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in this issue
· CLI Client ANC Wins Prestigious IT
Award
· Dock Scanning Improves Control
· 3 Ways to Make It Easier for
Transportation Prospects to Call You for Business
· Leadership Summit Quickly
Approaching
· Out to Lunch Training Continues
· New, Easier-to-Use FACTShelp Now
Available
· Personnel News
· Calendar of Events
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Welcome to
the August 2005 edition of the CLI newsletter. While we're dealing with
record heat here in the Northeast during the dog days of summer, we've got a
refreshing story for you out of the United Kingdom. This month we're proud to
announce that one of our clients, ANC Express, has won the prestigious International
Freighting Weekly's Information Technology Award. They won this award for
their use of the CLI-developed FACTS™ system. The system, which ANC has named
FOCUS, was chosen over entries by other transportation providers including
FedEx and TNT Express. One of the reasons ANC won is that FOCUS is much more
than an IT system. It is a comprehensive management and communication tool
that allows ANC to map out and update its operating procedures and deal more
effectively and accurately with customers. Please read this month's feature
story about this terrific recognition.
Also of
note is an article on the CLI Dock Management System (DMS) and how it can be
a real asset to your organization. If you haven't already looked into DMS, we
urge you to do so today. We're also pleased to include an article by Paul
DiModica on "3 Ways to Make It Easier for Transportation Prospects to
Call You for Business." Paul will be the keynote speaker at next month's
CLI Leadership Summit. Space is very limited so reserve your spot today.
Finally, in
the training corner, we're happy to announce the newest "Out to
Lunch" schedule and let you know about some exciting developments
regarding FACTShelp, our on-demand support and help tool. These are two great
ways to maximize your use of FACTS™.
Enjoy the
issue and the end of the summer. Stay cool.
CLI
Client ANC Wins Prestigious IT Award 
ANC
Express, the U.K.'s largest independent express carrier, has won International
Freighting Weekly's 2005 Information Technology Award for FOCUS, their
comprehensive, state-of-the-art track and trace computer system developed by
Carrier Logistics Inc. The ANC entry beat out efforts submitted by FedEx and
TNT Express. FOCUS is ANC's acronym for Future Operational and Customer
Unified Systems.
In addition
to offering the most advanced real-time tracking technology, the CLI system
boasts the capability to send out early warning alerts of shipping problems
such as congestion, delays, and vehicle accidents.
"The
new FOCUS system makes a significant difference in the way we serve our
14,000 customers from 85 franchised depots, and handle more than 135,000
shipments per night," said Henry Rusch, ANC's IT Director. "Thanks
to the 'Pre-Alert' early-warning feature, route planning and prioritizing
timed deliveries now take place hours earlier. Our warning alerts give
shippers time to correct a problem before it becomes a customer complaint,
delivering peace of mind to all our customers."
ANC's new
FOCUS IT installation enables company depots to notify customers in advance
of potential delivery problems via an e-mail advising receivers of any delay
and providing a revised estimate of the arrival time. The system also
provides track and trace capability demanded by shippers and receivers.
These
capabilities were the keys to signing major ANC customers, including Honda
and Total Home Entertainment (THE), to long-term contracts. The ANC FOCUS
system has become the benchmark for Honda's carriers in Europe, while THE
found it to be a vast improvement over the service of a previous carrier.
International
Freighting Weekly, or IFW, is based in the U.K. and has a 30-year pedigree as one
of Europe's leading weekly publications covering all aspects of the
commercial transport chain. The prestigious IFW Freighting Industry Awards
are described as the premier international accolade for each sector of the
transportation industry.
Congratulations
ANC!
For a Photo and Article
on the Award from the ANC Website, Please Click Here
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Dock Scanning
Improves Control
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 Would you like to
better control shipments? Avoid misloading? Improve dock productivity?
Close loads faster? Go paperless? If you answered yes to any of these
questions, then you might be interested in learning more about CLI's Dock
Management System (DMS).
Portable
scanners connecting dock workers to the database is the key to DMS giving
you added control of dock management and greatly improving efficiency. When
P&D units return to the terminal, for example, freight is scanned while
it is being unloaded, proving custody of the freight, providing the dock
worker with routing instructions, and marking the shipment as on the dock.
If the shipment is cross-loaded, it is immediately added onto the outbound
manifest. Work assignments are created for dock workers from inbound loads
and city routes. These assignments can be viewed and managed from the dock
office, providing awareness of each dockworker's status and each trailer's
status.
For
inbound traffic, DMS utilizes the FACTS inbound planning module to
facilitate routes being loaded according to the delivery route plan created
electronically hours before the freight even arrived. The FACTS inbound
planning module provides decision support for assigning deliveries to the
best route, taking into consideration such factors as special customer
requirements, special handling requirements, and appointment times. Improved
route efficiency is guaranteed. 
Additional
value comes from knowing where your freight is and who loaded it. It also
allows you to cut manifests immediately, meaning you'll closeout loads
faster and more efficiently. All scanning information is recorded in the
pro history for real-time tracking, and is immediately available on the
web. In short, DMS will take the guesswork out of your business.
Please
contact Ken Weinberg at kweinberg@carrierlogistics.com
for more information about the FACTS DMS module.
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3 Ways to Make
It Easier for Transportation Prospects to Call You for Business
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 Today, more than ever, transportation
companies are struggling to stay profitable and grow their business.
Challenged with rising fuel prices, increasing fleet maintenance costs,
driver shortages, and the weight of government policies, finding new
prospects and keeping existing customers happy is a never-ending Catch 22.
How can
the supermarket industry build 100,000 square foot superstores on 2% gross
margin per item sold?
They
turn their inventory 17-23 times a year.
How can
cruise ship companies continue to build massive ocean liners filled with
passengers when you and I can second source our vacation packages on the
Internet for a lower cost?
They
discount their retail pricing to achieve profitability.
To sell
more freight, fleet owners and management must take a look at other
commodity-based marketplaces which are adapting to the current economy. The
trucking industry is a fixed cost and inventory spin model. To grow your
business, logistics companies must turn their available inventory (trucking
space) quickly and keep their variable costs (drivers and fuel) and fixed
costs (yard) low. Having empty return loads and parked trucks in the yard
is just bad business.
To
increase your revenue per mile and your overall transportation
profitability, repackage your pricing based on a customer-centric view.
3 Ways to Tease
Prospects to Buy
1. Offer
new and existing customers frequent user point awards and discounts for
recurring shipments.
2. Advertise same-day shipment discounts for immediate route requests.
3. Repackage and rename your customer service offerings and customer
programs so they are more focused on your prospect's needs - not yours.
Sound
trivial? Not in business. In commodity-based industries like trucking and
logistics, prospects make immediate judgments on your company and their
perception of your "value." You can tell them you are reliable,
low cost, and responsible but your competitors are saying the same thing.
Prospects must see your value up-front to help them make a business
decision to buy from you. What is the difference between the words
"Customer Care" and "Customer Service?" Nothing, but
the word "Care" implies a broader, more personalized approach
than "Service." Remember, it is not who you are...it is who your
customer thinks you are.
This
article was written by Paul DiModica. Paul is the author of the book How
to Sell to Management and president, of DigitalHatch, Inc. He is also
the keynote speaker at CLI's upcoming Leadership Summit. DigitalHatch is a
strategic sales and marketing consulting firm that focuses on helping
companies increase corporate revenue through premeditated strategies and
tactics.
Visit
DigitalHatch by Clicking Here. »
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Leadership
Summit Quickly Approaching
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 CLI has released a
detailed agenda for its Annual Leadership Summit, which is just six weeks
away. The Summit, being held September 28 - 30 at the exclusive Tarrytown
House Estate in Tarrytown, NY, is quickly filling up. Please RSVP as soon
as possible to assure your place at the event.
This
program is produced for executive-level leaders in the transportation
industry. The theme this year is "Growing Your Trucking Business"
and there will be a strong educational emphasis on sales, marketing, and
customer service. There will be keynotes, interactive workshops, and lively
roundtable discussions on hot industry topics. Once again it promises to be
three days of learning, idea exchanging, and networking.
Session
titles include: How to Communicate Value when Marketing Your Services;
Web Services and Connectivity; How to Recruit and Manage Salespeople; How
to Manage Competition; Managing Customer Value to Earn Market Share; and
much more. For a complete agenda, click on the link below.
The CLI
Leadership Summit - a unique event with a remarkable audience and a stellar
roster of speakers. Call or e-mail today to be a part of it.
Click Here for the Complete Agenda. »
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Out to Lunch
Training Continues
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Following is the "Out to Lunch" schedule for the
coming weeks:
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Date
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Topic
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Aug. 25 12:00pm EDT
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COD Reconciliation
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Sept. 1 12:00pm EDT
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Driver Pay
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Sept. 16 12:00pm EDT
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Month End Procedure
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Sept. 23 12:00pm EDT
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Common Operations Reports
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"Out
to Lunch" sessions are a great and inexpensive way to learn how to
maximize your CLI software. Limited to one hour, this training is a
terrific opportunity for you and your team to get up-to-speed on the FACTS™
system.
REGISTER
TODAY!
Do you
have a topic that you would like covered in a future "Out to
Lunch" session? Please send it to training@carrierlogistics.com.
The
fee for each session is $75. If you need more than one connection to the
conference call, each additional connection is $30. This additional fee
covers the conference call and the WebEx cost, both priced by user. For
questions or to register for any of the above sessions, please either reply
to this e-mail or send an e-mail to training@carrierlogistics.com. Registration
is required at least 24 hours in advance as we may need to increase the
number of connections required for a given session. Please supply the
following when you register: Company Name, Your Name, E-mail Address, Phone
Number and Topic.
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New,
Easier-to-Use FACTShelp Now Available
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 With the release
of FACTS version 10.0 comes an easier-to-use, more comprehensive FACTShelp.
This on-demand support and help tool will enable users of the FACTS system
to better utilize the software. The most innovative change is now FACTShelp
will link directly from the programs instead of separately as the tool had
done in the past. Plus, new easy-to-read screens will guide users through
the system so they can maximize their use of FACTS.
Based on
RoboHelp, a tool from Macromedia, the creators of Shockwave and Flash,
FACTShelp allows CLI to create help files in multiple formats including Web
help, Flash help, printed documentation, and Windows help files. This new
way of releasing documentation is very user-friendly and will prove to be a
great asset in the support area.
Even
better, the program can be used to create online tutorials and training
sessions that can be customized for each customer. For more information on
FACTShelp contact Joe Suprenant at joes@carrierlogistics.com.
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Personnel News
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 CLI is pleased to
announce that Stephen Jackson has joined the CLI sales force, in charge of
new business development in the Midwest U.S. Stephen has over 13 years of
experience in the transportation industry and a solid background in
transportation software. He joins Gary Snyder, in Canada, and Adrian Moss,
in the U.K., as part of the global sales team. Stephen will be a valuable
asset to CLI in the Midwest and a key player in introducing the benefits of
the FACTS system to trucking and transportation companies.
Welcome
Stephen.
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Calendar of
Events
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Date
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Program
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Location
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Sept. 18 - 21
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Ohio
Trucking Association Annual Convention
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Toledo, OH
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Sept. 28 - 30
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CLI Annual
Leadership Summit
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Tarrytown, NY
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Oct. 2 - 5
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ATA
Safety & Loss Prevention Annual Conference
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Miami, FL
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Oct. 15 - 19
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2005
ATA Management Conference & Exhibition
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Boston, MA
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Oct. 16 - 19
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2005 Loss Prevention
Conference
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Atlanta, GA
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Oct. 20 - 22
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ExpoCam 2005
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Montreal, QC
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Nov. 12 - 16
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NITL 98th
Annual Meeting & TransComp 2005
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Anaheim, CA
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Nov. 17 -18
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Ontario
Trucking Association Annual Convention
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Toronto, ON
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Jan. 24 - 25
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SMC³
51st Annual Winter Meeting
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Atlanta, GA
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Feb. 26 - Mar. 1
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Annual Meeting of
the Distribution & Less Than Truckload Carriers Asoc.
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San Diego, CA
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Quick Links
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