Where’s My Stuff?

The flashiest technology in the world isn’t any good unless it helps the user do what he set out to do. In these days of high-tech bells and whistles (and the occasional dose of snake oil) in the computer industry, savvy business owners will do well to focus on the business benefits that technology can — or can’t — bring. What’s new and what’s hot may dazzle the eye, but it’s also going to drain the company coffers unless it enhances services, satisfies customers, and strengthens the bottom line.

Solid, positive results are what’s happening with package tracking technology used by Vaughan, Ont.-based less-than-truckload carrier J.D. Smith & Sons. The technology works, the customers like it, and it’s a solid business proposition.

“We definitely see a demand for this kind of thing when we’re looking at potential bids,” says general manager Brian Death. “It’s technology that’s expected by our larger customers, and increasingly used by our small customers.”

The company’s Web site (www.jdsmith .com) is the gateway to three similar, but distinct, customer service tools. Its “Warehouse” section uses the eVista Web tracing software developed by Markham, Ont. -based Delfour Corp. Visitors to this area of the site (which is protected, of course, by high-level encryption) can use open-ended queries to search their own inventories in the trucking company’s warehouse.

“This tool has been used well in the two years it’s been in place,” points out Cam Arntsen, J.D. Smith’s IT manager. “Our larger customers usually have EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), so it’s the smaller companies that really pick up on the warehousing option.”

The site’s “Interliner” section, which uses the same software, lets users review order histories, update order reports, and even download orders.

The “Transportation” section of the site holds an extensive set of tools. Companies can register multiple users, each with their own e-mail account, and use “drill down” query screens to track shipments, pickups, and all related documents. The Web tracing module in this instance is TM4Web, provided by Langley, B.C.-based Maddocks Systems.

The ability to track shipments via the Web is known (though in much more basic form) to consumers using courier companies. It’s not nearly as common in the trucking and logistics field. “At this point, only the larger national and North American firms have it in place,” says Death. “We’re the only company in the Toronto area with it.”

Why has J.D. Smith & Sons put package-tracking technology in place?

“Because these days it’s as important to move the data on time as it is to move the shipment on time,” answers Death. “We’ve been doing EDI transactions for over 15 years, and now 70% of our shipments make use of it. But putting an EDI solution in place requires a substantial investment. A Web-based front end means our smaller customers don’t need the expense of EDI but can achieve the same ends. Plus, using a Web browser is very user-friendly, and requires no training.”

For J.D. Smith & Sons, the payoff to Web-based package tracking comes during sales calls. “Customer expectations in this area are expanding all the time,” Death says. “The availability of package tracking from companies such as UPS, FedEx, and Purolator has raised the bar for everyone.”

What’s in the future for package tracking? “Mobility,” says Brian Death. “The ability to link package tracking solutions to an onboard device is definitely on the horizon for us.”

Putting the system in place wasn’t cheap, but it’s now a self-supporting part of the business. Training was supplied by the vendors, and J.D. Smith & Sons holds regular training sessions for its customer service representatives.

The upsides of that are that the tools are very user-friendly, and those reps become better-equipped to serve their customers’ needs.

J.D. Smith & Sons succeeds in a competitive business because it’s attracted and kept corporate customers that are sophisticated in terms of supply-chain management, and have high expectations of their transportation suppliers. Keeping at the forefront of the technology wave is, in this case at least, simply good business sense.