Audintel website or call us at +1 (619) 354 8539.

Why incorporating GSR/MBG waiver in shipping contracts is a bad idea?

On-time delivery of shipments is vital for shippers. Late parcel deliveries test a customer’s patience. At times, customer dissatisfaction leads to financial loss. With this in mind, shippers have a refund clause in their shipping contracts with the shipping carriers. Shipping carriers promise a refund for service failures such as late deliveries.

Approved late delivery refund requests save 100% shipping costs. But, in the past few years, FedEx and UPS are offering shipping refund waivers with incentives. Large shipping carriers are aggressively vouching for refund waivers. So, what are these shipping refund waivers? And, why should shippers not accept such Guaranteed Service Refund waivers? Read on for all this and more, in this article.

What are shipping refund waivers?

Shipping carriers like FedEx and UPS offer shipping refund waivers. Shipping refund waivers are clauses within the shipping contracts that provide discounts to shippers. These discounts are in return for waiving off the shippers’ rights to claim refunds. FedEx’s refund waiver is known as Money-Back Guarantee (MBG) waiver. And UPS’ refund waiver is known as UPS’ Guaranteed Service Refund (GSR) waiver. In addition, UPS and FedEx aggressively market these waivers to shippers for earning extra revenue.

Incentives in exchange for GSR waiver

Often shipping carriers offer discounts and incentives in exchange for signing an agreement with Guaranteed Service Refund waiver. Shipping carriers who want GSR waivers entice shippers with attractive discounts during contract negotiations. The incentives include an additional package rate discount and small discounts in the accessorial charges for a short period. But, shippers generally don’t benefit much from these incentives, as there are other charges on the package.

Why should shippers not sign an agreement with UPS’ GSR or FedEx’s MBG waivers?

UPS’ GSR ensures the on-time delivery of all Ground and Express Packages. When shippers sign GSR waivers, shipping carriers can no longer be held accountable for late deliveries. For instance, a parcel’s delivery time is the same day, but the delivery occurs the next day. The customer will hold the shipper responsible for the delay and not the shipping carrier. The shippers cannot demand a refund from shipping carriers on signing a GSR waiver. As a consequence, shippers face loss of revenue and customer dissatisfaction. That is why Audintel strongly suggests that shippers should not sign agreements with UPS’ GSR or FedEx’s MBG waivers.

Disadvantages of accepting shipping refund waivers

The disadvantages of accepting MBG waivers include lost customers, an increase in returned shipments, etc. Packages that are delivered late are a chief reason for shippers losing customers. Minimum service charges on each parcel eat away any discounts received on account of the GSR waiver. FedEx may offer an additional package rate discount with an MBG waiver. But, when FedEx applies minimum service package charges, these additional discounts will be negligible and lead to revenue loss. According to recent studies, waiving away MBG rights will cost shippers 1-5% of their entire parcel spend.

How can Audintel help?

Audintel has a well-experienced team of experts who are well-versed in contract negotiations. We compare the services of the shipping carriers before signing a contract. Audintel studies the fine print of each shipping contract with shipping carriers. We will help in getting you discounts while keeping the Guaranteed Service Refund clause intact. We ensure that our clients save more by not signing an agreement with a GSR waiver.

Services offered by Audintel concerning GSR Waiver

Audintel will never suggest a GSR waiver for its clients. We believe the credibility of the client will be affected by accepting the GSR waiver. When a GSR waiver is signed, shippers cannot question the shipping carriers for late deliveries. Shippers’ business gets affected due to delays in parcel deliveries. Shippers are in safe hands when they trust Audintel to manage their shipping portfolios. We not only track each parcel for late deliveries but also request for GSR. Our services help our clients receive the refund amount due to them. As well as enhance customer satisfaction bringing in more business for our clients. Audintel holds the shipping carriers responsible for deficiencies in services. We can save at least 2-5% of overall parcel spend for our clients.

Late delivery refunds are essential for the small parcel industry. Late delivery refund claims save money for shipping companies. There is an estimate that over 3 billion dollars from unclaimed refunds are collected by UPS and FedEx when shippers sign GSR waivers. The refund amount belongs to shippers but, the amount remains unclaimed due to lack of auditing and claim processing. Shippers need professionals who can help them in monitoring their shipment portfolios at every stage. Audintel provides encompassing audit services to its clients. We help in analyzing your shipping spend and save money. Audintel is a name you can trust for auditing parcel services. For further details, write to us at [email protected] or please visit our Audintel website, or contact us at +1 (619) 354 8539.

Manager,Analysing,Performance,Data,On,Dashboard,With,Kpi,And,Metrics.

Reasons to consider a Freight audit software solution

Freight Audit Software Solution

The freight audit software solution will help companies save costs incurred through invoices. This will, in turn, have a huge impact on their annual profits.

Nowadays charges from various transporters are negotiated and impacted by the oil market. Without a firm understanding of all the intricacies of the shipping industry, a company is always at risk of being consistently over-charged. That is why many businesses turn to a freight audit software provider or a freight audit and payment company. Audit companies handle the laborious task of auditing their freight bills.

Most of the companies will not be able to handle the massive task of processing, organizing, auditing, and paying the carrier companies. It is not only time-consuming but also requires dedicated internal staff. The opportunity to maximize your profit margin through business intelligence will be missed if your company does not take advantage of the intelligence gained from the data.

Freight Bill Audit and Pay

So freight bill audit and freight payment software is an essential component of any business. Many companies do not utilize technology to manage freight bills, resulting in a lost opportunity for multiple cost savings.

The old-school way of manually processing freight bills and hoping for the best overlooks many important and potentially expensive factors. Some companies shipping and receiving more than hundreds of shipments every month, resulting in paperwork in different formats from carriers. In the long run, this will become overwhelming, and inevitable errors get cropped in either from human inaccuracy or a processing mistake.

Discrepancies In Freight Bills

But if your company is being regularly wrongly billed, the costs add up quickly. Most companies do not have the resources to devote to auditing every single bill, so some will resort to a random check, giving the organization only a sample of the entire picture. This will result in risking the forfeit of any lost capital due to overpayment, errors, hidden fees, or redundant costs.

It should be clear that a sound strategy is a priority when it comes to Freight Auditing and Payment. Experts estimate that a company can expect freight charges to typically represent up to 10% of a company’s total cost of goods. It is a significant enough portion to pay attention to and to apply the most effective tactics to minimize.

Freight Paper Invoices

Paper invoices run the risk of becoming lost, and a company loses the ability to analyze bills and data. The cost to internally process and pay freight invoices can be measured at around $11-$12 per invoice. Along with the cost of allocating manpower to perform this laborious task, human inaccuracies or inattention to unforeseen factors may choke even the most well-intentioned internal department. Also, the opportunity to file a claim for reimbursement for any error is typically 180 days and must be handled on time.

Freight Bill Auditing Process

The freight audit company follows a specific process to confirm all inaccuracies are noted and corrected. It provides the client with a detailed evaluation of their shipping and receiving procedure based on ad hoc data. The process begins when the shipping invoice is received either manually or through EDI. The freight audit company will then verify the bill, inspect for errors or inaccuracies, and ensure that:

The invoice has not been previously paid or is not a duplicate,
Is indeed the responsibility of the shipper to pay,
Any tariffs were calculated correctly,
Accessorial charges are legitimate and
All necessary documentation such as the Bill of Lading and purchase order numbers are included.

They will file a claim to be reimbursed for the mistake or oversight whenever inaccuracies are spotted. If they are assigned to make the payments as well, they will handle the processing of the bill to ensure that it arrives as scheduled.

Audintel’s role :

We at Audintel have a freight audit software solution, which consists of various audit checkpoints to capture any discrepancies done by the carriers. We provide business intelligence reporting which can be used for detailed insights and also plan a better strategy when compared to the competitors. For further queries, please visit Audintel or contact us at +1 (619) 354 8539 or mail to [email protected].

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Why do we need a Freight Audit?

What is a Freight Audit?

Freight auditing is typically provided by an external audit company. They carefully inspect the carrier invoices and look out for all the inaccuracies in the carrier invoices. Inaccuracies can include billing errors, incorrectly classified shipments, unapplied tariff weight breaks.

This audit will help a company to prevent over-billing, negotiate future shipping rates and choose better transportation strategies along with the most efficient carriers.

Nowadays freight rates and freight pricing in the logistics industry are becoming increasingly complex, and carriers make innumerable mistakes and also fail to meet service level agreements. And thus shippers use freight auditing as a tool. This tool ensures that the shippers pay carriers only after determining that the freight invoices are 100 % accurate and precise.

Rates in the LTL industry are very complex. They are calculated by a range of factors which include mileage, cost of diesel, product type, pickup, and delivery fees. Some of these fees and charges are negotiated with the shipper. Carriers can always add new charges or sometimes they increase existing charges also. For this reason, it is very difficult to track a company’s freight bills to ensure that they are accurate.

Carrier Formats and Error Frequency

Making matters more difficult is the fact that a company almost certainly uses more than one carrier, and each carrier’s invoices are different from one another and they all use different formats. This task becomes challenging when there are potentially hundreds and thousands of items to ship every month. And due to the large volumes of shipments, many errors go unnoticed and undetected.

One out of every four freight bills contains an error that could affect the company’s finances. Manual auditing and freight payment are time-consuming and often require additional administrative staff and time. For companies who lack these resources, they can save time and money by outsourcing freight Audit to an external audit company who has expertise in capturing all the errors and also using the auditing software.

Freight Audit Software

Examination of freight bills is a business process. Freight bill’s duplicates and accuracy are adjusted and verified. Now the shipper can stop wasting the time of their Accounts Payable department on the grueling, time-sensitive process of auditing, while also bringing in extra money at the same time. The shipping company has to pay the cost when there are overpayments. There are also other benefits like actionable data that can be used to negotiate better rates with the carriers.

Freight Invoice

Carriers submit an invoice to the customer or an external audit company, this invoice is the freight bill. Audit companies approach the respective carrier when there are errors in the shipper’s invoice. They suggest the carriers to correct and generate a new invoice. Here at AudIntel, as a leading freight audit provider, we ensure that shippers are not overcharging for their freight services. For example, in the shipping world, overpayments occur far too often. Carriers like FedEx freight/UPS freight delivers an average of 9 million packages in 220 countries every day. Hence the mistakes are inevitable. As a result, the freight audit service ensures that your actual freight invoice matches the quote.

AudIntel’s role in freight audit

We at AudIntel, do many explicit audit checks on various types of freight invoices. This makes sure that even the smallest of discrepancies are captured. This in turn saves a good share of money for the shippers. And also provide data insights showcasing trends for revenue, shipments, accessorials, carriers, etc. For further queries, please visit Audintel or contact at +1 (619) 354 8539 or mail to [email protected].

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How late shipments could impact shipper’s KPIs

Overview

Late shipments are something that shippers should be paying attention to. Shippers have to take necessary action steps to improve their KPIs and cut down costs.

What will you know from this article

An overall insight into how to identify late shipments and the need for identification, through market research.

Financial impact on shipment costs.

How to submit claims to carriers.

The role of audit firms in the identification and submitting claims through a variety of software tools.

How can Audit firms help the shippers

We will discuss the need for shippers to make a strategic decision whether to go with audit firms or not. Lastly, we shall talk about the audit firm’s add-on services offered, compensation models, and how firms deploy security measures to protect the confidentiality of sensitive customer information.

We hope this article surely helps you to take your current business to the next level just by implementing some of the best practices discussed in detail below.

Let’s deep dive on, what are late shipments and how would you identify a late package?

In the current context even if we try to know we cannot find out if the package is delivered on time. Most of the time, it is very difficult to identify, and this is where the tools come into the picture. The best-in-class tools produce the best result.

What is the need to identify late packages?

For explanation purpose, we would like to categorize the reasons into two: First and foremost is the performance of a company depending on how well they are satisfying their customers. Customer satisfaction depends on a better price, quality product, and product on-time delivery. On-time delivery plays a pivotal role in the success of a company. But identifying the late packages is one of the KPI for the company’s growth.
The second reason is the huge unimaginable revenue potential. Most of the carriers offer GSR (Guaranteed Service Refunds) for shipments not delivered on time. If in case they don’t fulfill the promise, the carrier would offer a refund on shipping charges. However, they just don’t refund the money just like that. There is a process built around for claiming for refunds, on which this article is built upon.

Submitting Claims for late shipments:

The main catch for submitting the claims is, these usually have to be submitted within 15 calendar days of product delivery or invoice date. Usually, most companies simply don’t have time to pursue these. The majority of shippers don’t even realize that they are leaving money on the table. This is because any shipment if delivered even a minute late to committed time is considered late. The shipper is entitled to a refund for such late shipments. Research reveals that Late shipments recoveries can recoup up to 3% of shipper’s costs. However, handling these claim submissions is a little time-consuming. It involves identifying the late packages, process them in the system and submit for claims. This is where audit/recovery firms come into the picture.

Role of Audit firms :

Audit firms analyze each package, identify late packages using their software tool, and submit claims on the behalf of the shipper. They just charge a contingency fee based on the savings made. The percentage of recoveries generated by shippers versus audit firms varies significantly as audit firms have processes in place, complete domain knowledge, tools in place, and manpower to implement. The higher percentage of credit received depends on the proficiency of the audit firm.

How Audintel can help you :

AUDINTEL is a one-stop solution that delivers a secure small parcel audit platform by using proprietary Artificial Intelligence (AI) to drive predictive analytics, hosted by Amazon Web Services (AWS), the best in class cloud hosting provider. AUDINTEL’s 36-point parcel audit is the most proficient auditing process currently available, and its ability to maximize credits from your carriers is very unique. AUDINTEL’s small parcel audit disputes all eligible late deliveries and any other mischarges tied to the package. For further queries, please reach out to [email protected].

Shipper’s decision-making evaluation:

Depending on the volume of shipments, a shipper can approach the audit firm for helping them in recovering the percentage of their costs. After thorough market research, the shipper should be finalizing the company. It constitutes a team with an immense knowledge base and has shown proven results. Audintel has a fully automated monitoring system and has security controls in place. The client’s shipping data consists of customer names and addresses and hence should be kept confidential.

On the same lines, Shippers should also be checking on add-on services offered by the audit firms to justify the cut offered. Add-on services may include rate audit (whether the carrier is applying the correct rate and is not charging unnecessary surcharges), Audit platform access, reporting, and maintenance. The contracts between shippers and auditors may vary from shipper to shipper. The compensation plan may vary from gain share split/contingency basis to a flat rate per transaction, whichever suits the shipper.

Conclusion:

To conclude, customer service is of prime essence, a satisfied client means you are satisfied. Hence, it is highly encouraged for shippers to not sign a waiver on GSR with any carrier. Additionally, you ensure that you get refunds for late deliveries. For further queries, please visit Audintel or contact us at +1 (619) 354 8539 or mail to [email protected].