Automation has become vital in different industries. Companies now leverage automation to transform entire business processes. In 2021, the increasing demand for automation boils down to its high value and unprecedented growth in the market.
According to Forrester's report, the market size of automation would hit $2.8 billion by the end of 2021. Today, automation has become the answer to boost productivity and ensure the swift development of automated tools.
Since automation cuts out the repetition, it saves valuable time for employees. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that more than 50% of companies have adopted RPA (Robotic Processing Automation). Market data also affirms that more companies want to roll out an RPA solution to gain more ROI, cut back on costs, ensures flawless business operations, and raise productivity standards.
The logistics industry has been through a digital transformation. In fact, World Economic Forum affirms that leading logistics players are valued at $1.5 trillion along with $2.4 trillion of social benefits. RPA represents “the” next big step in the digital transformation for the logistics and transportation industry.
Benefits and Importance of Choosing the Best Processes to Automate
Automate Scheduling, Tracking, Payments and Order processing of Shipments
Choosing the best RPA processes makes shipment tracking and scheduling simple. With automated tasks, you can request status and reports about any shipment. You can also check internal portals and systems in more detail.
Through robotic process automation, you can review shipment details like incoming emails, log tasks in scheduling systems, and provide customers or carrier portals accurate pick-up times. The traditional style of manual order processing and payment takes a lot of time.
With RPA, logistics companies can automate database entry, payment processing, and sending confirmation emails. In fact, one of the hallmark aspects of using RPA is to automate your email communications. After processing an order, you can send auto-emails and notifications via the system.
Attain and Close Loads
RPA serves as an opportunity for third-party suppliers and carriers to grow their business. It’s a chance to cut out the manual tracking from various systems because a uniform RPA solution can capture and scan carrier data automatically. It can also include track or trace information, voice amount, or PRO number. The robotic process automation allows companies to streamline the attaining and closing of loads.
Invoice Processing, Credit Collecting, and Inventory Management
With a robust RPA solution, companies can make payment processing and credit collection faster. Ordinarily, businesses face mountainous payment processing and credit issues after the completion of the job. With RPA, you can integrate multiple systems and streamline your process.
In short, it means you can integrate RPA with your payment system and then automate the cash process upon completion. You can perform this automation for hundreds of big third-party logistics (3PL) providers. In order to keep up with customer demands, it is vital to track and maintain available inventory. You can use real-time RPA reports to optimize your inventory management needs.
Faster Invoicing, Integrated Customer Portals, Swift Customer Response
Another reason that RPA is vital is that it helps companies eliminate manual invoices and re-keying. RPA allows you to automatically extract relevant shipping information, ensure customer portals are up-to-date, and instantly scan invoices/PODs.
You can also take advantage of the digital workers to queue your carrier tracking sites and get proof of delivery instantly. If you want to make faster responses and track customer inquiries, you can link the same information to your primary warehouse management system.
5 Best Processes to Start Your RPA Automation Journey
1. Accurate Inventory Management
One of the major use cases of RPA is to ensure accurate and effortless inventory management. In fact, prompt inventory management is one of the secrets to gain a competitive edge in the logistics industry. When you apply automation in numerous logistical processes, it allows you to spend more time on other matters and rely on automated inventory management.
With upkeep timeliness and inventory updates, companies can use saved time on other activities. With robust inventory management, your company is bound to become a market leader. Seamless automated virtual actions can transform logistics companies and drive more growth in the long run.
2. Automate Rout Fulfillment of Freight Orders
Another defining useful aspect of RPA is making the process of freight orders easier. Companies can rout the fulfillment of an order and deliver goods to customers in an efficient manner. There is a good chance you may be using multiple systems to ensure the best fulfillment of orders. With RPA, you can automate and streamline these systems to boost logistical efficiency.
RPA can read relevant documents and fill out the databases through the replication process. It means you can process invoices in your accounting system, authenticate proof of delivery, upload documents and enter more data entries. You can also bring your social media accounts into a central automated system and then integrate all the customer responses.
3. Auto-Track Minimize Transport Checks
With the auto-track feature, you can minimize the number of transport check-up calls. This is one of the most beneficial results of automating all tracking of logistics through RPA. Automated tracking not only helps companies, but customers as well.
Customers can review the expected shipment timeframe and potential delays beforehand. Companies can also use the same automation feature to manage endless inbound calls through RPA. It is a strategic way to save resources and ensure proactive planning.
When it comes to modern logistics, RPA continues to help logistics firms define new standards in real-time. With RPA, companies can automate their read and response mechanism with vendors and customers. RPA also takes care of system disruptions and adjusts shipment processes automatically. In addition, automated functionality improves the staff’s effectiveness by allowing companies to handle more tasks with the same personnel.
4. Review the Business Health Based on Analytical Insights
With RPA, managers can review the health of their logistics companies based on insights. In fact, managers can use the same insights to make more logical and calculated business decisions. More in-depth and accurate insights mean logistics companies can formulate viable plans of action and improve visibility at the same time.
RPA helps logistics companies render the best customer service without compromising efficiency. It is a perfect way to ensure all stakeholders are on the same page. Apart from uniform communication, logistics companies can also determine areas where there is room for improvement in shipping.
RPA in logistics means companies can continue to look for processes that need automation and drive more growth. Robotic process automation also makes it easier for companies to adapt to any real-time system disruptions.
5. Automate Reporting and Feedback
Automated reporting and extensive feedback are additional impressive use cases that make the RPA solution ideal for logistics companies. For instance, RPA helps third parties focus on the freight management chain and ensure the “right” demands are met in the pipeline. But efficiency is at the heart of RPA and faster reporting paired with analytics cuts out the confusion. It allows logistics managers to improve processes and achieve end-goals faster.
With RPA, companies have the chance to redefine their logistics. It is the main reason many companies now apply RPA in logistics to accurately manage shipments throughout the world. RPA for logistics continues to open new windows of opportunities and has become the key to unlock cost and efficiency benefits.
One of the hallmark perks of RPA is that users can observe the digital and manual changes in real-time. The RPA technology allows firms to automate their response mechanism to vendors and customers. Businesses are realizing and recognizing that they can deliver accurate shipping through more engagement and interactions powered by RPA.
Companies can use RPA to auto-track everything in the supply chain flow and improve shipping and delivery visibility. With the roll out of RPA, firms do not have to depend on staff to provide every piece of information and mitigate potential human errors at the same time.
Automate Today!
Contact one of our insurance automation experts today. At Integratz, we understand the current value and future possibilities attached to the RPA and want to help logistics companies improve their core processes.
REFERENCES:
- https://www.integratz.com/blog/how-automation-software-solves-common-insurance-industry-problems
- https://mercurygate.com/blog-posts/real-world-cases-of-rpa-in-transportation-and-logistics/
- https://automationedge.com/industry/rpa-for-shipping-and-logistics/
- https://www.startus-insights.com/innovators-guide/5-top-robotic-process-automation-solutions-in-logistics/
- https://hbr.org/2018/06/before-automating-your-companys-processes-find-ways-to-improve-them
- https://blog.vsoftconsulting.com/blog/ways-rpa-enhance-supply-chain-management-efficiency
- https://research.aimultiple.com/rpa-implementation/
- https://rpatech.in/automate-your-supply-chain-management-processes-with-rpa/
Comments