In the quest to find the right combination of supply chain software to support their end-to-end business needs, shippers often get locked into a “tunnel vision” mentality.
In many cases, they focus on solving specific pain points or on the project that’s sitting right in front of them without factoring in the bigger, more holistic picture.
Saddled with imminent testing or go-live mandates, shippers are forced to make quick decisions that aren’t always in their long-term best interests.
As the chaos of software implementation ensues, companies run the risk of selecting a vendor that solves their immediate problems today but can’t expand with them in the future.
Unable to efficiently and effectively “scale up” their technological infrastructures, shippers are forced back to the drawing board in a few years to find a system that truly meets their end-to-end supply chain management needs.
“It’s easy to get caught in the ‘weeds’ of a project,” explains Steve Williamson, Director of Solutions Consulting at BluJay Solutions.
“When evaluating and making determinations about the best vendor or solution fit, for example, you might overlook factors that could provide much more value. If you don’t pause and take a step back to assess where your company - and that vendor and its solution - will be in three to five years, you could overlook a viable partner that would have delivered more value in the long run.”
In this white paper, we’ll look more closely at the value of using forward-looking assessments during parcel solution selection phase; explain how the right parcel system supports returns, supplier coordination, order entry/e-commerce rating and tracking; and show how upfront due diligence helps companies derive the most value from their supply chain software platforms.