The Best Logistics Software
- User-friendly interface
- Customization options
- Excellent customer support
- Comprehensive range of features
- Heavy customization options
- Integration with shipping carriers
- Real-time tracking and analytics
- Fully-automated support for pricing based on fixed rates and tariffs
- Customizable user interface
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The best logistics software will streamline and automate freight forwarding, warehouse management, and customer relationship management. It should have a user-friendly interface, customization options, and excellent customer support.
We’ve evaluated a handful of options on the market, and have favored solutions that integrate with various shipping carriers–something that enables users to manage all shipments in one place. After researching and comparing 20+ options, here are our top picks for the best logistics software.
1 GoFreight
GoFreight offers a range of features such as freight forwarding, warehouse management, accounting, and customer relationship management. The software also integrates with various shipping carriers, enabling users to manage all their shipments in one place.
The user-friendly interface allows users to easily navigate and access different features. It also offers customization options, allowing users to tailor the software to their specific business needs. Examples of customizable settings include:
- Branding: Users can customize the branding of the software with their own logo, colors, and themes. This can help users reinforce their brand identity and make the software feel more personalized.
- Customizable documents: Users can customize documents such as invoices, bills of lading, and packing lists to match their branding and specific business needs. This can help users create a more professional and consistent image with their customers.
Additionally, GoFreight provides excellent customer support, with a dedicated team of experts available to assist users with any issues they may encounter. The software is also constantly updated with new features and improvements based on user feedback.
In recent news, GoFreight has raised $28 million in a Series B funding round led by BOND, to become the “Shopify of freight forwarding.” The funding will be used to further develop GoFreight’s platform and expand its presence globally, with a focus on Europe and Southeast Asia.
2 Magaya
Magaya Supply Chain offers a range of features such as freight forwarding, warehouse management, accounting, and customer relationship management. The software also integrates with various shipping carriers and accounting systems, enabling users to manage all their shipments and financial data in one place.
Magaya Supply Chain is a top logistics software because it offers customization options, enabling users to tailor the software to their specific business needs:
- Workflows: Automate specific tasks or processes. This can help streamline operations and save time by reducing manual effort.
- User interfaces: Makes it easier to navigate and use the software.
- Reports: Helps businesses gain insights into their operations and make data-driven decisions.
- Data fields: Capture additional information not included in the standard fields. Helps businesses track specific data points relevant to their operations.
- Integrations: Enables data sharing and streamlining operations.
Additionally, Magaya Supply Chain provides excellent customer support, with a dedicated team of experts available to assist users with any issues they may encounter. The software is also constantly updated with new features and improvements based on user feedback.
3 Soloplan
Soloplan offers a range of features, including freight management, route planning, dispatching, and billing. It also provides real-time tracking and analytics, enabling businesses to optimize their operations and make data-driven decisions.
The software is targeted towards forwarders, transport companies, and others in the shipping industry. Usually the size of the preferred client is mid-sized to global groups.
Customizable user interfaces let users tailor the software so that they can use the features most frequently used and not have to perform needless tasks to get there. By lowering the learning curve for new users, businesses can improve productivity and minimize errors. The software also offers training and support resources to all new companies during onboarding.
What Is Logistics Management Software?
Logistics software manages the supply chain of products from the point of origin to the point of consumption via transportation, inventory, warehousing, material-handling, and packaging features. Also known as logistics management software (LMS), these solutions help businesses streamline shipping, track vehicle maintenance, optimize routes, and provide warehouse management capabilities for quick and efficient workflows.
Some logistics solutions are further categorized as:
- Demand forecasting and planning software
- Distribution enterprise resource planning (ERP)
- Inventory management
- Supply chain management
- Transportation management systems (TMS)
All of the software solutions on this list improve business processes by letting logistics companies manage the operations related to warehousing and shipping goods via trucks, airplanes, boats, trains, and more. However, logistics management offers end-to-end control of your supply chain.
Whether your business deals with inbound logistics (linear flow of raw materials from suppliers into a warehouse) or outbound logistics (storing, transporting, and distributing goods to customers), web-based logistics software providers can help your business streamline real-time operations.
Logistics Software Functionality
- Order Management: Capture, track, and fulfill orders across multiple sales channels. Manage invoicing, manage recurring orders, integrate with shipping carriers, clone orders, detect errors, handle back orders, manage returns, and reconcile with purchase orders.
- Inventory Management: Keep track of all items your company builds, buys, stores or sells. Measure stock levels, how quickly documents are submitted, the accuracy of shipments, and double-check product quantity and quality.
- Warehouse Management (WMS): Manage and coordinate inventory and actions throughout a warehouse or distribution center. Optimize picking and shipping to ensure a higher accuracy of order fulfillment, faster delivery times, efficient labor management, and increased the real-time visibility of an order’s status.
- Transportation Management: Plan, execute, and optimize the physical movement of goods by coordinating with shippers and vehicles. Use route optimization to find fuel- and time-efficient routes. Consolidate shipments into the most efficient loads possible.
- Forecasting: Use real-time visibility to better anticipate customer demand, arrange resources, and plan production accordingly. Collect historical data on order volumes and inventory to continually update forecasts from sales.
Best Logistics Software Benefits
The perfect end-to-end logistics software will match you with the correct carrier depending on the type of freight, find the best shipper dependent on the services offered and the cost, and automate all of the busy work needed along the entire supply chain. When utilizing a logistics management system, you’ll can enjoy the following benefits:
More On-Time Shipments
Logistics software can refine your transportation methods by managing your data correctly. Shippers can reduce expected delivery timelines by using automation software to schedule shipments in a convenient, predictable path for your employee’s existing workloads.
Automation within your logistics process can also help make your business become more predictable. This predictability can lead to improved data on your freight management, allowing you to make real-time adjustments as needed. Quality logistics software will let you run reports and let you make more informed decisions based on your trends and history.
Reduce Costs with Real-Time Freight Rates
Logistics software can help combat rising transportation costs and save money by comparing different shipping services, delivery agents, and shipping methods to find the most cost-effective option possible. Implementing an online logistics software can provide real-time rates of various carriers, which can let you select your preferred carrier based on a number of factors, including cost.
Using software, your company may also find logistics service providers offering expedited shipping, which can improve the planning of your shipments and lead to higher customer satisfaction; benefits that should help make you a more profitable organization over time.
Anytime Access Via Cloud-Based Software
Cloud-based Software-as-a-Service, or SaaS, has been on the rise in nearly every industry. In the logistics industry, cloud-based software can help give a more visible and transparent view of your operations. And user-friendly mobile apps provide you with continual, real-time visibility into your logistics no matter where you are. Companies implementing SaaS logistics options to be more flexible, robust, and affordable.
Cloud technology is always connected to your resources and integrated with all departments. Important data such as carrier rates, party screening data, and your vendor list can be updated frequently with the most up-to-date information. This is particularly useful for eCommerce companies which need constant online visibility.
Not only does cloud software give access to your employees from any location, but it also provides a more affordable way of paying for the software. The most cost-effective logistics management software products are billed on a subscription-based pricing model, meaning your organization only pays on an annual or monthly basis.
Logistics Software Types
As previously mentioned, there are several categories of logistic management software. Here are some of the top options:
Logistics Software for Freight Forwarders
Freight forwarding logistics software helps freight companies manage cargo receipt, storage, and delivery. It also creates documents needed to move shipments such as air waybills and bill of lading through quotations, bookings, and pickup orders. Freight forwarding works with air, ocean, and ground shipments. These solutions give step-by-step guides on how to handle your cargo and freight forwarding operations on a daily basis.
Logistics software for freight forwarders gives real-time access to information throughout the entire shipment process. Whether the logistics process is still in the order entry and purchasing stage, through bookings, customs processing and security, or at the final shipment and delivery stage, freight forwarding logistics software will streamline the documenting of the shipping and transportation process. Software combines all areas of the logistics process to create unified effort between procurement, inventory management, vendors and carriers.
Trucking Logistics
Also known as trucking dispatch software, this subset of logistics software is made for trucking companies to automate the route optimization and scheduling processes for drivers. This includes tools for monitoring orders, trucks, trailers, and drivers from a centralized program. These solutions are designed to reduce the overall cost of running your fleet on top of improving productivity.
Some fleet management companies may rely on trucking software. Fleet management businesses will have more of a focus on local transportation rather than long-haul. Usually, these businesses deal with shorter driving distances, so efficient route planning is a must. They also have strong asset management features that cover preventive maintenance on their vehicle fleet.
Dispatching and Scheduling
Dispatching tools within logistics software can ensure orders and deliveries are being fulfilled in a specified time slot. Dispatchers can monitor the locations of trucks via GPS tracking capabilities. This shows how far along routes drivers are from nearing their destination, which helps detail the big picture of whether your business is operating on schedule or not.
Scheduling and dispatching tend to go hand-in-hand. When one driver is completing an order, they can instantly be scheduled into an available slot depending on their location and if they are the most optimal person to handle the delivery.
Third-Party Logistics (3PL) Software
Third-party logistics software (3PL) is the use of a third-party business to outsource distribution, warehousing, and fulfillment services. Many 3PL businesses need their own logistics software to manage their clients and the variety of outsourced logistics services they are providing them.
3PL software allows these fulfillment operations to complete orders, manage their warehouses, coordinate their shipping, track what is in their inventory, and establish billing. 3PL software and logistics management software are almost identical in functionality, but 3PL software will provide more of a focus for third-party logistics operations.
Some of the top benefits of 3PL software include improved warehouse management and inventory control, labor management, efficient workflows, finding cheaper and reliable shipping, accurate billing, and document management.
