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These facilities are at the heart of the SWIFT TMS and offer total management of the daily business of traffic office operations. Orders can be created manually, automatically via templates or electronically via EDI, WMS interfaces, etc. Each order is immediately assigned a unique number ensuring a complete audit trail can be produced on its progress through the planning, execution, debriefing and invoicing stages of the system. Orders can be planned onto loads either via a two-way interface to a 3rd party scheduler or manually from within SWIFT. The manual option can assist with load planning via geographical grouping or the use of standard trip/route templates. Orders awaiting allocation to a load are separately identifiable and can be presented as an on-screen list in a user configurable format. Order details can be changed easily at any time prior to them being finalised for invoicing. All load processing functions and resource allocation can be controlled from within our unique split screen interactive load build facility. Full use is made of drag and drop to allocate available resources (drivers, tractors, trailers, subcontractors) to loads. The availability of each resource can be ensured as it is allocated to check for VOR, prevent double booking etc.. Further options such as tramping (multiple collection points on a load), tractor swaps and multi-modal loads (road, train, ship, plane, etc.) are also supported. SWIFT's optional multi legging module provides extended functionality to accept, plan and record all movements in a multi depot environment with full support for trunking and cross-docking operations. Orders have one or more jobs/legs associated with them, each of which can be planned independently and transported on a different load. Order revenues are spread across the individual legs ensuring that each depot earns its fair share. This module has been proved during the course of the last 15 years, fulfilling the requirements of major UK shared user distributors, each with several depots. Whilst some competing systems have bolted a multi leg "add-on" to their existing products, TWSS has taken the opportunity to build on our experience and put multi legging at the heart of the current SWIFT database design. This means that SWIFT offers more power to drive all aspects of multi depot operations. Full recording of trunking and cross dock
operations with RDT / bar code / RFID options for both control purposes and
track and trace are available. The database design also offers greater
opportunities to enable you to analyse and understand your business by providing
the data essential for strategic planning. A convenient method of order/load processing is available in the form of the configurable traffic diary / traffic sheet which provides an all embracing alternative way of performing most standard functions. It allows the whole day's work to be seen and updated easily. User definable filters can be used to split the day's work into more manageable sections so allowing one person to see orders for a certain customer or to certain delivery addresses for example. Different users or menu options can also display different columns on their traffic sheet in the sequence they choose, ensuring that the user sees all the relevant information for the job in hand whilst suppressing any irrelevant information. Delivery Performance and POD Tracking SWIFT provides for the entry and recording of times of arrival and departure from all pick up and drop off points. These can then be used to analyse delivery performance results. With additional options to record POD and driver debrief details and reason codes for non-conformance, you have all the information needed to supply your customer with the analysis and reporting statistics they so often demand. POD's not received can also be analysed and automatically chased via fax, e-mail, letter, etc. SWIFT allows you to rate orders and loads either manually or automatically. Comprehensive automatic rating mechanisms can use rate tables, rates per mile, fixed prices, spot prices, etc. and can take into account distance, quantity, collection and/or delivery points. Rates can be per pallet, case, tonne, kilo, cube, greater of weight and cube, etc. A variety of special methods of rating are available including "charge per additional drop" for load rates and product based rating. Surcharges for fuel etc. can be implemented at the system or customer profile level. An integrated rate profile management tool is provided to set up and maintain all your various rating requirements from one centralised, user friendly interface. Rate profiles can be assigned to specific customers/subcontractors or be used company wide across numerous customers/subcontractors. You may transfer rate tables to and from any Windows spreadsheet (Excel, Lotus, Star Office, etc.) using standard Windows cut and paste operations. Additional charges can be applied to orders to adjust for demurrage, special deliveries, documentation production charges, etc. These charges can be set up in the form of templates to help in their application. Orders ready for invoicing can be finalised and released to the Invoicing module in a variety of ways. Orders or loads can be released individually, by date range or even automatically when POD's are received. Different companies work in different ways and that is why SWIFT has been designed to mould itself to your requirements. The invoicing module will produce invoices and associated schedules using the appropriate layout assigned to each customer. We provide sample layouts as standard, but you can copy and amend / re-design them to produce your own standards. Each customer can be assigned their own unique invoice layout, or you may just develop one layout to suit all customers. The choice is yours. Invoices can be produced for a single customer, selected customers, customers in certain categories and for orders within a selectable date range. Each customer can be set up to invoice in the appropriate currency. Each order will be updated with the invoice number it is assigned to. Invoices can be printed on plain, headed, or pre-printed stationery and can be re-printed at any time. Summary reports and on-screen enquiries showing full invoice history are available for analysis. Sundry invoices and credit notes can also be raised through SWIFT. These are "free-form" and so can be used to invoice for fuel, lost pallets, or any other ad-hoc charges you might wish to raise. SWIFT provides extensive features to support subcontracted haulage or traction. Agreed pricing structures for subcontractors can be set up and maintained within the rate table management system. SWIFT also produces subcontractor confirmation notes or self-billing invoices. When processing a subcontractor / haulier invoice, SWIFT will reconcile the costs on it with those previously entered or calculated and stored against load stages. Any discrepancies will be highlighted and can be monitored. A variety of reports are available to assist with the management of subcontractor/haulier performance. The TMS can be fully integrated with the SWIFT Warehouse Management System (WMS) but if you operate a 3rd party WMS then we offer a standard EDI interface to enable orders and address information to be passed between the two systems. The interface's open specification enables any WMS to be linked but we can produce bespoke interfaces if so required. Similarly, SWIFT's invoicing module provides its own standard interface files which can be used to transfer data into a 3rd party accounts system. We also offer tailored links to the major accounting systems such as Sage and Pegasus and can additionally produce bespoke interfaces to other packages on request. Enquiries Documents and Reporting Instant access is provided to all order and load details via on-screen enquiries. This enables you to provide timely and efficient answers to customer queries and so help to provide an improved level of customer service. Document production in SWIFT includes the
following: Gate Passes Collection / Delivery
Notes Loading Sheets Drivers Running
Sheets Vehicle Manifests Transport Schedules
and Invoices Sundry Credit Notes
and Invoices Subcontractor
Confirmation Notes Subcontractor
Self-billing Invoices All Swift standard document designs can be amended and you can create new documents. There is no need to contact us unless you require help with the modifications. Reporting on orders and loads by customer, vehicle, trailer, subcontractor/haulier, date range, address, various categorisations, etc. is as extensive and varied as you wish to make it. All reports can be previewed on screen prior to being printed. The details (columns, totals, etc.) are user definable in the same way as the document layouts above.
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Transport & Warehousing