Using TOP for Bottom Line Solutions

If your business experienced shipping service disruptions in its supply chains because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not alone. More than half (58%) of respondents to a survey conducted by the online magazine Logistics Management confirmed they couldn't find or secure all the shipping options they needed through 2022.

These days, many small- and mid-sized companies experience similar difficulties and are looking for ways to avoid those in the future while getting the best value possible for their transportation spend. In this fourth in our series of six articles, you'll learn about S-2's innovative Transportation Optimization Platform (TOP) and how it provides your organization shipping options that meet your budget and service needs and are affordable, timely, and well-suited to your product. 

Logistics Make the World Go 'Round

Your organization must transport its items to its consumers, but global supply chain issues can interfere with its capacity to do that. In some cases, entities that ship smaller volumes get bumped from shipping opportunities or pay higher rates in favor of corporations with larger freight quantities. This reality has been made more difficult because of the logistics industry's efforts to recover after the pandemic. The receding viral threat, coupled with an evolving recession, is creating a "severe rate of contraction" in transportation activities, with freight and ocean-going shipping volumes dropping. In response, some transport companies have shut down, while others are reducing their fleets to eliminate unnecessary inventory costs. 

Consequently, your company may be scrambling to find and confirm the shipping and transport carrier, cost, and capacity it needs to maintain its contracts and market share. Fluctuating shipping prices and transport options may be resolving some of the logistics industry's challenges while adding more difficulty to yours. 

S-2's TOP Offers the Answers

At S-2, we put our heart into all our shipping and freight management activities, providing our customers with "TOP'-of-the-line options with optimal balance of price and service, for a variety of shipping needs.

Harnessing the TOP...

We designed our full-service transportation optimization platform (TOP) to respond to the specific concerns emerging from the chaos of the past three years. Our portal acts as an industry aggregator, giving customers control over every aspect of their shipping and freight requirements. It collects shipping terms and rates from hundreds of carriers, 3PLs, S2’s direct carrier rates, and even your direct rates into a single dashboard, including a complete selection of options from all available modes of product transportation, including heavyweight air freight, small package, LTL and soon, expedite ground and truckload.

...While Gaining S-2 Benefits

Of course, S-2 provides a large selection of all modes of shipping and transport options, too. The company manages a virtual fleet of carriers to meet its customer's needs, including cargo vans, sprinters, straight trucks and dry vans. Depending on the load, its weight, its distance to travel, and the specifications required for delivery, S-2 can arrange availability to meet the need: 

• Our trucking options are many, including non-DOT regulated units, truckload, flatbed, and drayage. 
  
  
• S-2 can arrange special packaging requirements. S-2 services include arrangement pad-wrapping, crating or even unpackaging any items to be shipped/delivered, providing constant monitoring of the goods while in transit, and even offering driver assistance if necessary.
  
  
• Proactive tracking services follow every shipment, ensuring its accurate delivery time and destination. Customers receive quick responses from the S-2 shipment tracking team, so they always know the current status of their shipment.
  
  
• Users can also see the total calculation of all costs of shipments. They reap the benefits of S-2's leveraged pricing opportunities, so they don't have to negotiate an acceptable rate for every load they need to ship.
  
  
• Our specialized service extends to transportation requirements outside or beyond standard industry practices. In some instances, timely delivery is critical to ensure the product remains viable until it reaches its consumer. In other cases, customers may require a well-timed pick-up to ensure that the hand-off from shipper to carrier goes smoothly. 

An Easy-to-Manage Control Panel

Another valuable element of TOP you'll appreciate is its ease of use. 

• Customers enter all the details of their current shipping needs into the platform, including weight, volume, preferred shipping method, and pick-up and delivery specifics. 
  
  
• The TOP application conveniently searches for and collects all relevant options into a single dashboard screen, allowing users to select the options that best suit their needs for that particular load.  
  
  
• The program offers cross-comparisons between transport providers, so customers can determine for themselves which provides the most acceptable rate and service for their needs.
  
  
• Users can also “laser-focus” their search to specific carriers, modes (air versus ground transport, i.e.), service levels (overnight, 2nd day, economy etc.), and even prices. 
  
• Soon, customers will be able to declare a value and purchase additional insurance when standard carrier terms don't meet your needs.

Accessing TOP requires a login and password. Pre-approved users with S-2 accounts can be invoiced for shipments, while general customers can enter a credit card number to gain access to setting up shipments via TOP for individual shipment purposes.

As a premium transportation manager, S-2 makes every shipping decision easy because of its convenient and comprehensive TOP app and portal. S-2's core coverage areas are the United States and Canada, and now, through its expanding carrier relationships, international destinations are available. With options that are available seven days a week, 24 hours a day, you can find, secure, and initiate all your product transportation and shipping needs through S-2 LLC.

Using S-2's TOP offers you the assurance that the delivery of your company's items — no matter what or where they are — are booked with the right transit times and on budget. Stay tuned for our next article, where we will discuss how S-2's service advocacy and technical provisions enhance their customers' shipping and transport experience and cost-efficiency.