Top 5 Considerations for Freight Forwarders Partnering with a Premium Transportation Management Provider
Welcome to the sixth article in our series on how freight forwarders can provide shippers with services that go beyond expedited. While expedited shipping may be fast, there are no guarantees that goods will be delivered securely, with care, or even at the correct time. When you work with a premium transportation manager, you can take advantage of services like time-sensitive shipping, exclusive use vehicles (EUVs), and white glove service for high-value items.
Choosing the right transportation management team can be tricky if you don’t know the most important aspects of this vital partnership. In this article, S-2international has brought together the top 5 considerations to keep in mind when looking for a transport support partner, and explores why these factors matter to freight forwarding agents and the direct shippers that hire them.
- Proactivity
A critical factor when choosing a transportation management team is how proactive they are. The ability to anticipate and handle a variety of challenges sets S-2 apart from its competitors.
S-2international is a truly 24/7 company, always available for its partners and committed to responding to inquiries within 15 minutes of contact. Active and real-time communication keeps freight forwarding teams updated, while high visibility of in-transit loads provides reassurance during the delivery process.
S-2’s proactivity extends to their partnerships with their carriers. They extensively vet all carriers they work with, checking the validity of insurance certificates and verifying carrier safety records on an ongoing basis. Regular carrier service discussions ensure S-2’s partners are poised to meet the needs of S-2’s customers. Beyond building relationships with the best in the business, extensive experience allows S-2 employees to anticipate challenges and create mitigation strategies proactively.
- Integrity
Freight forwarders need a PTM that provides excellence at all times — not just when things are going well. Integrity means being honest about issues that have arisen and dealing with them in an appropriate way.
With a respected transportation management team, there is no over-promising simply to get customers onboard. S-2 will, instead, ensure they can deliver exactly what customers require via quality partner carriers, attention to detail, diligent tracking, and the ability to provide services that go above and beyond simply fast or expedited shipping. S-2international holds itself to a standard of complete transparency, and when challenges arise, will stay in contact with its partners and clients until every aspect is fully resolved.
Look for a partner that owns both their successes and areas of opportunity for growth, and uses the latter to continuously improve their services and relationships with both carriers and freight forwarding teams.
- Authenticity
As a freight forwarder, you want to work with partners who are as passionate about successful deliveries as you are. Transport partners should have a thorough knowledge of supply chain issues, industry requirements, and a range of other factors that impact how they quote and what services they offer you. You also need a team that has authentic relationships with partners and customers, rooted in a true desire to serve.You want a partner that loves its customers, treats them with respect, and is committed to delivering on its promises. This means receiving bespoke, customized service, and not a one-size-fits-all approach which leads to delayed or failed shipments or damaged client relationships.
S-2’s ethos is performance-driven, building on each success to create more opportunities to work with the industry's best carriers and freight forwarders.
- Quality
Of course, you must choose a partner that can provide you with the highest quality of service possible for the right price. This starts with team members who are highly qualified and experienced, not just within the freight industry (although, of course, this is vital!) but at dealing with varying levels of inquiries, thinking outside the box, and handling complexities with empathy and efficiency.
Equipped with state-of-the-art tech and digital tools, S-2's team members are able to optimize needs for the best solution and can carefully monitor shipments from the point of booking until the final handoff. When combined with personalized service based on a highly comprehensive catalog of offerings, S-2 provides exceptional quality for all the freight forwarding organizations it partners with.
- Technology and Heart Combined
S-2 is proud to use a range of cutting-edge technologies, including robotic process automation (RPA), AI, and machine learning (ML). A virtual fleet comprising vehicles of all sizes allows us to manage capacity efficiently, while digital tracking and security services empower us to be safer and provide the highest level of visibility for goods in transit. But technology alone is not enough. Our business is built on the amazing people who work tirelessly to develop long-lasting relationships with freight forwarders, maintain open communication, deal with issues as soon as they crop up — or even anticipate problems — and add the human touch that makes our partners stay with us year after year, many since our inception in 2004.
S-2 remains a recognized leader in transportation management because we demonstrate respect for our partners and a desire to exceed expectations. This empowers us to provide genuine service with heart.
Stay tuned to our blog, as we’ll be starting a brand new series with more tips and industry-critical information soon. In the meantime, check out our previous articles or reach out to the team here at S-2international for more information and advice on partnering with a premium transportation management provider.
