Information technology can augment your transport company’s capabilities, enabling it to catch up to its competitors and serve its customers better. These make an investment in IT one of the most promising decisions you can make for your business.
Here are seven ways IT can empower your transport business:
#1. Manage your data effectively
IT lets you collect operational, social, and transactional data and store them on servers or in the cloud. You can crunch these data using analytics to gain actionable insights, which you can use to get a visual of your company’s performance, improve your operations, identify opportunities for growth, and patch up potential weaknesses.
That said, your business’s data must be secured from malicious parties looking to access or steal it. IT tools like firewalls and anti-malware software prevent access by unauthorized parties and remove programs designed to cripple your operations or leave your data vulnerable to theft.
#2. Communicate and network smoothly
Thanks to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and similar IT solutions, you can now communicate with anyone who is connected to the internet, no matter where they are on the planet. This gives you effortless access to vendors, warehouses, distribution centers, customers, and other stakeholders in real time and at low costs.
Naturally, this also means you can now create a network of peers, suppliers, and potential customers with ease, which is invaluable should you seek to expand your business. With social networks like LinkedIn and even Facebook, you can keep tabs on anyone on your network and establish a more meaningful and lasting relationship with them.
#3. Improve your business efficiency
Smooth communication also means being able to supervise and manage your fleet wherever they may be on the globe. Should any of your people encounter production-related and other issues, you can easily connect them to experts who can help them arrive at a definite solution.
Technologies like mobile and the cloud also increase your business’s flexibility by allowing your team to perform their tasks outside the office. Flexibility, in particular, will enhance both productivity and efficiency in your company, and may even bolster employee morale in the long run.
#4. Track your cargo and prevent loss
The logistics industry loses up to $30 billion annually because of cargo theft, says the FBI. To address this, you can now install mobile transmitters that allow you to track your cargos’ location using the internet as they move across different points. These devices also keep track of any changes in both the truck and cargo, including shifts in temperature, mechanical shocks, and the absence of the driver. Should anyone tamper with either the cargo or the device, a signal will alert relevant authorities of the crime.
#5. Prevent injuries and accidents
The risks of working in the transportation sector can be curbed with IT. Innovations like electronic logging devices (ELDs) keep a paperless record of the entire trip, allowing operators to monitor their fleet remotely. Some companies use apps like FleetSafer, which automatically puts a smartphone on Safe Mode once it detects that the driver is driving. The app allows only emergency calls while driving.
#6. Target your audience accurately
IT has changed the way you reach out to your clients, allowing you to target specific customer segments. You can use social networks and search engines to deliver the type of content that your target customers like and are searching for. This ensures that every dollar you spend on ads has a greater likelihood of increasing your bottom line.
#7. Spend less on labor costs
Some basic and repetitive tasks can be entrusted to machines instead of hiring additional people. For instance, instead of hiring agents to man your website, you can install chatbots that will not only engage visitors and potential customers, but will also answer their questions. These bots can even be programmed to guide visitors to pages on your website that contain information relevant to their inquiries.
The number of ways information technology can empower your transport business will, no doubt, increase over the years. At Zeta Sky, we can help you identify the IT solutions you need to optimize your business for further growth. Contact us today!
