Trucker Tools’ CEO and Founder Prasad Gollapalli recently participated in TIA’s semi-weekly Virtual Lunch & Learn to discuss “How To Build a Better Brokerage and Scale Profitability in the Process.” In the webinar, Gollapalli was joined by Leonard Express’ Chief Marketing Officer Mike Riccio to talk about implementing new technology and how brokers can build a better brokerage with technology, while providing value to carriers and shippers. After all, what you choose to use for technology in your brokerage impacts everything from visibility for shippers and communications with carriers to how efficiently you can secure capacity and run your internal operations.
Read on to discover how to leverage technology to create positive relationships with carriers and customers.
How To Successfully Implement New Tech
To kick off the webinar, Riccio and Gollapalli discussed best practices for implementing technology to build and sustain a better brokerage, while preparing for an evolving marketplace. According to Riccio, providing adequate training on any new tech is vital in achieving a smooth technology implementation, as is staying up to date on emerging advances in technology. It’s also important to make clear to internal teams that automating internal processes benefits employees, as well as partners. With process automation, brokerage teams have more time to book more freight and build productive relationships with carriers and shippers.
“There are so many different ways that you can use technology to reduce friction to improve productivity, but you’ve really got to have the right people place to do it to begin with,” said Riccio. “It comes down to your hiring, your process and standards. Then really training those people and continually training and educating those people so they understand what your specific strategy is, what you’re trying to accomplish, because that’s always very different depending on what kind of operation you run.”
“There are so many different ways that you can use technology to reduce friction to improve productivity, but you’ve really got to have the right people place to do it to begin with,” said Riccio. “It comes down to your hiring, your process and standards. Then really training those people and continually training and educating those people so they understand what your specific strategy is, what you’re trying to accomplish, because that’s always very different depending on what kind of operation you run.”
Delivering Sustained Value to Carriers via Technology
“Digital freight matching really provides a smoother experience for carriers,” said Riccio. “It helps your carrier partner who is dealing with ELDs, who’s dealing with traffic, who is dealing with receivers and possibly some shippers who aren’t treating them well. There is a certain sector that is not going to use digital freight matching, but there’s a large portion of carriers who will use it and will do so willingly. Not only does it make us more productive — it frees up our time to hopefully book more freight and build relationships with carrier and shippers —it allows the carrier to be more productive. For the carrier, time is money. They need to be moving and the more time that they’re negotiating, going back and forth and dilly-dallying around, it might leave a bad taste in their mouth because they’re like, ‘Look, I don’t have time for this. This is the price I want and I need to go.”
Riccio went on to say that tools like Trucker Tools’ Book-It-Now® also allow carriers to be more productive and increase their revenue. With less downtime and fewer non-revenue building activities for carriers and brokers, both are able to operate more efficiently and generate greater revenue. With 24 hour/day access to loads via Book-It-Now®, carriers and brokers can be more selective with their time. According to Gollapalli, automation with a broker that the carrier trusts is the ultimate win-win for most carriers.
Delivering Sustained Value to Shippers via Technology
“You have to figure out which technology is going to help you get through and provide the shipper with the information that they’re looking for,” said Riccio. “Look, it’s visibility, it’s visibility, it’s visibility. Everybody wants visibility, everybody wants visibility right here and now. Some of our shippers are requesting visibility updates at specific time intervals, but many do not, but we still send them out to differentiate ourselves so that they’re getting that update in a consistent cadence.”
“You have to figure out which technology is going to help you get through and provide the shipper with the information that they’re looking for,” said Riccio. “Look, it’s visibility, it’s visibility, it’s visibility. Everybody wants visibility, everybody wants visibility right here and now. Some of our shippers are requesting visibility updates at specific time intervals, but many do not, but we still send them out to differentiate ourselves so that they’re getting that update in a consistent cadence.”
Leonard’s Express currently uses Trucker Tools’ digital real-time load tracking platform to track loads and provide real-time visibility data to its shippers. The platform uses the Trucker Tools’ mobile app and the trucker’s smart phone to provide digital visibility updates every five to 15 minutes. With this real-time visibility, Leonard Express’ teams can provide shippers with accurate ETAs and address service delays as they occur in real-time.
