was as simple as clicking a button that says “remove carrier.” That action noti es the carrier’s application programming interface (API) of the cancellation, and the API sends a return message saying that the carrier received the cancellation notice. Then, an employee enters the new carrier, and the system handles and sends the paperwork. “It takes literally two minutes,” Krizay says. Krizay also con rmed the system could manage, among other functions, international tracking and foreign currencies. He reviewed the reports the system could provide and checked whether OVOL could create its own reports. For instance, a multi-divisional report that shows orders and revenue by the day, week, and month, as well as month-over-month and year-over-year, has proved valuable. Implementation of ShippersEdge occurred virtually and was the easiest of all three systems, Krizay says. Just several weeks passed from the time the two companies signed the contract until they’d completed some necessary system- building and integration. One of ShippersEdge’s core values is building software that’s intuitive, Taylor says. To that end, it brings in fth graders—usually employees’ children—
A TMS from ShippersEdge provides OVOL’s management with visibility across the supply chain, while automating and streamlining multiple processes, saving time and money.
obtaining a rate quote and creating shipments. “This came from the discussions we had and watching the fth graders utilize the software,” Taylor says. When ShippersEdge began working with OVOL USA, it adapted some of its software to provide visibility for logistics across all the company’s business units. The system now can separate shipments and other data by business unit or division, while providing the parent organization with visibility to all units—a change that bene ts every client. EASY TO DO BUSINESS WITH The ShippersEdge software is easy enough to use that new employees, assisted by online tutorials, can learn it within a few hours, Krizay says. OVOL also has been able to add functions and “not break the bank,” Krizay says. For example, at rst, the feed between OVOL and ShippersEdge was one-way: customer service employees would enter an order and send it to ShippersEdge to be routed. To streamline the process even further, OVOL began moving carrier bills through its accounting software. Because they move directly, most match and automatically go to OVOL’s accounting software to be paid, saving time and money. Some customers of OVOL’s divisions
in Texas, which are larger and have their own delivery vehicles, require deliveries be completed by certain times, and some drivers there need to be placed on speci c routes. Determining the routing used to consume hours each day. That has been cut to a few minutes, due to the algorithm ShippersEdge built that determines the route for each truck and driver, while working within the business rules. Moving forward, OVOL plans to implement ShippersEdge’s dock scheduler in several locations in Texas. As part of this, Krizay’s team will place large screens in the warehouses, so employees can see what deliveries are coming in and going out, and at what time. Then they can have the right products and documents ready as soon as a truck arrives. As important as its technology, ShippersEdge was “a refreshing company to deal with,” Krizay says. Every Tuesday, Krizay, Taylor, and Tom Taylor, ShippersEdge’s president, connect to talk over how things are going and any changes underway. When Krizay suggests a change to the solution, Tom Taylor has an amazing ability to build on the idea and make it even more effective, he says. That kind of back-and-forth and customer service is “worth its weight in gold,” he adds. n
to experiment with its solutions when designing or modifying the user interface.
He and his colleagues observe the kids as they operate the software to determine if almost everyone can gure out how to, for instance, move a shipment. If it’s clear they can’t, the company adjusts the solution. This process has helped everyone learn how to make software that’s accessible and intuitive. One example: when designing the initial software, it became clear the kids were struggling to gure out how to return to the start button after they’d created a shipment. That prompted developers to focus not just on the work ow, but on guiding the user back to the home page. To make all processes more intuitive, the designers included large tabs at the top of the interface for tasks like
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