Are you still manually entering work orders into your TMS one by one? Have you considered the time and money that it is costing your business?
In today’s fast-paced logistics world, digital tools like machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) are becoming essential for companies looking to stay ahead and streamline operations. Combining ML and AI with Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is revolutionizing drayage order intake and processing. Automating order entry can make a big impact on your business, saving resources, increasing efficiency, and improving customer satisfaction.
A competitive market demands efficiency
The intermodal freight market is more competitive than ever, particularly for drayage operators who are struggling to stay ahead while handling shrinking margins. To remain competitive, they must do more with less, making operational efficiency a top priority.
However, many drayage operations still rely on resource-heavy, manual processes that are inefficient, costly and error-prone. As a result, many intermodal trucking businesses are turning to digitization, including automated order entry, to optimize their operations. While OCR has been around for a while, it alone isn’t enough. The next step in automation is leveraging machine learning and artificial intelligence to streamline order intake, reduce manual intervention, and improve accuracy in creating dispatch-ready TMS orders.
The challenges of manual order entry
Manual order entry slows down operations, increases resourcing costs, and reduces customer service.
- Time-consuming & resource-intensive – manual input slows down shipment initiation and makes scaling difficult without adding more headcount.
- Error-prone – Data entry mistakes can lead to incorrectly dispatched orders, unnecessary storage/demurrage charges, and invoice discrepancies that impact customer satisfaction.
- Complex order formats – Customers submit orders in various formats – CSV, Excel, or PDFs – each with different data structures, field names, and unit formats (e.g., kilograms vs. pounds). Converting these data inconsistencies is a constant struggle.
- Unpredictable order changes – modifications in updated or resubmitted orders may not be identified and can lead to time-consuming exception handling and duplicated dispatches.
- Over-reliance on tribal knowledge – Personnel absences or changes can disrupt order processing, affecting business continuity.
The solution: intelligent order automation
Order automation is not a new concept – systems using OCR to scan PDF orders or process spreadsheet uploads into TMS and other platforms have been around for years. However, these legacy systems often require significant manual intervention.
The latest advancements in machine learning are revolutionizing order automation by continuously learning from order history and customer preferences. These intelligent systems can adapt to different customer submission methods and formats over time, minimizing the need for manual input. By automating order intake, human involvement is reduced to review and approval, while repetitive orders can be automatically approved once the system has identified consistent patterns.
Seamless integration with your TMS ensures that order data is directly converted into dispatch-ready delivery orders, streamlining operations. Additionally, these systems can attach original customer order documents to shipments within the TMS, creating a reliable audit trail for invoice validation.
Impact of automating order entry
By eliminating repetitive data entry tasks, drayage operators can reallocate resources to higher-value priorities, decrease operational costs, and increase overall efficiency. Improved data accuracy reduces driver delays and unnecessary dry runs, while faster order intake enables quicker dispatching and more consistent on-time deliveries.
Furthermore, it enhances customer service by allowing businesses to accept orders in any format, ensuring a smoother and more flexible intake process. Automation also facilitates knowledge transfer by standardizing order processing, shifting “tribal knowledge” to “system knowledge”.
How does Order Automation work?
Order Automation simplifies and optimizes the way drayage operators handle order entry. Here’s how it works:
- Instant order recognition – Identifies and processes over 1,200 different delivery order formats.
- Machine learning-powered accuracy – Improves with every order processed, adapting to unique customer formats.
- Handles multiple file types – Supports PDF, CSV, and XLS for both single and bulk orders.
- Flags changes & avoids duplicates – Identifies modifications in order updates and marks changes for review.
- Flexible scheduling – Enables recurring delivery order creation for repeated drayage moves.
- Offers multiple submission options – Customers can upload files, drag and drop directly from email or file folders, or forward orders by email to a personalized intake email address.
- Seamless TMS integration – Orders are transmitted directly into your TMS for quick processing and dispatching.
Get started with CargoWise Landside Order Automation
Manual order entry is a bottleneck that drayage operators can no longer afford. With increasing competition and shrinking margins, automating order intake is a game-changer. By leveraging AI and machine learning, businesses can streamline operations, reduce errors, improve shipment accuracy, and enhance customer satisfaction.
Order Automation makes it easy to transition from manual processes to intelligent automation, ensuring that your team spends less time on data entry and more time on high-value tasks. If you’re ready to boost efficiency, improve accuracy, and stay ahead in the intermodal freight market, it’s time to embrace Order Automation.