Freight Exception Management with Robotic Process Automation

Value Of Robotic Process Automation For Freight Exception

Robotic process automation (RPA) is vital to quality freight exception management tasks in transportation management systems and customer service today. 

Sometimes, freight just doesn’t make it to its destination on time. There may be weather events that are out of the shipper’s control, a natural disaster, employee issues, world unrest, or a number of other issues that delay a shipment.

There could be rerouting necessary, as well, which would mean additional delays. Because most freight gets where it’s headed on schedule, late freight is the exception and not the rule. By using RPA to handle freight exception management, human beings are freed up to handle more complex tasks and the shipping operation runs more smoothly and efficiently. That saves both time and money.

The Drawbacks of Failure to Manage by Exception

Not all companies handle their freight exception management through RPA, but more companies are moving in that direction. These companies are focused on the drawbacks they see when they don’t manage their shipping by exception.
For example, failing to address freight exception management properly can become costly in several ways, and can cause delays and mistakes that could have been avoided with RPA in place. Human data entry errors happen, no matter how careful people try to be. The manual handling of freight exceptions can also be a headache and can lead to missed – and misunderstood – information that helps no one.

RPA Handles the Redundancies Innate in Freight Management Problems

There are many freight exception management tasks that are far faster and more efficient when they’re handled by RPA. For example, the number of calls made to check when a truck is arriving, and emails generated to say that a pallet will be missing on the next shipment can quickly become overwhelming for a large company. That’s not to mention the freight claim process and how many claims must be handled on a daily or weekly basis.
According to SupplyChain247, “…changes within capacity can require exception management, rerouting shipments, and redefining the loads accordingly – moreover, the issue of capacity weighs largely on the minds of today shippers.”

When RPA takes all those issues and uses AI to handle them from the transportation management platform, it also takes the stress, hassle, and guesswork out of freight exception management and makes it far easier on the company and its employees. Freeing humans up to do tasks that can’t be easily automated also allows for a higher level of efficiency, and automating some tasks means a lower chance of mistakes being made that could be damaging to the company, as well.

Additional Ways RPA Keeps Freight Exception Management Running Smoothly

Basic efficiency isn’t the only way that RPA helps with freight exception management. That’s because RPA can do a lot more than many shipping and trucking companies realize. The more these companies use RPA for their freight exception management, the more ways they can find to increase and develop that usage to benefit them more fully. Some of the main benefits of RPA include:
  • Auditing of systems.
  • Automated reporting.
  • Identification of possible issues based on historic and real-time data.
  • Ability to work with customers, shippers, forwarders, and others without requiring intervention.
  • Fewer problems caused by unexpected delays, such as a driver reporting a breakdown.
  • Improved responsiveness by triggering dynamic workflows to address problems.

Put the Power of RPA to Work in Exception Management to Save Resources

Any company that’s ready to take its freight exception management efforts to the next level would be wise to consider a move to RPA. Not only will it make things more efficient, but it will also improve quality and reduce mistakes. That can go a long way toward increased quality and value for the company, and for its customers.
With RPA, employees are free to work on tasks that require complex thought and that can’t be automated, while the automated processes of RPA handle freight exception management easily and efficiently for value and peace of mind.
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