In today’s video, I’m going to talk to you about three ways connectivity and mobility through the cloud can help you confidently take control of your business and have unheard-of flexibility in changing market conditions.
Hi, I’m Chuck Melton, owner of Melton technologies and I’m working from home today. We’ve been focused on connectivity and mobility for years. In fact, my original company was the first to link satellite tracking devices on trucks to PC-based office systems all the way back in the 80s. And as a customer reminded me yesterday, that was before many of you were even born. But before I jump in, I want to acknowledge we are in uncharted waters. We’re still in the midst of a pandemic with no obvious end in sight, which makes this conversation even more imperative. This is a transformative time for our country and for the transportation industry. It’s our strong belief that many carriers’ road to transformation will be through the power of the cloud. And here are three reasons why.
One, control your business and your job from anywhere. With mobility and connectivity through the cloud, you can have your data anytime, anywhere on any device. 2020 has given us a new motto, “Expect the unexpected.” Who thought when we were opening Christmas presents in December and celebrating with big parties and family dinners, that in less than 90 days we were going to face possibly the biggest crisis in our lifetime? All of our lives have been affected. Your employees are stressed. Many of them have children at home. Drivers are facing new obstacles to deliveries. Customers are stressed and more demanding. In your business, how do you respond to critical issues that will occur when a key employee is out? Or you get a call from that demanding customer after hours wanting to know where his shipment is or to change the destination. No situation is made better with less information. The cloud has really grown up during the pandemic and has kept all of us connected on so many levels. Zoom had 10 million users in December, and by the end of April, 300 million users. We have a partner in Germany and we can Zoom and have a face-to-face any time, for no extra costs. The world is so much smaller with the power we now have to communicate across the world. The power of the cloud gives you constant connectivity and mobility. Wherever you are, if you have a device, you are connected to your business. Honestly, it’s practically essential.
Point two is real-time information in a shifting market. The second reason connectivity and mobility through the cloud is vital for your fleet, is all your data is live and real-time information is easily accessed and distributed. Let’s face it, we were seeing huge shifts in the market even before the pandemic. Amazon’s effects on brick-and-mortar stores and malls were already significant. There have been no new malls in years and no one sees that trend reversing. Also, the consumers go further back in the supply chain and in many cases go directly to the manufacturer. And online ordering has increased dramatically. The pandemic will accelerate this process. So how will that impact you? Well, your dispatchers must expect the unexpected; close delivery destinations, rerouted shipments, and driver absences. A trucking company’s communication network must be more effective now than it has ever been. You need the latest information from your shippers, receivers, your customers, your dispatchers, and your drivers and you need to be able to provide any new information that is essential to whoever needs it. Even in those rare cases where you have a shipment that is going to be late, would you rather know early so you can proactively call the customer, or would you rather find out from an angry customer? I think I know the answer. Do your billing people complain about not having the necessary documentation in a timely manner? Mobility and connectivity in the cloud can solve that and speed up revenue. Tools are now available to capture documents in real time. For example, proof of delivery or a signed delivery receipt can be scanned immediately to the office from a driver’s phone and attached to the appropriate invoice. Real-time information is not an option these days, it’s a requirement.
Three, better communication and flexibility for staff and drivers. Lastly, connectivity and mobility through the cloud provide better internal communication with every party. A dispatch system in the cloud combined with an integrated driver app offers exceptional communication with dispatchers, drivers, and office staff because they’re all connected to the life of a shipment from order, to pick up, to delivery, to billing. Again, as a business owner or a fleet manager, a dispatcher or a driver, what’s our 2020 motto? “Expect the unexpected.” Google has announced that all of its employees will work from home until at least mid-next year. Uncertainties about the virus will continue for longer than we want to admit. Our businesses have to recognize and adapt to that kind of uncertainty. Employees for a variety of reasons are going to need flexibility and there’ll be a continued need for many people to work from home.
With connectivity and mobility in the cloud, office staff and dispatchers can have more flexibility to do their job remotely. The driver is never going to be able to work from home but we can also make his life easier. The more virtual your fleet management system is, the better prepared you’ll be because post-pandemic office systems will not be location or office-dependent. Every company must be prepared to operate outside the office. In 2020 and beyond, this is very important, carriers with cloud-based solutions will be able to work from anywhere, anytime on any device to get ahead and anticipate changes, have happier customers and happier staff. I would advise you to get ahead of the curve while you can.
My contact information is listed below. Give me a call and we can talk about you and how you can move to the cloud. Thank you and have a great day.
