How did it go? What could have been different? And what am I going to do in the new year? The holiday season is a good time to calmly think about these kinds of questions. The period from old to new year provides an additional reason to evaluate and look ahead. One of the questions you can ask yourself is ‘what is the core task of my organization?’ Because by focusing on your core task and making sharp choices, you ensure that you are valuable to your customers. That you achieve your goals. are successful. According to management guru Jos Burgers, this is even the only way to keep your share of the market . So ask yourself: what is your core task for 2022?
What no longer suits us in 2022?
Do you have a clear idea of your core task? Then the question often quickly arises: ‘what am I not going to do anymore?’. Because doing everything is probably not going to work. Whether you’ve come up with concepts in the past year that are completely different, or have worked hard to stay close to the old familiar, you’ll have to make choices. Only by having a clear idea of what your core task is and what no longer suits you can you deal with the rapidly changing world around you.
Asking the right questions
In order to make choices about what to do or not to do, it is important to ask yourself the right questions. To set priorities. Look at what your qualities are as a logistics service provider and which activities go with it. For example, there are still companies that run their software solution on their own hardware. But is hardware management your core business? Or is it better to focus on as little software and hardware in-house as possible?
Surely there are specialists for that, right? In addition, there are companies that do not yet have any, or only a few, integrations with customers and suppliers. Why not set up more integrations? Is “useless” input work one of your core tasks? Or would you rather deploy your employees for activities that are indispensable in your logistics services? There are also companies that have turned an excellent warehouse worker into an application specialist. Without training. Without training. Sometimes even without an affinity with software. But how can you get the most out of your software systems? How can you improve efficiency using your WMS or TMS without the right people?
Is printing still relevant today?
Despite the fact that digitization and sustainability are hot topics in every logistics company, a lot is still printed. There are companies that still print every document. Sometimes even each document multiple times. The pick order. The packing slip. The invoice. However, this does not happen because it has to, but because these companies do not change their processes. They have become dependent on printing. But ask yourself: is this really necessary? Wouldn’t you score much better in terms of sustainability without all that paper? Do you gain a competitive advantage? Or is it simply easier to do digitally?
The core tasks of a logistics service provider
Enough questions to ask yourself. Enough examples of activities that probably do not belong to your core tasks. But what could be your core tasks as a logistics service provider?
Unburden customers
A core task could be to unburden your customers. So more and more to do for your customer. Some companies are good at selling. For example, think of online webshops. But they often have no interest in logistics. There lies your strength. In other words, relieve these customers by taking care of storage and transport.
Your customer often wants to keep control over his products. With EDI you can save time when placing orders. You can also provide feedback on an order via EDI. This way your customer knows in his own system what the status is of a specific order.
Adding value to your services
A core task could be to go one step further. So don’t “just” provide storage and transport for your customers. But also repacking, repacking or perhaps combined delivery. For example, by delivering that delicious piece of meat combined with a bottle of red wine in the orders during the past Christmas period.
Going one step further does not mean that you should be distracted from your core task. For example, via a link with Transsmart, you can print the correct labels and have an end distributor deliver the orders to home addresses. This way you can still focus on your processes.
Become the best at leveraging your software
A core task for you as a manager could be to ensure that you as an organization really become the best in using software for logistics. And thus take maximum advantage of all possibilities, for example in the field of efficiency. So make sure you get application knowledge. Or attract new employees for this. Offer training to young and motivated employees with sufficient analytical skills. Employees who can combine practical logistics and software. With an appropriate thinking and working level. You play top division with sufficient potential. Train your people. Provide “top players”.
The importance of software for a successful year
Perhaps you go even further, with a completely new business model and a completely new concept for your customers. But one thing is clear: whatever you are going to do in 2022, the question ‘what role does software play?’ is getting more important. And more specifically: ‘how do you use your software?’ Because just automating your processes with a suitable software package is not enough. Indeed, that is step one. But using this software in the right way contributes to your core task. Look for the possibilities. And becomes successful.
