Every company that ships its products has to contend with transportation challenges. Software has made it possible to manage a large number of shipments with ease and with minimal error. However, not everyone works with the same set of requirements, and thus there is no one-size-fits-all solution, no matter how robust and well-developed it may be.
Each business will need to weigh the pros and cons of an off-the-shelf system versus a custom-developed solution for its transportation management needs. In this article, we’ll highlight some key factors to consider, and show how Next Generation Logistics can meet your needs on both fronts.
Off-the-Shelf Transportation Management Software for Microsoft Dynamics 365
Buying an off-the-shelf solution can bring a number of benefits.
- In general, an off-the-shelf solution has a lower cost because the research and development expense is spread across hundreds or even thousands of customers.
- Since the off-the-shelf solution is already complete, only implementation stands between you and new levels of productivity and accuracy in shipping.
- Since an off-the-shelf solution has spent much time in development and received feedback from hundreds or even thousands of customers, it generally has a broader feature set, and those features have been field-tested and refined.
Our solution, Dynamics TMS®, is a powerful and feature-rich solution that comes as the result of over 30 years of transportation management experience distilled into software that you can use in your business. It employs industry best practices and proven strategies to help you ship and receive efficiently while keeping tight control of costs.
Dynamics TMS can handle load planning, route planning, rate shopping, accounting and accruals, EDI, dock scheduling, web portal collaboration, alert management, and much more. With options for both on-premises and cloud deployment, it is a solution that is quick to implement, helping you receive a return on investment within months.
Dynamics TMS is also developed to work hand-in-hand with your Microsoft Dynamics ERP – whether a legacy solution or the current iterations of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Dynamics 365 Business Central.
Custom Transportation Management Software Development for Microsoft Dynamics 365
On the other hand, some companies have very unique requirements that simply cannot be met by an off-the-shelf solution. Whether it’s a specialized logistics process, regulatory concerns, deep integration with your internally developed systems, special privacy or security concerns, or any other motives, custom development may be the best path to achieve the results you require.
When choosing a developer for your transportation management project, consider these factors:
- Not all developers are created equal. For example, hiring offshore developers might appear to greatly reduce your initial investment. However, if the solution later has problems, or if the code they produce isn’t testable and maintainable, will you have to invest more to fix it? Will the developers you hire deliver in a consistent manner, using established development methodologies, such as Agile development? And perhaps most importantly, will they have the depth of experience in Transportation Management to ensure the solution covers your needs, perhaps even some unforeseen ones?
- The benefits of contracting an experienced company to develop your custom solution are many. When you require modifications or fixes for your solution, an independent software engineer may no longer be available. A larger company will be your partner for years to come. Furthermore, they’ll have the staff available to create proper documentation and to provide training so that you can maximize the adoption of your new solution throughout your organization.
- Cybersecurity is an ever-increasing concern. Do you really know who is developing your solution? Protection of your corporate intellectual property is paramount. Be sure your developer will follow all best practices for software security and will be honest, not creating “easter eggs” or “back doors” in their code.
At NGL Software Solutions, our entire staff, including software engineers, are US-based. We’ve been developing solutions for over 30 years and have a host of Microsoft certifications that establish our competency in Windows, SQL Server, and .NET. We’re also a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner for Application Development. We leverage the latest Microsoft technologies to provide you with a robust solution in record time. And what is more, we bring our wealth of Transportation Management experience to the table to ensure the success of your project.
Next Steps
Whether you’ll derive greater benefit from an off-the-shelf transportation management system or a custom-developed solution is best decided by you. However, if you’re unsure which course to take, you can rely on expert advice to guide you in the right direction.
to learn more about the technology that can streamline and optimize your logistics operations.
By Next Generation Logistics |
