TECHNOFILE
When organising an event, or
shipping specialist items, you
need to know when, where
and how your items are being
shipped, and how soon they will
arrive. Tim Stackpool suggests
some tech to keep a watch on
your critical inventory.
Where’s
my stuff?
THE EXPERT
Tech expert Tim is the
technology writer for
Executive PA Media. He
can be heard on talk
radio in Australia and
is a tech presenter who
speaks at conferences
and trade shows about
technology’s impact on
work and lifestyle.
You may not be a trucking, warehouse or logistics
expert, but some EA and PA responsibilities need
extra special attention. Put these online services
into your arsenal to remain super prepared and
super organised.
You may have to deliver different board papers,
hard copies and other items separately to directors
in different locations, using your own drivers,
departing at different times. Surprisingly many
of the apps and services you might already use
contain methods of managing such deliveries.
Zoho (zoho.com) has a logistics app that manages
shipments, vehicles, and drivers, as part of their
‘creator’ series. The app also includes automated
email and SMS notifications and full mobile
support, pretty much guaranteeing a smooth
logistical operation.
MYOB (myob.com) has their own logistics
tool too, called CargoOffice, and it’s entirely web
based, meaning there’s nothing to install. The
interface allows you to create shipments that
capture all the required information, generate
connotes, stickers and all sorts of documentation.
And if the recipient is ‘in-house’, they can book
the shipment directly. It includes mobile access
where you can update or change the status of the
shipments, (letting the recipient track the progress
of the delivery), and any charges associated with
the delivery will be reflected directly in MYOB,
reducing the need for any further data entry.
Not to be outdone, but rather than creating
their own built-in logistics management, Xero
(xero.com) has teamed-up with My Trucking
(mytrucking.com) to seamlessly share information
between the two applications. My Trucking has
been designed to replicate the traditional diary or
spreadsheet system, and it greatly improves the
workflow by managing jobs through to invoicing.
Xero worked with the trucking company to aid
the design and have pretty much replicated the
26 Chief of Staff | Issue 1 2020
good old paper system that most use, but then
hosted it in the cloud, ensuring it’s simple and
practical to use. Everything is accessible from any
computer, anywhere, anytime with a login and
password.
If you are looking for something stand-alone
and super simple to use, Easy Drop (easydrop.co)
is an app for Android and iPhone that tracks the
driver, and also collects a signature on delivery.
The delivery driver can even take a photo upon
delivery, which is matched back against the
tracking system. Best of all, the service is charged
per delivery, so there’s no monthly contract
obligation, making it great for one-off, or rare and
unique delivery needs.
When it comes to international deliveries,
many firms have accounts with the big shipping
companies, which can be impractical if you only
ship overseas on the odd occasion. Easy Ship
(easyship.com) was originally developed to assist
online vendors find reliable and cost effective
ways of comparing the shipping costs from well-
established courier companies. Even if you just
need to send one parcel, by selecting your country
of origin on their website, you can then determine
which courier company to choose via price and
delivery time to the destination. With their pre-
negotiated shipping rates, they claim you can save
up 70 percent on some delivery costs.
Interparcel (interparcel.com) offers a similar
service, however, the country of origin is less
restrictive than that of Easy Ship. You might
find that prices vary depending on the types of
delivery warranty offered, with some countries
of origin and delivery not offering any type of
guarantee at all.
Irrespective of what type of service you use, a
quick online perusal can ultimately ensure better
reliability, as well as on-time and on-budget
delivery. S