The Transport & Logistics industry has been notorious for its extensive use of paper documents for years. However, starting in 2020-2021, the accelerated adoption of technology, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, has prompted logistics companies to discard old systems and integrate digital solutions that streamline processes more than ever before.
Intelligent Document Processing, or IDP, is the technology through which information contained in paper-based documents is automatically processed using Artificial Intelligence and transformed into data that can be exchanged in a matter of seconds.
Today, we show you how one of our clients, a renowned player in the domestic and international Transport & Logistics industry uses Apollo, the Intelligent Document Processing platform we developed, to achieve increased efficiency, speed, and accuracy.
To serve its customers, company Z uses both its own fleet and a dense network of subcontractor partners. The customer portfolio is dynamic, with new customers each month, and accessing freight exchange platforms for goods or spot orders is a common workflow.
The MAIN CHALLENGES company Z faced, in this context, were:
- Transport orders and loading instructions received in different format, language, issuing software, and file type – PDF, PNG, JPEG, XLS, etc.
However, the mandatory data that company Z operators needed to extract from orders were always the same:
- customer identification data;
- order number;
- loading and unloading locations, including date and time;
- loading/unloading references;
- details of the goods to be loaded: quantity, weight, dimensions, packaging method, temperature etc;
- rate;
- currency;
- payment terms;
- various observations.
- Delay in data entry & lack of real-time visibility of the location of loaded goods.
Operational department’s employees were supposed to enter the data extracted from orders into the Transport Management System (TMS) before sending the vehicles on their routes. However, dispatchers are also the ones coordinating the fleet of vehicles and subcontractors. Thus, due to a lack of time, orders were most often entered into the system only after the goods had already been loaded and sometimes even delivered.
Real-Time Visibility and transport location are two main requirements that company Z's clients have, but in the context described above, meeting these requirements has become increasingly difficult to achieve.
- Increased rate of errors.
Manual document processing is not only time-consuming but also highly prone to human errors. Moreover, data accuracy is very important, as data entered incorrectly in the system can radically change the course of a transport operation. For example, a single digit written incorrectly in a Postal Code sent to a driver as a loading location can result in deviations of several hours and tens of kilometres, with a directly proportional increase in costs.
OUR SMART APPROACH.
The first step in automating the workflow that depended on manual processing was, as always when we start implementing a new use case, the creation of:
- BPA,
- PDD,
- SOW.
Business Process Analysis (BPA) examines, evaluates, and maps existing operational flows and helps us identify processes to be replicated and automated, conclusions found in the Process Definition Document (PDD). Statement of Work (SOW) illustrates the scope, objectives, deliverables, timeline, budget, roles & responsibilities, standards of compliance, assumptions, and limitations of the project.
In the next step, we assisted company Z in designing and creating a SmartFlow* for processing Transport Orders and integrating it into their current workflow, as follows:
- The Transport Order is received via email or the user interface of the transport company from a freight exchange platform (e.g., Trans.eu, Transporeon).
- Orders are automatically picked up in the IDP Apollo platform, from email or via API, directly from freight-exchange platforms.
- Once imported into the platform and using Apollo's AI capabilities, Transport Orders are automatically processed, with the client's desired data being extracted, validated, and transformed according to the existing rules within company Z.
- Apollo allows Human-in-the-Loop actions, meaning human operators can validate actions or make adjustments at any point in the process. This time, company Z decided to introduce such human validations before the documents were recorded in the system.
- Data validated in its final form are automatically transferred, via API, into the TMS (Transport Management System).
- The dispatcher checks the data and the generated route, then allocates the optimal vehicle for the order's execution.
*A SmartFlow is a 100% customisable document flow that exactly replicates the process, internal business flow, or internal procedure of the company, from data extraction to its transfer to third parties. The SmartFlow is created through simple drag&drop actions. A user can build as many SmartFlows as they wish or can use predefined ones, depending on the unique needs of each company.
THE RESULTS.
Apollo proved its power once again, and the result was astonishing: efficiency increased 8 times. Thanks to its AI engine, Apollo can extract and digitize data extracted from orders coming from any unstructured source, such as PDFs, JPEGs, PNGs, and emails.
All received Transport Orders are entered automatically, with only one person allocated for the validation of the entered data.
Using Machine Learning, Apollo utilizes all these interventions and corrections made by the human operator, and through periodic retraining of the data extractor, the system learns what the operator indicated, making it much more "attentive" for subsequent documents. This leads to an up to 99% accuracy.
With the help of the IDP Apollo platform, company Z from the Transport & Logistics industry has been able to free its employees from repetitive and demotivating manual tasks. This approach has allowed team members to add more value, giving them the chance to have a much greater impact on the organization.
Revenue growth is the immediate consequence of implementing Apollo, as the team can now focus on generating additional sales and increasing transport volumes. Scaling the business has never been easier - by using Intelligent Document Processing, it can attract and process more clients without increasing the number of employees.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Our client in the Transport & Logistics industry will not stop here with the automation of document processing, regardless of their type. In the next stage, by using the Multiuser/Multirole functionality of the SMART PORTAL developed by Smart Touch Technologies, which allows the allocation of specific Roles and Access Levels to employees and about which you can read more here, company Z will have a single gateway for all documents within the organization: e-Invoices, external invoices, transport accompanying documents, cargo notices, various forms, contracts, etc.
Using SMART PORTAL and Apollo, Company Z will increase efficiency and security in document management & processing.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR AUTOMATIC REGISTRATION OF TRANSPORT ORDERS
- The use of a TMS / ERP system that allows the automatic import, via API, of data extracted from orders, such as FireTMS, InnoTMS, CargoWise, Getex, SAP, Navision, Nexus etc.
- Standardised internal rules and procedures regarding the management of Transport Orders.
If you too want your company in the Transport & Logistics industry to benefit from:
- increased efficiency & productivity,
- up to 99% accuracy,
- reduced costs,
- more motivated employees,
- digitization of document-involved processes,
fill out this form, and we will get in smart touch with you.