5 tips for moving to a paperless supply chain today

With many logistics companies moving to large-scale remote working, accessing hard copy documents and records in the office is no longer an option. Craig Sturdivant, CargoWise Product Manager, shares five tips for moving to a paperless supply chain today.

As public officials worldwide take the necessary and unprecedented steps to contain COVID-19, many logistics companies are moving to large-scale remote working for the health and safety of their people and the communities they operate in.

This is unchartered territory, particularly for logistics companies who have resisted moving to a paperless supply chain and can no longer access their hard copy records onsite in the office.

If you’re looking to minimise potential delays or disruptions to your operations, electronic documentation is critical. Fortunately, moving quickly to a paperless environment doesn’t need to be difficult.

Our secure and reliable cloud-based logistics software, CargoWise, stores the documents your business needs in a centralised digital location, accessible when and where they’re required.

Getting started is easy – simply click ‘add eDocs’, copy and paste or drag files into the open eDocs field. Third parties can also add their own files to eDocs via a web portal.

Looking to do more with eDocs? Here’s some helpful hints and tips:

1. Remove the need for external editing or hand-written comments on individual documents. Set-up your notes tab so notes only appear when certain steps are completed – such as when a customer requests for special handling requirements to be printed on a Cartage Advice.

2. If a shipment requires specific document types, CargoWise can add them to the shipments’ eDocs tab automatically. It can also apply the most appropriate set of records if there is more than one for a specific document type.

3. Documents such as commercial invoices or packing lists can be easily updated by the customer or agent, and CargoWise will notify you when new content has been added. This removes the burden from your staff and helps you better collaborate with partners.

4. Want to set-up security restrictions so only approved individuals or teams can access the files? Security controls based on a company, branch or department can be easily added to limit visibility.

5. By incorporating workflow functionality, you can automate how you request certain documents if they’re not received in a timely manner. Reduce your operators’ workload and set-up delivery schedules to automatically send out attached documents at specific times. 

Discover how CargoWise can optimise your supply chain from origin to destination. Learn more

Need help optimising your productivity with CargoWise? Our global CargoWise Partner network helps customers of all sizes implement and configure CargoWise to suit your business needs. Find out how